John McPherson

The wrought iron produced from raw ores in a coke fed blast furnace of our grandfather's day is a whole 'nuther animal than today's computerized scrap fed electric furnace continuous cast mild steel. That is one of the reasons going by the directions laid out in books from before about 1950 do not produce the same results. It's like trying to make flakey biscuits out of corn meal: not going to happen. The ingredients shape the process, and help determine the outcome. Salmon red would be a medium forging heat for modern low carbon steels, but is too cold for wrought and will cause delamination. Wrought *has* to be forged at what would be considered a welding heat to burning for most steels: lemon yellow to white. It *is* a welding heat, because you are constantly welding the self fluxing bundle of fibers we call wrought iron back in on itself. If you punch or drill wrought, you weaken it by cutting the fibers. You want to slit and drift "frog eyes" along and not across the grain in the metal, or wrap it back on itself and weld it.

I have tried posting events to the calendar, which is tabbed at the top of the page. I think the moderators must have to review it for approval, since it does not show up immediately, if ever.

While it may still be the heat that you were working at, that looks to me more like wrought iron delamination, or linear splitting at the grain boundaries of a rolled steel. A true tear would just be jagged and head towards the side. That is the problem with dealing with mystery metals, every piece is a challenge. If it was a leaded or sulpherized free machining steel, it will never forge without cracking.

My friend, you have real talent, and an eye for detail. Awesome work. Just needs a dragonfly on the tip top......

Thank you Mr. Turley for providing this lesson. I always read your posts, because I always learn something. One day I hope to take one of your classes. This sort of side by side product comparison is always instructive, and what I come to the forums for. According to old magazine ads, Canady-Otto made two lines of product near the end, their flagship "Western Chief" and entry level "Tiger" line. The same way a Cadillac Escalade and GMC pickup are both GM products nowadays.

What's in a name? Don't ask for ID. She's a keeper! I'm pretty sure she is over 18, take her home and put her to work. :wub: And the name or lack of one should make no real difference to anyone but a seller trying to jack up a price to a collector, or a hoarder (who just *thinks* that they are a collector :blink:). AinA has spawned more internet discussion than OJ's trial. Seriously, that is a great looking anvil, and I am sure you will get many years of enjoyment with it. And if it were mine, I would probably be asking the same question.

An alternative is to braze or weld half a chain link onto the outside of the short leg. Something like this: ______D It gives the keyring someplace to go, and acts as a handle to turn the allen wrench.

Robert, I think you meant Goldman-Sachs and the rest of Wall Street.

Circa 1860-1910 English make, wrought iron body, tool steel face in good condition, probably less than 100 pounds. A very desirable small portable anvil due to the blocky shape putting more mass under the hammer. The name on the anvil is of no real importance to anyone but a collector, function and condition are everything to a blacksmith.

I see neglect but no abuse. Jump on it if the price is right.

Any luck using it in a gas forge? Particularly in venturi types, which seem to cause a lot of scaling? I have only successfully forge welded in coal forges, which are not practical in my present location. Here is the link you were looking for:

Randy, you could start with clicking the "Find Your Local Group" button in the upper right hand corner of that page. John, who was once Ossian Gaveloc some decades ago.

Breaking & Entering and Property Theft has become a low priority in the past decade or so. One might even say decriminalized, since it is now a misdemeanor and not a felony. Here, unless you are home, in the same building while the break-in occurs, or unless guns are stolen, the police just take a report over the internet or phone, and give you a case number to use for insurance purposes. They are not going looking for stolen property at pawn shops, flea markets or scrap yards, somebody (honest) would have to report it to them. Even if by chance you find your stuff, you will have to prove ownership to get it back. Having been hit by thieves more than once myself, there are a few things you can do to to discourage theft and/or increase likelihood of recovery. None are guarantees. Some are unique to blacksmithing, most are not. Locks, chains, dogs and alarms are just to make them look for a softer target, slow them down or make enough noise to attack unwanted attention. Take a voice-over video or photographic inventory of all your tools (and household goods), print them out and write on the back what they are and how much they are worth. Record make/model/serial numbers on all guns and high dollar items. *****Store the inventory off site in a secure location.**** You need this in case of fire/tornado/earthquake/major break-in for insurance purposes. Take a sheet of typing paper and a carpenters pencil and do a rubbing of the markings of every anvil you own - as good as fingerprints for ID. You and I know the stampings and accumulated dings are NEVER the same, but proving that to a jury would be tough without it. Having your stamp on tongs and things would help prove ownership, unless you have ever sold tongs. MIG welding, paint markers, engraving or stamping your name/initials and/or drivers license number on large items works as well. Those that know me have commented on my liberal use of Federal Safety Purple paint on ALL my tools. It helped reduce pilferage from my truck when I had a construction company. When thieves hit every remote vacation cabin on a dead end road, including my uncle's cabin we were working on, they stole the shower stall and electrical panel off the wall, as well as everything not nailed down. They left my purple tools. At school we use fluorescent green and blue. Red, yellow and orange are too common. Find a color or combination that works for you.

"How can you tell this is a POS by the picture? What are you seeing that I don't see?" OK, school is in session. Take a good long look at the photo that Phil saved above. Go ahead, I'll wait. The subject is an unfinished(1), poor quality(2) all cast iron ASO.(3) (1) No effort was made to grind and clean it up before it's original sale to the public, always a bad sign. (2) As evidenced by the filled letter A, uneven seams visible at the horn and sides, and rough sand surface. A quality company would use a baby-powder fine sand, not coarse beach sand. (3) The sand finish face demonstrates the lack of a tool steel face with pritchel hole. Tool steel will rust and pit in a different manner than cast iron. And it had never been used as anything but a doorstop, because if it had, the face would have major chips and scars, or the horn and/or heel would have fallen off.

Ever heard of "Buyer Beware?" What makes you think that cast iron ASO's and outright forgeries are a recent trend? Only the country of origin has changed over time, and only because we no longer have foundries in every town these days due to EPA reg's. It just might be a quality casting made by a competent foundry-man with time on his hands, and some extra high quality metal left in the pot after a big pour. It might even have a tool steel face. Sometimes "government" jobs for friends, or a little spending money, get done at the end of a shift. Weld shops are where the after hours action is today. The profile is all wrong for a factory cast anvil like a Fisher or Vulcan, who understood the limits of castings. But the lack of marking, lack of a pritchel hole, and especially the unfinished casting seam screams forgery to me, even in a lo-res photo. Please, feel free to prove me wrong.

There is a plant near me that casts up to 3' x 20' billets of titanium, and then reheats and forges them out with an automated rotary hammer, or a press. Makes the whole building shake. Unfortunately, no photos allowed. The closest a human gets to the work is transporting and holding the work under the hammers in a specialized fork lift, which has rotating clamps (tongs) instead of forks.

Roughly, 150 to 175 with that narrow waist and 4" face. But the condition looks good, make an offer that you can live with.

If you plan to move it, a bed of several layers of roofing felt (tar paper) trimmed to fit the base works well. It will compress and conform to the bottom over time. If it does not need to come apart, a bed of silicone caulk is perfect. Magnets move, and attract all the scale and slivers. Oiled sand in the tube or pipe for the legs stops noise and rusting while adding weight, expanding foam kills noise while keeping it light.

Umm, no, and what does this have to do with general blacksmithing? Or any blacksmithing? If you go ever to the forges subforums, you will find plenty of info on the type of refractories used to line forges, and where to get them.

Weird is good, weird is fun. Be proud of who and what you are. You can be heckled by anyone, but you can only be shamed if you agree with the accuser at some level. Some of us not only march to the beat of a different drummer, but a bring along a bagpiper as well. (Try showing up in public in a kilt....alone. You get whole isles in the grocery store to yourself. :lol: ) There is power in numbers, and this forum is the proof. Like the moral of Alice's Restaurant: "...and if three of you do it, its a movement!" Allowing yourself to be attacked and abused without defending your body and your psyche sets a bad precedent, no matter what "authority" says. Do what you have to, but no more. Maybe next time he will pick a fight with the Chess club instead. PS: High School and the hassles with the other inmates may seem like a big deal at the time, but it quickly fades as you get on with your own life. You will find that the only thing you had in common with most of them was geography and a four year sentence. Even though I still live in the same neighborhood, I have only been back for one reunion. What a mistake that was. I married the only person I wanted to see again from my class 35 years ago. :wub:

"I seem to remember the first shots were fired by the south." Really? You don't look that old in the picture. Or are you basing your opinion on history written by the winners? Always suspect in my view. Would you be happier if I called it the "War Between the Yankees and the Americans"? How 'bout "The Recent Unpleasantness"? It was anything but civil. It's a JOKE, hence the smiley face. Lighten up. Sheesh.

For the last thirty years I have worked with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from that age up on all kinds of craft projects. At that age and size, an "S" hook made from quarter inch square stock is about all they can handle. Cut a hand full of green switches to use as a pointer to show them where the next blow lands, and return the work to the fire often. Light hammers and someone else on the tongs are called for. Child size canvas aprons and safety goggles are available at craft stores, work gloves at big box home stores. If they will not lay out the money for the PPE, they are not serious, and you are not interested.

Very old (1760-1830?) and extremely worn English block pattern anvil, made without a horn or pritchel hole. The hard steel face is worn thru in spots. They were fairly common in this area and the rest of the south prior the War of Northern Aggression :rolleyes: , the blockades almost put Mousehole out of business due to lost revenue. As for the cannon balls, well, this was the last Confederate naval stores depot, the Virginia works was relocated inland at the end of the railways the the Yankees did not wreck. The many iron ore furnaces, some dating back to the 1760's, in the surrounding area supported the Mecklenburg Ironworks (gold mining machinery maker) up until the Depression.

It looks quite a lot like the hundred year old Mousehole that I have been using for the last 12 years. Someone welded up all the edges with a stainless rod of some sort, prone to chipping if abused, but quite serviceable. I say go for it. Worst that could happen is that you will have to rebuild the edges at a later date, or pass it on to a worthy noob apprentice when you eventually upgrade.