Stash

Don't assume the weld didn't take- it isn't easy to make the seam completely disappear (at least for me). File/grind it down a bit to see if the 'crack' goes away. As this is an experiment, maybe just do some destructive testing- stick it in a vise and whack at it to see if you can open up the weld. Steve

Me too. Steve

That's the point I have made to people who have 'researched' anvil pricing on that online auction site. Them: "That same anvil as mine is worth $xxx here, so that's what I want." Me: "That anvil is in better condition, and it has been up for bid and reposted for months now...." Them: 'But thats what I want." Me:'Bye." Steve

Nice work! They look as if they could hold anything I would possibly want to hold. Steve

I like the concept, but I tend to use 'v' swages at least as much as round ones. What kind of money were they asking? Steve

Had a little fun making a garden weeder from an extra claw hammer. Steve

I probably wouldn't bother making the trip. That screwbox looks pretty wallered out, and the remaining threads as I can see don't inspire much confidence. Steve

Wow- that's about as far back as you can go. Thanks John. Steve

TW- I've also found silly long tongs in my travels. Some just long, some more industrial. I adapt the jaws to fit my needs, and find these long handles poking me where it really hurts, or snagging my shirt tail. I cut them to the recommended 14" give or take, and as appropriate I might taper the ends down a bit. EZPZ. Steve

Thomas- I was considering moving the handle back into the threads, but settled on the current version. I do have another bolt in inventory in case I want to do that. I was wondering- did you put a curve in the bolt between handle and working end to follow the swing arc? Thanks Dax. Steve

A buddy dropped some RR bolts and other goodies at the end of my driveway, and I finally got a pic of some of the resulting product. Simple doming stake for the anvil and a rounding hammer. Steve

The biggest problem I have with the Sawstop technology is that you will now have to cut your hot dogs with a bandsaw. Steve

Sweet! Steve

It is my understanding that Karachi is the mfg for fly presses sold by Old World Anvils, and they seem to be a well made product. For a dealer in UK look for the site usedflypresses. (I hope that is a legal reference per IFI terms). Ditto on what Thomas and John said re the appropriateness of fly presses for pattern welding. I've seen it done by someone who knows what he was doing, and it was a long hard tedious process. It worked, though. Steve

Your first pic told me it was a Fisher. She's been rode hard and put away wet. There might be a date on the back under the tail, and weight on front right foot. They are cast iron with a tool steel top, a lot of which is missing on yours. Kinda looks like an older specimen. Hopefully, NJAnvilman will chime in and give you the real scoop. Steve

Greetings, Moe, welcome to the crazy place. Your anvil was made by the American Wrought Anvil Co. of Brooklyn NY. According to Richard Postman in "Anvils in America" it is the least known of the wrought anvils made in America. Being wrought, It has a tool steel top forge welded on. It is speculated that the company owner was a former employee of Hay- Budden ,and they were in business ~1899- 1910 or 1911. Not too much info exists for the co. The identifying feature is the name on the side, which you have. According to Postman, they area very good anvil. It seems these are rare anvils. Are you planning on using it? Don't do any grinding on it. Wire brushing manual or powered to clean it up, then apply some boiled linseed oil or paste wax to help preserve it. Steve

I was looking to see if there was a pair of ribbit tongs on the rack. Steve

Hey Giant- welcome to the madness. Not familiar with the Buffalo #3 so pix would help.With the request for a 1/2 moon drive gear- it sounds like it could be a wood handle pump blower? I've been wrong before. You might have a hard time finding the piece you need so it might be time to try to fabricate or improvise something. Anyway- without pix I'm just speculating here. Steve

A buddy of mine lost the better part of a finger due to a moment of inattention while working a log splitter. He immediately threw the glove off, wrapped it with a bandanna and went to the hospital. He had to send a friend back to the site to retrieve the glove with his finger still in it. He can only count to 9 now. Steve

Hi Jon- I recently picked up a used Coal 12 ton and am very happy with it. here's what I found: -Not really much of a learning curve if you have been forging a while and understand how metal moves. The machine will let you know it's capabilities and limits pretty quick. Hydraulic control is a simple up/down on the handle, and once you reach limit, just let go and reverse. The unit should come with flat and fullering dies, and they are H13 as Thomas suggests. The main use for me is to break down larger stock to the point I can do the final fine tuning with anvil and hammer. The gentleman I purchased from did pattern welding and included home made squaring dies. I made a few tooling holders for 3/4" and 1" dia. punches, ez pz if you have access to a welder or weldor. The press also came with a few other home made dies that I am still working thru. I keep a spare ratchet with a 3/4" socket on the table for die changes. Once you get it set up, just get some metal hot and run it thru its paces. As far as safety- keep the pink bits from under the moving bits to prevent flat bits. Be aware of your high pressure hoses and keep them protected from kinking or contact with moving parts or hot metal/ scale. They should come with protective sleeves on them. If they don't - GET THEM AND INSTALL BEFORE USING! They help contain any possible high pressure leaks which can remove important digits or inject hydraulic fluid under the skin. Make sure dies are tight and all welds are not cracked. Your last question is certainly not daft. The larger Coal presses have an adapter for foot controls for that very purpose. The 12 ton doesn't have that capability (I think- I've been wrong before) but I have been playing with a work around. I have extended the control handle ~ 8" or so, and attached a stirrup like foot control that is set at a comfortable position for my foot. I'm still kinda tweaking this, though. so no final definitive answer to this. Hope this helps. I really enjoy mine and it is really saving some wear and tear on my already aching joints. Steve

We had the 17 year cicadas in our yard late may thru early July- couldn't hear myself think. The noise hit 90db on my phone meter. Kinda glad they're gone now. Right now we have the annual cicadas chirping away, and every now and then, I hear a low droning, and see one of them being carried under a giant hornet, looking every bit like a Chinook chopper carrying a load. Had the grandkids for the weekend (6 and 8 yrs old) and they were excited about the butterflies flitting about- Monarchs and Swallowtails, both black and yellow, hummingbird moths and their assorted caterpillars. They also appreciated the variety of trees for climbing. I enjoy daily walks around the garden- there's always something happening, whether animal or vegetable. That is part of my morning routine- looking, weeding, pruning and generally encouraging my rooted companions. Steve By the way John, I've developed a theory about the demise of your maple.

"Ouch " is right. Glad you're the one to relate the story to us. Get better quick, willya? Steve

Whenever I get a new blower, I pull the fan cover off, remove the fan and clean the inside with whatever is appropriate- scraper, putty knife, wire wheel, etc. I pull the lid off the gearbox and flush the entire thing out with degreaser, mineral spirits, acetone or whatever is handy. If there is heavy rust buildup, scrape, wheel or sand. Thats about it. If I want to paint it, I do a rattle can primer for rusty metal and finish as desired. Other than that I put it back together, add oil as appropriate to the gear box and give it a wipe of BLO or something. I tend to keep things simple. Steve

Hey TW- your 'honeysuckle' looks more like trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) . Steve (Horticulturists never retire- they just compost away)

If I wanted to increase clinker production and clog my tuyere grate, I would throw a few hands full of dirt on top of my fire. Preferably a mineral soil low in organics. Steve