Stash

Peter Wright Steve

That is something that you make yourself. I believe Brian used just mild steel plate, but I could be wrong there. If you could get hold of something medium carbon it will be better, but harder to grind to shape. Just grind away with a angle grinder and some coarse discs, then finish up with finer flap wheels. If you are starting out, just use the edge of the plate as-is, and develop the shapes as you see the need. Steve

If you've never struck hot iron before, I would go with the lighter one. The bigger one is good if you need to whomp some larger stock, but will wear you out more. Make sure to dress your faces to avoid donkey tracks on your work. Look up hammer dressing in this section. Not a bad idea to dress your pein a bit, too. Try to go for a larger radius, at least 3/4". I also have a slight crown in my pein, not much more than 1/16", and round the edges a bit, too. You can decide for yourself if you like the fiberglass with the rubber handle. Personally, I'm not a fan. Work with both and decide what works best for you. Steve

There is a discussion in the general machinery section about phase converters- I think it is even a sticky, so easy to find. Be a good idea to at least start there. Steve

Looking at the heat treating app, re normalizing, it says do not normalize. The app is available for free to your phone or device. I believe info on the app is above, in the HT stickies. Steve

Hey Cody, I'm wondering if you might have a bit of a Frankenvise. The screw, handle and nut don't appear to me to be factory issue. Not that there is anything wrong or even uncommon about it. Sears catalog in the early 1900's had screws available so you could repair your vise. That vise looks very usable, obviously with the addition of a spring and mounting bracket. Sorry I can't help with the ID though. It looks like a lot of the English made vises of the mid to late 1800s, many of them came with no markings. Maybe the Wilson(?) stamp was put on by one of it's owners? Anyway, use it in good health. Steve

I figured out the hoodie drawstring thing pretty early this winter season. I was going to do some grinding, bent over to get my ppe stuff and saw the string flopping about. So I said to myself, "self, his looks like a you tube moment waiting to happen". I tucked the strings in, and went to work. I might just yank them out, since it is just a shop hoodie. I do know that it is all cotton, though. Thanks for the heads- up, Glenn. Steve

Agreed, 5" is pretty wide for a slick. Steve

Well, the forge is essentially 'clayed in' so I would just light a fire and let the heat take care of things, unless that is a castable refractory. If it is just quickcrete watch out for flying concrete. Steve

Have you tried putting the freshly ground/ welded piece back on the fire to re establish the scale in those areas, and even it out? Steve

Your best bet would be to clean the surface off with a wire wheel and see if you can find any markings. If you find nothing, that is generally the rule rather than the exception. Lots of mfgs made them- in the day they were a commodity, and most went unmarked. That said, it looks pretty good- as long as the screw is in good shape. The spring and mounting bracket are all there, you just might need to make up the wedges to hold it all together. That is a good size to take whatever you can throw at it- plenty of beef there. Show us the screw, and we can give our final answer. Steve

Once the frozen joint was loosened up from working hot, I would have let the whole thing cool completely before fine tuning the rivet. You tighten the rivet hot, what happens when it cools? That's right- it shrinks and tightens up. All my friction calipers just need a little cold tappy-tap on the rivet when they loosen up. That should do it for you. Steve

So, following up on what Thomas and Frosty said, your anvil seems to have been made in 1923, didn't sell that year, so they chiseled off the 3 and stamped in a 4 when it was sold in 1924. Not uncommon for them to do. I had a 270# made in 1924, with the 4 chiseled off and a 5 stamped in. The 20 on the foot indicated the (target- not actual) weight. You got an extra 8 lbs out of the deal. Because of the casting process there was some variation. They made the mold with a standard size form and stamped the inside so when done the numbers would be proud of the surface. That is an excellent anvil- my main anvil is a 250 Fisher, weight stamp 25. Br careful on the edges- the steel top plate is pretty hard and can be brittle. Being cast iron base, it 'thuds' more than it rings. Wear hearing protection anyway. Steve

I got a plow edge from my mechanic's scrap pile a few years back- about 8 1/2- 9 ' long by 4-6" wide (uneven wear) by 1/2 " thick. It cut easily with my band saw and I made guillotine dies with it. I suspect it might have been a sacrificial replacement blade made of A36 or not much more of a fancy alloy. Maybe less costly to switch out every year or as needed. YMMV Steve

Very nice, Building up some serious brownie points. I really like the roses. Steve

I've been doing rebound tests with golf balls. I can get them easier than ball bearings, and I get better results. Steve

Come on, Josh Show us the bigguns! Steve

Nice job there, Bart. Steve

Merry Christmas back atcha, Thomas. Steve

Without any kind of name stamped on it, it will be made by one of the hundreds of manufacturers in the biz at the time in England. It has some characteristics of my marked Peter Wright, and some of my unmarked one. Probably mid to late 1800's, with wiggle room either way. That is a good size to use. My main is 6" and aux is 4 1/2" and I use both on a regular basis. Steve

I dunno, but my initial thought is that they can be used for drilling and reaming. If you can't use them for the purpose for which they were intended, you might be able to sell them to someone who can, take the cash and buy steel that fits your needs. If they truly are 'bin bait' beyond any other use, just start experimenting with them. You might be able to find info directly from the mfg, or an industrial distributor. Steve

I bought an anvil once that was welded to a steel milk can. Didn't seem to do either one any good. Steve

So, do you have a Unimog? Or just memories of repairing them? Steve

Well, Fisher is a cast iron anvil, with a tool steel top, so it will 'thud' rather than ring. Made in 1887 per the marks under the tail- Fisher warranted their anvils for a year. The '9' indicates it's starting weight, more or less, 90 lbs. The other numbers are pretty much unknown- maybe inspectors stamp or iron batch, or????? Other than the pritchell end whammy and the truncated horn it looks to be in good shape. The edges are nicely rounded, not chipped. Fishers are known for chipping due to the hardness of the tool steel plates. The mounting holes in the feet are probably not factory issue, but no concern there. The welded tail should not cause problems, I would just leave it as- is, and make a bolster type pritchel hole for punching. As for the horn, you could make, improvise or buy a bick to fit the hardie hole if you need a smaller point. As it is, you won't get stabbed in the leg- bonus! Other than that, NO GRINDING ON THE FACE! Just polish it with hot steel. Have fun, and be safe. Steve

Susan Hutchinson used a Habanero for her demos at the ABANA conference this past summer. Seems she uses one in her home shop, and asked Chile to send one for her use. What a nice forge! She welded without missing a beat. The boss of Chile came the last day and sold the forge for a nice discount. If I were in the market for one, that would be my choice. I don't think you will regret the decision. Steve