Mike Turner

Well the biggest difference is localized heating you can do with coke or coal. Coke is also much hotter burning than gas. Also you have a better atmosphere nuetral to carborizing with coke/coal so you have almost no scale.

Gas you will find easier to tend but will have more scale and will not be able to do localized heats.

Just my 2 cents

Thanks for all the replies, I now have the pics to show what is up with this vise. It appears that the screw maybe almost all the way out maybe an inch or so of thread still in the box. The thread on the screw is in good shape.

So now what do you all think?

Mark you are welcome in my shop anytime Central point is about a beautiful 40 min drive to Williams.

Hey Mark welcome from south side :D

Dan it is not rusty, I think someone way over tightened this vise as the handle is bent real bad which you will see when I can get some pics up.

Hi all I just picked up a Iron City 6" post vise cheap. The problem with it is the screw is stuck in the nut and it appears to be cross threaded or something. I think it maybe cross threaded as it has pulled a burr off the front of the nut. The vise it self is in great shape jaws are very clean. Any suggestions? I will try and get a picture up tomorrow.

Ed amazing work as usual.

This is what wrought chain looks like

I would not sell it unless you absolutely had no use for it. If you can find it, it seems to be selling for $6 to $8 a pound for good wrought and as a bladesmith the wagon rims are great stuff, etches very nice. For a guy that just wants to make a grill or a gate he won't pay that he will be around or under a $1 a pound. Remember they don't make it anymore and once all the surplus wrought is used up it will be gone except for the backyard guys that make it. I bought a ton of wrought anchor chain a while back and have parted with a few pounds to friends but since I have not been able to get more I have stopped and have decided to only use it for furniture on my knives as the pile is dwindling I may get 10 years if I am lucky out of my pile and then I have no more. Sorry for the lengthy post but just wanted to make a point of the rarity of the wrought and it should be saved for special projects.

Sorry no help here I use my hands to crack nuts ;).

Very cool Ed, do you mind doing a Blue Print on making a pattern for us Ed?

OK I stand corrected, just got an email back from Anvil Brand Shoe Company that now owns JHM as of 2005. This is what they said.


Those are Ductile Iron with 48-50 on Rockwell hardness. The price on those is $852.85. Let me know if you need more information.

Megan Aberle
Anvil Brand Shoe Company

It looks like I will be looking for a different brand of anvil now.

I know when I bought mine it had a sticker right on it that said cast steel not ductile iron. I have used ductile iron anvils before and they do not rebound like my anvil does. Also they chip real easy on the edge, after 8+ years of beating on mine every day not a chip in the edge and I use the edge a lot to shear nails or remove clips from shoes. I had a friend do this with a Cliff Caroll anvil and knocked a dime size piece out of the corner and face and it looked like cast iron. Maybe JHM has changed what they use I will be calling them tomorrow to see as I was wanting to get a 260# anvil but if they have changed to iron I will pass.

JHM anvils are not ductile iron they are cast steel and are heat treated to a face hardness of 50rc not work hardened. They are the finest anvil made in the US.

I used several Emerson 150 pound anvils and the rebound was lacking and they were a bit soft I also noticed that everyone of the Emerson anvils I have forged on acted different. I have not tried a new Emerson anvil in about 4 years, my JHM has way more rebound than the Emerson 150# and the JHM line of anvils is very consistent, I have forged on a lot of them and they all had the same rebound. Just my personal experience with them.

Hi Ed maybe we can set up a once a week chat for the bladesmiths, just pick a time and day and make it known, I am sure we can get a good crowd and get some serious blade talk in.

Hi Ed those are sweet my friend , Is that first one that heat coloring lacquer you were telling me about, love the color. my Favorite is the mosaic with the engraving that is a beautiful piece.

I have just started forging my first knife out of 52100, any tips on working with this steel?

I am not a sword maker but think this will be a welcome forum here.

Very Nice Bill

Glenn thanks for the folder forum I need to start making some.

Can't wait to see what Ed will show us.

Hi Ed, They have a Bladesmithing section in the forum listing for us to post our knives in.

Hi Ed glad you stopped in they have a nice chat area here, it will be nice to get more bladesmith folks in there.

I agree with Rich Ten I as well miss you in the chat would like to see you there soon.

That is cool Robert, your getting pretty good with these cut outs .

Dang that is scary glad your not to bad off could have been much worse. I never stick my hand under the ram while the motor is on and I also make sure the ram is in the down position just in case the brake slips.

Rich that is very nice my friend, the Kudo I have is not black are there different kinds of Kudo? Again very nice .