skunkriv

Followed me home from our monthly hammer-in today --- 250+ soft firebrick, very clean, some lightly mortared on one side, FREE A guy brought a whole truckload, I took what was left after the first 2 guys had what they wanted.

I used to have two of these. Picked them up for free. Gave one to a friend. The other floated around the shop for years and I rarely used it. I finally sold it way too cheap and now I really need it and I wish I had it BACK! :D

Frosty's last line sums it up very well. I have used them some, including quite a bit of time in a class at Bob Bergman's shop where they are made (we were using large air hammers most of the time.) I have a friend who has made over 700 hammers on his, may be 800 by now. He swears by his. Another friend has had his maybe 12-15 yrs...no problems. I wouldn't trade any of my power hammers for one but if I did have a KA it would get used, a lot!

"Ill get up in the morning, make a clean fire and try again." Words to live by...

I helped make a skillet with a torch(es) as you describe for a demo. It now lives in my kitchen and cost me a pretty penny I get skillets from my friend Bob at Upper Mississippi Valley Mercantile CO. He only shows completed skillets on the website. He also sells them without the handle so you can make your own. 9"X2" and you can get them with two holes, three holes, or no holes. Reasonable (to me) price and he gives you a break on ten (IIRC) or more. Tell him I said howdy and that you heard it here on IFI.

Nice setup Sabre but the location of your chair is ALL WRONG!!! You should pull it around to where you were standing to take picture #1 so you can easily admire your smithy. I agree with the above: 1- a shop vac is noisy but a good blower with enough pressure (that most small squirrel cages lack) to power a very good forge; 2- I would lose the chimney and give yourself room to work, maybe just a couple bricks to the side of the pot and set wider than shown and; 3- that first million is hard to come by Nice setup

"Collection only" is what we would call "pickup" or "for local pickup only" in an ad here. Neat anvil. Would be useful in any shop.

My goal is to build a shop big enough that I can afford to pay someone to mow what little yard I have left! After fighting and repairing mowers for 40 odd years since I was ten years old I am more than ready to give it up.

Jose-Nice forge. My forge also uses a large blower (in the next room to reduce noise) and the waste air blows up the flue. Mine is piped through a box with a butterfly valve in it so as air is increased to the firepot air is decreased to the flue pipe. In the picture you can just see the edge of the air pipe inside the forge hood. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/shop_012.jpg

Mike, I am 45 mi east of Des Moines and just off of 80. If I am close enough we can whip something up in my shop so you can wheel out your "good" anvil and work. Message me and we'll work something out. Come up and visit me at the state fair at Pioneer Hall.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f17/ This is the buy/sell section here. Most smithing tools still change hands at blacksmithing conferences and on ebay, craigslist etc. Most ABANA affiliate newsletters also have a buy/sell page.

I would go $35 on it, especially if I didn't have one already. Like any piece of purdy ol rusty stuff, getting it apart without doing any damage is 90% of the problem. A Champion or Buffalo should be easy to fix, just clean and reassemble. Sometimes the (loose) bearings on the fan (last, high speed) shaft on them might be galled and need replacing but usually they are good enough and improve with use. Canedy Ottos that have gotten wet present another problem. They have one fiber gear (that is what makes them quieter than other blowers) that may have swelled/splayed out some to the point it won't turn. If it happens to be a Cannedy Otto let me know and I will get into more detail about fixing that problem. I have been using one that had once been stuck at the Iowa State Fair for years now. Go for it and good luck. Talk to that "old man" as long and as often as you can and share what he has to say with us all.

Congratulations! I hope we can see pics of your test pieces soon. Will you be traveling now as a Journeyman or will you remain in the shop you are currently in?

tweer is what I say and mostly hear in the midwest. Also have heard twee-air. Have heard and seen it written as tuey-iron (that may be in England)

Yes it happened to me and it has almost happened a few times more. I have made maybe 30 irons over the years from 1/2" tall to one in a diamond about 4"X7". They are branding critters, hides, wood and furniture all over the country. The one I did complete backwards was a rush job gotten over the phone and I was to deliver it the next day prior to a holiday weekend. It was for branding picnic tables in a campground. I got it done (backwards), heated it in the forge and was aiming it at a test piece of wood when I saw what I had done. I cut it off the handle and made the new one. When I was delivering it the next day I was telling the buyer what had happened and he asked "what happened to the other one?" I told him it is laying in the back of the truck and he asked if he could have it. I told him sure, he had paid for that one, the second one I had to make for free :)

James-Welcome to iforgeiron. The summer conference for the Indiana Blacksmith Association is next weekend in Tipton. I had a great time there last year but with gas prices what they are won't be going this year. A great place to pick up another forge or any tools you have been wanting. Indiana Blacksmithing Association, Inc.

My shop forge also has a Roger Lorance firepot. Like Tenhammer's it is set into a steel table built to suit me and the space available. Roger is in Illinois, his phone is 309-475-9012.

Racer-Welcome to the forum. I wish you had popped up on the radar a little sooner. We just had the spring conference of the Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association this past weekend. We do have smaller monthly meetings in Haverhill, near Marshalltown.

Congrats Larry, lookin good.

Would have to see it but maybe you can lay the blower on the ground or on a bucket, hook it up with a temporary pipe and braze the bracket in the forge. Then again, wire works too :D

LOL Fred, thanks for the grin :D

Just decided a few days ago we are not going to be able to make it. Cash flow problem....no cash, no flow Have a good time!

Nice hammer Dale. Electric seat motor from a car might have more ooomph than a wiper motor. Another possibility is a motor from an electric hospital bed.

Wow! Terry,welcome to IforgeIron. Thanks for the info (and for doing the work!)

Rutterbush-Looks home made to me. Have seen a few old ones. The shop in Haverhill, IA where we have our monthly meetings has a very ingenious one made well before 1940. Can't run it though, the lineshaft would likely pull the whole building down around our ears. It is a museum now and we actually work in a building next door.