skunkriv

Had a friend in IL who has passed away that used to sell a lot of tools tailgating at blacksmith conferences. Most hammer heads were marked at $3. Whenever anyone would try to talk him down on price he would tell em "the HOLE is worth a dollar! Let's see you make that hole for a dollar". One thing I did unload a few years ago was all of my top and bottom swages and fullers. Do most of that work with spring tools and they were just taking up space. Figured any I might need in the future I could make. Kept one 3/4" swage I use at the anvil for rolling up candle cups and I have two swage blocks. Now of course I have nooooooooo extra anything in my shop :D

Those are firebrick in the forge shown in the link listed above. I have a big pile of firebrick out behind the shop but choose not to use them for the surface of my table. To each his own. One thing I like about the forge in the pic is the firepot is flush with the table surface. I did mine that way too even though my table top is just steel. The flush mount pots are easier to drag coal in and out of and there is no lip in the way of you laying your piece in there wherever you want.

If it was me I would make the table out of steel. Have it just drop in and sit on a ledge or some angle iron fastened to your block or brick. We will all be waiting for pics when you git er done Welcome to ifi and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Thank you BT. One of these years I am gonna sneak down there and surprise Pat and all on New Year's . I love turning up unexpected at places far away from home. Don't tell him that it's a secret! Ruben-I figured that was you. Good to see you here on ifi. Sorry to hear you have had health problems. Hope to see you in March. Take care.

I carry mine laying down and make a little pile of log chain on either side to keep them from rolling. Always have some chain in the truck. We have a choice of getting our gas from two places that are about the same distance away. I go to the welding supply store because they also have the neat toys to look at My wife uses more ox than me making glass beads. She gets hers at an implement dealer because that works out better for her. They don't mind that she puts them in her trunk. The 100# propane bottles she uses we get delivered by the co-op for the same price as if we went there and picked them up. I have a 250 gal tank at the shop now so no hauling and no running out for me anymore.

Welcome flatcreek If any of you mid-MO folks are going to Pat's on New Year's Day tell him I said howdy and will see him in Sedalia in May.

I would talk to Grant Sarver at Off-Center Forge 1318 South 83rd Street Tacoma, WA 98408, (800) 993-6744 or (800) 858-8831 He makes the off-center tongs many of you are probably familiar with and designed the KA-75 hammers. These projects were spawned by his love of the craft and good tools. His real business is making drilling steels that he sells to industry world wide. A great guy who seems always interested in even the smallest projects.

Nice gigs BT!

R Funk-As you said detergent oil is designed to keep foreign matter in suspension. That is so these contaminants can be carried to a filter. On non filtered systems such as lawn mower type engines and air compressors you want the junk to settle out. I haven't bought anything new in many many many years but I know Briggs and Stratton used to specify non-detergent oil. Still run it in mine and that is probably why Wally World still carries it.

Excellent Rich Like he says get out and go to classes, demonstrations or hammer-ins. You can learn so much in one day (or one minute) with a good instructor or a friendly mentor. Like many I started with a book in one hand and a hammer in the other. Hard to get much done that way!

Shop safety-many who come to this craft have little or no knowledge of the general shop practices that are second nature to most of us. Tools Fire building and fire control/maintenance. I would teach with coal. Have some discussion and probably fire up a gasser to show them too. Tapering. Forge a square point on the end of a bar then round it up. Cutting on the hardy. Taper, cut, taper, cut etc. etc. :D

I use oxy/propane for cutting and heating either with the cutting tip or a rosebud. Cutting with propane requires special tips but they are available for most torches. I switch to acetylene for welding and brazing. About the only thing I weld with the torch are very light things like rose leaves and such and some repairs. My little 3' high acetylene bottle will usually last several years.

Welcome Mitch. I have met many people over the years who got started because they had inherited an anvil.

The old dump rake teeth are straight carbon steel. Water harden and for most things I would draw back to a bronze. My strikers are edge hardened only and I don't draw temper on them at all.

Most of the old ones around here used round stock for the tines and they were held together with a wedge. You have probably seen that kind but if needed I can post a pic. Have one hanging on the front of the shop . Have a friend in MO who collects them and as I recall most of his were made the same way. Garage door spring would be good stock to use.

They are talking about dump rake teeth. I always have some on hand. Good for small knives like patch knives, fire strikers, woodcarving tools, repousse' tools, springs.

You could certainly build a treadle hammer that would strike five blows with each "foot stomp". What you cannot do is get five blows that deliver the same power as the one blow hammer without increasing the amount of force you put into each "foot stomp". If equal force and speed are applied to each stomp on both of these hammers the blows on the hybrid would end up having less than 20% of the power of the one blow hammer. No Free Lunch Build yourself a treadle hammer and/or a power hammer.

Not something you want to use on food related items either. For that I have been using spray on canola or olive oil from the grocery store. I heat and mix my wax mixture on a hotplate right in the old dutch oven I keep it in, outdoors. If you have a spot where the wax is too thick after your piece cools just pass that area over your coal forge, or in front of your gasser, and wipe it down again.

. o O(wonder who he was flippin the bird at when he snapped that pic) Bad place for that little nasty on your knuckle. For relief occasionally use finger to stir your beer. I would suggest COLD beer but whatever Happy healing Ian.

Maybe that's why HopSing SANG!:cool:

I don't know whether to bid on it or start a pool betting on how much it will bring I'm guessing it was for making cable because of how heavy it is. Probably hung from a track above.

Hiya Tom. Welcome to iforgeiron. Congrats on the anvil. All I got when I went to vegas last winter was married! :D

Have a friend who works at the place where they made that big ring.

For anyone travelling home from Sid's through Iowa on I-80. There is an Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association monthly hammer-in that Sunday in Haverhill, IA. Middle of the state near Marshalltown, about 25 miles north of I-80. Email me if you want any info.

Good one Dan, but I think all you will likely get are a bunch more "first" verses: Under the icebound drooping tree my little smithy stands I walk to the shop with shuffling step or on my "back" I'll land The little gasser heats the place up as I tend to the tasks at hand