matto

it all matters on how you are going to use the anvil and what kind of work you are going to do. stumps where used because it was easier to find a four or five foot long log than to find and wast metal that could be used for a prodject. most traditional shop floors where dirt so it was also easier to dig a hole deep enough to put the log into. as for log vs. metal today, it is fully up to you. remember that the point of the stand is to support the anvil making work easier on you. a bouncing anvil is not effective and dangerous. with a metal stand you can put a little of you into it and is a little easier to bolt down if it is not heavy enough. a log not buried is harder to do heavy work on. so that said it is really up to you. if you have the time make and try both to see what you like better. matto

remember when doing a hammer test on a cast anvil like a vulcan it may not have a ring to it. but should still have good rebound.
the vulcan i have is very quite compared to my trenton and kolshwa. the research i have done on them says that with a cast anvil like a vulcan the quiet ring was to market to the "back yard" smith so the neighbor hood would not have to hear the high ring of a forged steel anvil. matto

i used a 1/2 " washer because i have a lot of them. use a washer that fits fan gear shaft. you maybe see the broken washer on the shaft still.

if you are getting 100 plus pounds for $15 and it does not coke it is not anthrosite, it is liginite. anthrosite has very very low moisture and hardly any ash content
it is the next best thing to coke. it has great coking ability. as for size you can always make it smaller. try the bigger size if you don't like it bag or box it and hit it with a hammer. then you have pea size.

my old buffalo blower had a spacer washer missing on the fan shaft gear. this would cause the shaft to move to the outside and make the fan blades rub on the housing.
put in a new washer as a spacer and that took the back and forth movement out of the fan shaft. fixing my grinding noise and rubbing problems.

we would use the extra rod as filler rod for gaps and holes that newbies would make, most of the time when putting metal
decking down when welding galv. decking your decking and weld puddle can go poof, then you have a hole to fill with thin
material the extra rod helps make the hole go bye quicker.

sukellos pecan is part of the hickory family.

three rings for jay!

sorry the website is cottonwood-forge.com look at his products and servise

contact sam at cottonwoodforge.com is his website he finds and rebuilds forges and blowers.
does all the machining him self. if he does not have it or can't make it he knows who can.

in nebraska and iowa you have to have a deck welding cert for puddle welding decking. most deck rod is 6022, nice rod because you can run it at
the same setting that you run your 7018. it also is good because you get the deep penitration and cleaning as 6010. 6022 is a great first pass
rod for pipe also.

take the hole file or the part you are going to use heat it to a dull to bright orange and stick it into a bucket of
wood ash or vermiculite till it cools (may be a day or two) so if you have a couple do them all at once. the wood ash and vermiculite slow down
the cooling more than normalizing it by heating and setting aside the forge, makes it soft.

as stated befor you can go to any weld inspecting place to get certified. they might have you bring in your pre welded plates
or you may have to weld on site. they will do a bend test or a x ray test. x ray is harder because they can look through all layers
and fail a weld for any little spot in your weld. bend test they bend it and see if it brakes or not then bend to see where it brakes
it all depends on the inspector on how picky they want to be. you can also contact your local or closes community college or trade school
that have welding and talk to the instructor about doing weld testing.

problem with testing for a company is they keep your certs. bonus is they pay for your certs. most companies have you do a weld test even if you
give them your certs. keeps comany curent and shows if you can really weld or not.

use a flap disc in a side grinder 80 to 120 grit. maek aspery's first book
on the fundimentals of blacksmithing has a great chapter on facing your hammer faces
and fitting your handles to your hand.

isn't hammer handle maintance part of being a black smith. if you don't have to maintane your hammer handle
you probably aren't using it enough. it is part of the job.
as for wood you can still get elm,ash, malpe, hickory, pecan,hedge (osage orange)
cherry,about what ever you might like on the river banks and wind rows in nebraska.

glad you are ok. after you changed your pants and got every thing cleaned up and back in order
and sat back and thought about the day, bet you wish you would of asked your buddy to come and HELP.

that is a problem i have to, but i'm working on it. many hands make light work.
also help with multi-tasking.

it looks like a good heavy vise. if the screw is good and the jaw face is good everything else is simlpe and
part of the fun of getting and having old things. as for the price $50 is not that bad.
buying a new post vise with out all the soul and charactor would cost you $500 to $700.
i'd get it, matto

i found the info i have a forge like yours.

the QM Museum @ Ft. Lee has some material on calavry forges. and a friend of mine
got 30 plus pages from the museum director at ft. Riley Mr. William Mckale. leroy's
forge came from Ft Carson Colorado, the mule pack howiter groups.

in colorado in the early 50's the army had travel forges like that for there mule teams
used in training and moving heavy equipment and supplies in the mountains. they are a
great little forge and pack up nice. tricky at first to get everything into the forge box.

hello aral,

i have made fire pots out of 3/16 steel plate (on the small side for a travel forge) but for a shop
forge it would be better to use 1/4 to 3/8 inch plate. if you need more ideas go to www.blksmth.com then to
his "how to" page. he has plans for welded steel fire pots. i don't weld or fasten my pots to the forge table i
let them "float" helps to save the thinner material of the forge table. my shop forge has a 5/16 plate fire pot and
still looks new after 2 years daily forging.

mark aspery's first book goes through the process of facing new hammer heads and handles to your liking.
with great step by step pictures. would be a great book to get your hands on. "Mastering the fundamentals of blacksmithing vol. one"

thanks all

matto

was hoping to get some feed back on how i am doing. here are some pics of my work.

the roses were for my wife and a friend. the spike knife was for a friend.the bottle openers were for a library auction and the bells were done with grant at the clear creek history park candle light walk for christmas.

i think i have the picture thing figured out.
and thanks agian for all who have given info.

hopefully my pics come through. like i sed i work with a hammer and steel not a computer. this reply goes with the one from 12/09/09 with my prices.