Dr Dean

I just wanted to say thanks to Vern and all the gentlemen for letting me sit in on the meeting Friday night. I will be joining the PBA soon so I hope to be able to visit many other events.

Ahh so much truth in so few words! I probably would have used the three s's.

Johnny no offense taken. I guess what I'm refering to for the 1/8 is I have the choice of spending more time with the torch or flip a switch and get the job done. My refrence to 1" for cutting is the average setup that I see around all the farm shops, they need bigger tips. The other thought for limiting thickness is the midget bottles that people buy and don't realize that they need to limit the acetlene flow. I don't remember off the top of my head what the flow limit is for acetelene seems to be 1/7 quanity of the bottle per hour. I'm probably wrong please correct me if so. I strongly believe that a torch rig and a welder both have thier place in a shop. If i'm going to weld some muffler pipe yes I'm going for the torch but most of the time it's limit is heating and cutting in my shop.

I've been keeping quiet just because I wanted to see what everyone else has to say. Pratical limits of oxy/acetlene welding is about 1/8 mild steel and even at that it's slow. Cutting with a big tip is pretty much 1" and you have to cut through in 1 pass or you will have a mess. I have cut through 4.5" axle shafts with a torch but it was ugly and I had to drill out the tip to get enough preheat (don't do this it's dangerous). What you want to look for in any welder. 220V don't even consider a 110 unit trust me it won't be long till you're looking for a bigger rig. Name brand, think of service and support 10-15 years down the road. I have 2 welders one is a 180 amp engine drive AC only, nice rig because it's portable but AC is harder to handle the puddle in out of position welds. My other rig is a Miller CST250, it's an inverter straight DC machine. 200 amp on single phase and 250 amp on three phase. I also have acess to several MIG welders yes they are nice but with pratice a good weldor can do anything with a stick machine that's needed. Really what I'm getting at is don't give up on finding a good deal. Go to your local welding supplier(LWS) and let them know what you are looking for. Check the pawn shops that's where I got my CST. I did see a tombstone for $100 at one in Omaha. Just so you know I'm 35 and have been welding since I was 8. Sorry for being long winded.

Check with a local semi trailer repair shop. You can get a real slick self tapping torx head countersunk bolt. I used them all the time when I was in trailer repair. I did find out that the bits lasted alot longer when I used my 1/2 air impact tham my 3/8.

You know what they say about best laid plans, it never works out. Since my last post we've all been sick, strep throat has run through the family but we're all better now. I realized today that it's a good thing that I rarely work with blueprints because my projects go through a evolution process. Yesterday the north shop at work was doing some house cleaning. I found a junk flywheel in my truck at the end of the day, hmmmm looks like a anvil stand. I also have a chunk of 4" square tube. What I'm thinking of doing is to weld the tube to the flywheel then weld one of the full round pieces of 1.25" to the top of the square tube. Then flip the base over, pack the square tube with sand and cap the bottom. I'm thinking of using one of the full round discs for my anvil base instead of making feet that look more traditional. Hopefully I can get some pics tomorrow or saturday to show what I'm thinking.

The first set of numbers is the part number. The other set is either a batch code or a date code. Really the only one that anybody cares about is the P/N espically when the fine gentelman at the parts counter gives you the wrong set for the 4th time.

Thanks for the offer on the loaner anvil but I hate borrowing/loaning tools. The little anvils are just a bit small for me. I have been swinging 4lb hammers for years. I'm not sure but I think that I'll be going to a smaller hammer when this mass of iron is done. WOW Dr Dean, you got alotta you-know-whats!!!!!!!! Am I doing a bad thing by posting this or is it that I'm willing to try?

Daryl, I had been looking for a decent used anvil. Unfortunatly the only ones that I've been able to find seem to be priced like gold, big bucks a new one would be about the same price. The electric cost is a non issue to me. Welding rod, I've got an old 50Lb box that I'm using up, mixed 7014 & 7018. The way that the welds are flowing in I think that the amount of grinding will be minimal. I'm going with the it's ugly but effective rule here. My welder is a recent aquisition it's a Miller CST-250 DC stick/tig rig. I'm running about 175 amps with 1/8 7018 and 7014. The 7018 is getting saved for building the face because it flows out smooth and work hardens with piening as it's cooling. I'm using 7014 for the body because it's a fast fill rod (iron powder in the flux). Both rods when the heat is right and a steady hand are darn near self chipping. Yesteryearforge, It's more of a sanity break.

Because I'm being lazy and really couldn't decide where to put this thread here's the link to the thread I already started. Shop Floor Talk - Fabricated anvil When I finish with all the welding I'll get a nice tidy thread going. Let me know what you think.

Well I've never welded copper before or even thought of it so I'm probably talking out of my backside. On mild steel a 200 amp welder cranked will blow holes in very short order. I would try running somewhere around 50 amps and slow your wire speed to match. You surely have some scraps use them for practice. Good luck and I would like to see some of the welds.

What thickness steel did you use for your anvil? I am in the process of fabricating my anvil now. When I'm done mine should be around 200Lbs. The only thing I haven't worked out is making the horn.

I use alot of 6011 and would recommend for a beginner. 7018 and 6010 are best left for use with DC reverse polarity(DCEN). You can get 7018AC for use with a buzz box but FWIW save your money. 7014 is also a good rod for flat welds but can throw you for a loop in other positions untill you get used to it. I bought a Miller CST-250 a few weeks ago, it's a inverter DC machine that just loves the 7018 but before that I had a love/hate thing going with 7018. Before you start building your forge round up a bunch of expendable scrap and practice, practice, practice. Burn a minimumm of 10lbs rod to get the hang of it. I also go to shopfloortalk.com there's a great bunch of folks over there and it's geared toward fabrication. PS sign on and check out the thread Biker Banking in off topic!

I use a #9 or 10 lens myself. I just can't see what I'm doing with any darker lens.

Wow, I've been turning wrenches for 15 years on farm equipment and never seen a valve body split like that. I'm glad there were no injuries with that failure.

Dodge I'm not that far from you. I'm just west of Oakland Ia. 20 miles east of Council Bluffs. Woody you said pretty much said what I've been thinking. The rebound or what I would call flex in the web is what might be able to be overcome by building up the web. I understand that RR track is far from Ideal but by my thinking is cheap, I have it, and usable. The other bonus to building up the web is that I get practice with my stick welding, something that I don't do much of anymore and need to maintain proficiency. Those anvils that Willie coyote use can't be much good because all I've seen them do is fall from cliffs after a real smith is fed up with them! Makes me think of a country song by "The Great Divide".

Thanks for your welcomes. The barn that the forge is stored in still has alot of hay and straw stored in the haymow not to mention my dad's new planter is in there. No way am I creating any flames or sparks anywhere near the barn. I have another tin shed that I'm planning on getting the floor leveled (dirt) and lay down some wire hog flooring for a solid base to use as a shop. The other thing that needs to be done is to add windows and electric service. The first pic is the shed that I'm planning on using. The second pic is of our house close to the end remodeling.

Pictures of the forge were requested so here they are with some bonus pics.

Since my hunt for a anvil at a price that meets my budget has failed miserably so far I'm looking at using RR track for my anvil. What I have in mind is to use 2 pieces of track welded together. The bottom piece would sit normally and the top piece would sit upside down. The working face would be the side that normally sits on the ties. I plan to build up the web to make this thing stiffer( I need to practice my uphand stick anyhow). The other thing I have in mind to do is add a horn made from the top portion of the rail. I'm thinking that I'll wind up with a boat anchor but what the heck I'll get some welding practice and I can say I tried. I already have a 50 Lb box of 7018 that is old and i wouldn't use it for anything critical (practice rod). Thoughts and ideas are welcome.

I thought I had a pic of my forge but I can't seem to find it. I'll have to take a couple when I go to the barn to do chores tomorrow. I guess that you will just have to see where the forge is at for now.

LOL I won't repeat what I said over at SFT.

It appears that the server really would like it if I would post something so here's a bit about me. I began welding as a youngster on our farm. I found out it was easier to fix my mistakes myself. Thats what probably led me to my profession as a ag diesel mechanic and I'm trying to specialize in electrical systems. I have spent some time working as a fabricator but it became obvious that it should remain a hobby, not cut out for the factory life. I already have what I think to be a nice forge. It was left here by the former owner. Any more story there is better suited for elsewhere. I've been working on getting an anvil but havent found anything in my budget. I have an idea for something resembling a anvil or aso but I'll start another thread.