Glenn

Cardboard is most everywhere. Open the cardboard box and lay it flat, Next cut it into 2-3 inch strips of what ever length is available, the length of the box. The tubes of the cardboard interior should run in the 2-3 inch direction. Take a strip and roll it into a cylinder leaving a small opening in the very center of the tube. Crumple up piece of burning paper, news paper, etc into the fire pot. Put the cardboard cylinder on to the burning paper. Add just enough air to get the cardboard burning. All your solid fuel on top of the cardboard cylinder and a bit more air. You should have hot embers from the cardboard cylinder that will ignite the fuel in short order. If the fuel is stubborn, place some small pieces of wood, sticks, kindling, etc on top of the cardboard cylinder. Then the forge fuel on top of the wood. Add air as needed to get embers hot and start the forging fuel to burning. One cardboard box should produce several cardboard cylinders. Each cylinder can be used for starting a fire in the forge.

You can find brown paper on a roll as wrapping paper or cover paper for the back of picture framing. White butchers paper can work. Cardboard is most everywhere. Open the cardboard box and lay it flat, Next cut it into 2-3 inch strips of what ever length is available, the length of the box. The tubes of the cardboard interior should run in the 2-3 inch direction. Take a strip and roll it into a cylinder leaving a small opening in the very center of the tube. Crumple up piece of burning paper, news paper, etc into the fire pot. Put the cardboard cylinder on to the burning paper. Add just enough air to get the cardboard burning. All your solid fuel on top of the cardboard cylinder and a bit more air. You should have hot embers from the cardboard cylinder that will ignite the fuel in short order. If the fuel is stubborn, place some small pieces of wood, sticks, kindling, etc on top of the cardboard cylinder. Then the forge fuel on top of the wood. Add air as needed to get embers hot and start the forging fuel to burning. One cardboard box should produce several cardboard cylinders. Each cylinder can be used for starting a fire in the forge. Moderators please let this pass and do not delete. There is a rule, seldom discussed in public, for when you can build a fire in a forge. It is called the Y rule. You can only build a fire in the forge on days that end in the letter Y. Tomorrow does not end in the letter Y. TodaY does end in the letter Y and therefore is a good day to build a fire.

May I suggest Go to the meetings, You will learn more in a day than you can imagine.

This will keep all the 2017 events in one place. PVF AI, when you find out about the 2018 events, please start another thread to keep them separated from past years.

Yes, been there, done that, and knew there was more information that was not being displayed. When doing a search back up your results by typing into your browser, search spurs at iforgeiron.com and you get About 11,900 results. I can read 212, where as reading 11,900 would take a bit longer. Both are useful.

Find a cheap source for fuel and build a forge to use that fuel. Sharing a chimney is NOT a good idea. Nothing wrong with putting either type forge on a wheeled cart and moving it outside for use. As the cost of a solid fuel forge, search the solid fuel forge section. JABOD Just A Box Of Dirt, a hole in the ground, and others are at zero cost, just needs a shovel or sharp stick as a digging implement. For a gas forge, please read about gas forges on that section of the site. Good information whether you buy or build.

Why would you need a gear maker to make spurs? A site search for the word *spurs* said FOUND 212 RESULTS. Did those search results help answer your question?

Back to the original topic. Just hanging out at the bird feeder.

A member called Gilly who used to make Moose Munchies.

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Not every blacksmithing group or organization is part of The Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America. The New Mexico Artist Blacksmith Association (NMABA) is the home of many talented blacksmiths in New Mexico and the surrounding states. Meetings are held regularly on the first Saturday of every other month. Most meetings begin at 9am and feature a fantastic pot-luck lunch, demonstrations given by either members or special guests, and a chance to connect with the local blacksmithing community.

Use the anvil for a year before you make any decisions. A year would be defined as 2000 hours of beating hot metal on the anvil, not just having the shop lights turned on. That should give you time to find a qualified repair person and get an accurate estimate for having the repairs done. It will get you time to find a second anvil with a hardie and prichel hole, so you can compare the two prices.

Bridge anvil and post anvil.

Why not just weld a piece of angle iron to a hardie plate, V up. May want to support the sides if it is to get a lot of use.

Use only tender loving caresses with hot metal and a comfortable weight, well aimed hammer. (grin) Maybe a light wipe with a little ATF (Auto Transmission Fluid) before you leave the shop.