Glenn

The idea of "cleaning up an anvil" is a sensitive topic, as in the past there have been several anvils milled to flat by removing the anvil face. All manner of machines have been suggested, or have been used, ALL of which remove metal at an alarming rate. Anvils have had the edges welded and brought back to 90 degrees with no regard to how it should be done properly, or the temper of the anvil face. We got caught up in trying to slow you down before damage was done to a 150 year old anvil that could not be replaced or repaired. A difference in definitions of the tools used did not help. Let is start over. We should start with the least damaging methods first. Then define the tools being suggested or used, how they are used, and what they will accomplish. If a separate thread, please describe your method of restoration work. If they are available, before and after photos would be nice. This is an area we could use for many projects.

Measure the depth of ALL the dents first so you KNOW what your dealing with. Two 32 nds is a 1/16 if an inch. The kid learning to run a milling machine in trade school knows what he is doing, removing metal. Have you even used the anvil yet? Did the dents or dings made a difference in the forging? Bottom line: YOUR anvil, YOUR choice. Choose wisely.

That anvil is close to 150 years old. A light professional grind should clean up the face and could destroy the anvil. If you remove the patina, you will never be able to get it replaced in your lifetime. ONLY use hot iron to clean up the face. A few hours getting to know each other and the face will shine. There are many opinions on the site about how to "clean up" an anvil. You can always modify the anvil later so wait a year before you do anything. You may want to do a little reading before you do something that can not be undone. If you want to remove the rest, look up electrolysis on the forum. It removes the rest and not the metal.

IBA Conference June 2-4, 2017 http://www.indianablacksmithing.org/Conferences/2017_Brochure.pdf

You may want to use different type bricks and different mortars for different parts of the forge. The heat zone motar would be different from the construction morals. A quick search for refractory mortars Indianapolis IN gave 3,900,000 RESULTS. Indianapolis IN is a large place and you should be able to find a source locally for the motors you need.

Scrambler, Reaching back: Posted December 18, 2015 (grin) Lots of stuff in the IFI archive. One reason we suggest you pack a lunch and a cold drink.

Add a T below the forge and a foot or so of pipe to collect any asked that fall through the grate. Empty the ash tube often so it does not fill up. Make a sheet metal cylinder the size of the outside diameter of the rotor and maybe 12 inches or more tall. Leave a opening in one side for your metal to get to the fire. FILL it with charcoal and you should find the fire getting hotter and you use less fuel. DO NOT couple the hair dryer directly to the air tube. Leave a 3 inch gap. You can then adjust the amount of air getting to the fire by aiming closer to the air pipe, or not so close for less air. This will also use less fuel. Fuel does not make a fire hot, air makes the fire how. Nice set up with the drum.

The forge is doing exactly what it was designed to do, produce heat. You want to heat the INTERIOR of the forge and not the entire room. Insulation keeps heat from transferring from the interior of the forge to the entire room. This uses less fuel, and is more efficent. How much insulation depends on type of insulation you use. You can then size the forge to the amount of interior space you want, plus the insulation thickness, plus other factors, and plus the thickness of the metal used to construct the forge shell. Consider the rating on the different insulations, as that effects the thickness of the insulation. You can reverse engineer the forge build, add the numbers together, and answer most of your questions. Look up the amount of BTUs each burner puts out, and what size area this will heat. You do this in order to figure out the interior size of the forge, based on the project size you are going to work. This will determine how many burners you need to heat that volume of forge interior. BEFORE you contact them, READ the entire gas forge section, TWICE !! Contact Mikey and find out how to purchase his book. Contact Wayne Coe for his skill and expertise. Others on the site (such as Frosty) are also great sources of information. You will find out who they are by reading what they have posted in the gas forge section. If you show them you have done your homework and have tried, they should be very helpful. They have the knowledge you seek, but do not expect to be spoon fed. They can only be expected to help if your questions are based on facts and the knowledge you have added to YOUR data base. Pack a lunch and a cold drink and start reading. It will answer a lot if not most of your questions. You may want to review the post on how to deal with a curmudgeon. Not calling any of them curmudgeons, but the information on the subject is very useful. (grin)

Why did you not insulate it? Have you read the Gas Forges section on this site? There are many topics and discussions on insulation.

How out of flat are you talking about, We need some measurements or something on which to base our answers.

I've been forging almost daily (it's not an addiction, I can quit any time I want!!!) Will W.

He is on the list.

You building a side blast or a bottom forge? What fuel do you plan on using? For bottom blast use a piece of plate cut to the inside diameter of the drum, and make a hole to fit your air pipe. You can use the lug bolt holes to bolt the plate in place or the drum to a stand. I strongly suggest you make a ring from flat bar to fit the groove on the drum and then weld a piece of light weight plate to the ring to make a table that fits on top of the drum. Gives the fire a little more depth, keeps the fuel from falling out of the drum, and gives a place for any extra fuel while forging. With the table top you can then make a really deep fire when needed. You may want to visit the solid fuel forge section on the site to get other ideas on using the drum to build a forge.

What are the cool tools that you own but rarely use? Swage block, 2 man cross cut saw, wooden buck saw, bed wrench, broad axe, come to mind. Oh yes, throw in the chain hoist. What are the cool tools you own? Extra points for photos.

In days gone by, I suspect the swage block was an important too in the blacksmith shop and got used on a regular basis or at least semi-regular basis. Look at the size of the square holes, round holes, slots, and then look at the different size V shaped and half round shaped edges. They were put those sizes into the block for a reason, because that is the shape needed to do the work on the project at hand. One reason that the swage blocks have gathered dust is the purpose for the tool is no longer needed, or at least not on a regular basis. When was the last time you used the 2 man cross cut saw handing on the wall, or the old time buck saws, or the wagon jack? How many people do you know that have a steelyard, AND use it? (Other than JLP). Yes they are all cool tools, but ... rarely used now days.