Mainely,Bob

Where do you think "new" steel comes from?What is it that makes it new?
I worked in a high end aluminum extrusion plant for a while and the "High end" products all came from scrap just like re-bar does.
The difference is how that scrap is processed and what is added to make it a particular alloy.
Everything started as degreased bulk scrap which was melted,sampled and then poured into large ingots called "pigs" which were marked with the lab results.The pigs were sorted and then loaded into a second furnace where the metal was again sampled and things were added to bring it up to spec for the jobs at hand.This main furnace was then tapped and the contents were split and sent to two different alloying furnaces where it was further refined by adding whatever was needed,mixed continuously and then the furnace was tapped to a continuous pour area where up to 30 foot long cylindrical billets of the needed alloy were cast in pits using water cooled chill rings.
The company (VAW aluminum) started with scrap and made highly refined billets of closely monitored alloys which were either extruded in house or shipped to other plants for use there.

It pretty much all starts with scrap these days.The "pure" form of any metal is just another element added to bring the alloy up to spec.
You`d probably be amazed to find out what pure aluminum(or iron for that matter)goes for.They kept it under tight security at the plant I worked at and went to great lengths to track it`s use and who had access to it.

It`s the same old question.Do we want to do what`s highly profitable or do we want to do what`s right?Right means what is best for the planet our children`s children must live on and ultimately best for us all.
Just look at the pics of those mines taken from the air.Look at the surrounding environment.As they strip that mountain down to get more coal that ugly scar on the land is going to get bigger and bigger as the mountain gets flattened out and the dirt and rubble has to go somewhere.
I worked in the oilfield and saw what that did to local land and water.We`re long overdue to being held accountable for the impact of industry on the planet.The problem is worldwide and needs to be thought of on that scale if we don`t want our great grandchildren to inherit a toxic planet.

I use charcoal that I make myself in my solid fuel forge so this really won`t effect the way I work at all.

So,when you get some REAL big iron swinging from it you gonna to get all your ridin` buddies and the guys who work in the shop(usually one in the same for me) hanging off the far side? :)

IF you have model/serial numbers AND engrave your ID on the items, AND it happens to turn up on a routine gun check of a pawn shop, you might get it back. No onus on the pawn shop or junkyard to verify where anyone got anything, just an ID check. The same guys show up with crap to sell every week, but the cops can't follow them or trace them, because that would be "profiling" or "harassment."

It might be money well spent to go down to the scrapyards where folks like this are bringing the stuff and trade the guy who offloads,sorts the incoming scrap or runs the scales $20-50 for some info.He probably knows who these guys are and where they come from as well as the vehicles they are using to haul it.
It`s not harassment or profiling if a group of private citizens who have been victimized go visit these people and discuss things like the general health and life expectancy of people in their line of work.
Sometimes if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. <_<

Just a little advice that I feel you will probably ignore.Focus on simple stuff first.
How many carbon steel knives have you made?You need to perfect technique on the simple stuff first before you try the more advanced materials and processes.
Basic skills come first,then advanced skills,then advanced materials.That`s the progression that brings success.
If you don`t even know the alloy(I`m assuming that`s what you meant by "model") of the material your buying then it`s a pretty safe bet you are nowhere near ready to step up to that level yet.

The first approach I would take would be to take a HAND FILE and knock the high spots off the horn and then use it for a while.You many find that smoothing it with a file is all you needed to do.

Welding cast iron is risky even for a seasoned hand.The nickel repairs will stand out even more than the cuts will.
You have a very nice anvil there,it`d be a real shame to ruin it by welding it and then having the welds crack and larger pieces of the horn break away.
If it ain`t broke don`t fix it!

Never underestimate a tweaker under the influence of high test tweakage.
A gaggle(not sure of the proper terminology for a gathering of tweakers) of the skinny mutants can spirit away a boxcar full of these things and leave only one or two of their flattened brethren behind. <_<

Before you buy from China be sure the person you`re getting the unit from will stand behind the unit and is here in the US.
There`s a thread here from a fellow who bought off E-bay and may as well have thrown his money in the woodstove.

Remember all that cheap Chinese sheetrock that turned out to be toxic?Guess who got stuck holding the bag for that.
I`ll give you a hint,they live in North America and pay taxes.

I see you already read and posted to that thread.Still thinking about a Chinese unit?
Silly rabbit.
Don`t be surprised when you lose your tail to the Fu dog.

I sign everything things but don`t date all my things.
I found that if you date things and they sit for a while then people think they ought to go cheaper because they didn`t sell right away.
commission work usually gets dated though.

How much have you used this anvil?
My suggestion to you is to use it exactly as it is till you find something that it can`t do for you in it`s present condition.Once that occurs,then and only then,think about doing the absolute least modification to it in order to get it to do what you need.

You may never have to even clean it with wire brush if you follow this simple suggestion.Pound some iron on it before you do anything else to it.

That`s what I like about being self employed.The only person that absolutely has to be pleased is me.

More than once someone was being a PITA about something and I told hem it was free,just take it and leave.
The catch was they could never darken my door again unless they had the original payment in hand and an apology on their lips.
Either way,I was always pleased.
The trick is recognizing the PITA folks early on and pointing to the door before any work starts.I`m getting pretty good at the recognition part of the show.

I have found that the crowd with the multi million dollar yachts,the thousand dollar suits and the Rolex on the wrist are the ones to watch very closely. <_<

The types of people in the world;
People who make things happen
People who watch things happen
People who wonder what just happened.
Strive to be the first type.

It ain`t that it`s not funny,it`s just that you don`t get it.

Just be careful of the type of paint you use.
The most bullet proof paint I ever saw was coal tar epoxy,they used to paint fish holds with it.One of the few things that`d stand up to that kind of abuse long term.
Put heat to it and it became the most vile stuff on the planet.I tried welding in a fish hold painted with it after the grunts had needle gunned the stuff off and then ground it back.With a supplied air respirator I lasted about 10 minutes.The smoke made my skin feel like it was on fire.Like swimming in creosote.
Check the MSDS for the fumes the paint you plan on using puts out when it burns.Some of the powder coat stuff is right up there.Touch it with red hot iron and it WILL give off smoke.Nice to know what`s in it before it hits your lungs and drops you.Who knows where that hot iron will land once it`s released from the tongs you used to be holding.You may be too busy gagging,coughing and staggering around blindly to track it properly.

If you do paint it remember to start with the bottom.Paint just the sides and place it on a wood stand out in the weather and it`ll rust from the bottom up and peel the paint away as it does.
I`d look at a product by Loctite called Extend.It`s water based and brushes on white then it and the surface rust turns black and the rust stops dead.
There`s a guy that makes yard art up here that uses it and his stuff has that nice satin black look going on 7 years for the pieces I`ve seen.That`s sayin` somethin for being outdoors 24/7 here on the coast of Maine.

Cheap?
What do you call someone who can turn scrap into whatever he chooses,from high quality tooling to works of art?
Most would call somebody who can do that a magician.Ever see a cheap magician?

As clean as that shop is and with the overhead so far up there I`m surprised you don`t have a rolling A frame with a chainfall or electric hoist on it for this sort of stuff.

So,with all your digging around you haven`t come across an overhead crane system for scrap prices yet?You need to get farther north buddy!
Think of the bending potential if nothing else.
Don`t let the engineers see you do it though.They tended to get all freaked out and acted like Chicken Little whenever they caught me at it.
I told them if they didn`t want me using it like that then they shouldn`t have placed those support columns where I could get to them. :rolleyes:

It ain`t real snow till your Rottweiler jumps off the porch and disappears,completely!
My wife looked at the hole,frowned and said "Otis just became Snowtis".That`s when I fell off the porch laughing and disappeared,completely!
He`ll find his way back up around dinner time.In the mean time,I got a lot of shovelin`(and plowin`) to do. :(

Where are you getting this stuff for so cheap you can just play with it?
That is some serious steel and hex that nice don`t go cheap anywhere I ever looked.

I am really looking forward to seeing the final usage.Knowing you it`ll be spectacular. :)

I know even up here in Maine the tool collectors are very active and some of the old yowlers who empty out old tumbled down barns just refuse to buy a computer and go online to sell their goods."Why should I when I can just sell to you" is their motto as I walk away after buying a tool for $3 that I KNOW I can turn for $50 because I have the numbers of 3 guys I know will gladly buy it for that and think I did them a favor.
In some people`s minds a computer costs several hundred dollars and their flea mkt table only cost $10 or $100 for the summer.Gods bless `em.

The one thing most people (Thom Powers excepted)forget is that all those old tools your see on the tables are just what was easily carried to the truck by that old coot behind the table.I always ask about the stuff left behind.This last summer I could have picked up 3 nice anvils in the hundred pound class for a dollar a pound.Bought a nice 150 PW for $100 for my son and got a rusted out forge(which we fixed) with a dandy Champion blower on it thrown in for $35 extra.The reason I got all that was I was willing to drive and help the fellow I had bought woodworking tools from load what he wanted first and then once Jerry had his truck full I asked about the "heavy stuff headed to the scrapyard".I stayed the day and helped both Jerry the WWer(because he`s a friend and found the stuff) and the old guy who owned the barn (because some day I`ll be old and need help too).
I got another blower from Jerry for $25 about a month later and a sweet 6" post vice from a friend of the barn guy for $25.The fellow with the vise got my number from the barn guy.
It pays to be nice,and honest.All prices were set by the folks who owned the gear.
My youngest son(he was there and helping)was amazed and incredibly happy about his new gear and even more tickled that Dad`s money bought it and he can pay it back in installments. :)

Now you know why you see so many 3 legged objects,they`re stable on any surface :)

Best way to get the face of your anvil cleaned off is to pound hot iron on it.The pounding and scale will scrub it up nice for you.

Maybe he shouldn't. Unless he wants to destroy the blower bearings, which are likely just the cast iron the case is made from. A few drops of oil each day, twice if it is a long day and no grease.

Larry is so much more direct than I am.
What`s that English saying,"Horses for courses"? I know I want my blower to last another 100 or so years so I won`t be taking any chances with greasing it.Oil worked for the last 100 so why risk it now?
You do know they don`t make replacement parts anymore now don`t you?

Save the grease for your wheel bearings,ball joints and other applications it was designed for,that`s my advice.

To get you started you can go down to your welding supply shop and see if they have a trade in machine that`ll run a spool gun.After you make some cash you can go to a TIG with a water cooled torch.You`ll need the cooler to weld aluminum for any amount of time.
Don`t let them talk you into a mig or a suitcase wire feeder,you`ll spend more time playing with the torch and liner than you will welding.The only mig for aluminum that I ever used successfully was a push-pull unit(big bucks)or a severely cut down suitcase,like about a 4 foot whip with the suitcase hung overhead.
Trust me,you want a spool gun to start out.

You do know you can torch weld aluminum don`t you?

As someone who has never had much money I have to agree with KYBOY.
There is no way I could afford a nice Harley when I started out so I rode a Triumph at first and learned how to fix it myself then customized it and sold it for enough to buy an old Harley,learned how to fix that and soon was building them for others and now have a Snap-On toolbox full of overpriced but money making tools,most of which I bought used.
I couldn`t afford to pay for ornamental ironwork so I learned how to do it myself and soon was hammering out stuff that people wanted to plunk down cash for.After taking the time to practice and learn the trade I could go to the nearest boatyard,haul home a load of scrap and turn it into cash.Now I have a small lathe,milling machine,brand name welding machine,torch set,etc.I learned how to repair and make tools and now do that for added income.I never let an old tool or machine go to the scrap yard if I could help it.I rebuild them and either sell them cheaply,trade them for what I need or give them to someone who needs and will appreciate them.In return those same folks bring me what I need for cheap and sometimes for free.
Skills are the real high dollar commodity and you can`t develop the proper skills without the tools.Mow lawns,dig ditches or wash cars if you have to but get or make the tools.Once you have the tools you can develop the skills that will make you money and then money will no longer be a problem.

As we`ve all seen,if you buy high quality used tools at a decent price, take care of them and treat them right they can usually be sold for at least what you paid for them.In the mean time you made a pile of cash with them so why complain about what they cost?

However I know that mine were designed for oil and work with oil---and not 90 weight either! I'd think that folks in cold places would need engine block heaters on their blowers if they were using a heavy oil this time of year.

Now that you mention it Thom this time of year I do use both.
Inside it`s oil and when I leave the blower outside overnight this time of year the forge elves come along and turn my oil to grease.
Luckily I work in a magick shop and the elves have no dominion there.As soon as the blower is brought in and warms up their spell is reversed and my oil returns. :D

Should be plenty of pine tar in Maine!

Pine tar is dark brown,we want black.
Besides,pine tar makes you smell like a carpenter.No self respecting blacksmith wants to smell like a woodbutcher,it ruins the mystique.

Nope,not gonna go for the Daedalus theme.At the speeds I like to travel that would lead to liftoff.Much less operator control available once the wheels leave the ground. DAMHIKT