tcreeley

It looks pretty similar to the one I have- unknown maker and I'm guessing 1845 (mine). The edges are rough and need to be re ground, The tail end is a bit rough. The anvil has a dish. You can't really grind a dish out unless you mill it and make the face quite a bit thinner. Mine has a dish but I live with it and use it for straightening it. Look up the system for figuring weight of anvils in hundred weight and you can read the numbers on the anvil and tell how heavy it is. When grinding- always keep the face cool so that heat does not build up and you lose the temper- I used a 7 inch grinder. The horn is not really big - but usable. I always think of an old anvil at 1 dollar per pound to sell it, and less if I want a bargain. Look up your ideal anvil on Centaur forge and this one will look like a bargain. Listen for an even ring by tapping with a hammer and watch for bounce back using a light hammer- no bounce back - maybe separating face. I haven't bought an anvil in over 29 years. You want at least a 150 lb and more is better (mine is 189). For demos shows 100 is good- easier to move. Good luck! :unsure:

I've had my 7" Black & Decker grinder for 20 years and it is great. Starts with a real torque jerk but smooths out. I took the guard off because it is in the way. I used to always buy Black & Decker.

Breaking off below the head suggests an uneven absorption of the antifreeze through the wood (less in the head/handle) creating a stress line from the normal h20 moisture change in the wood - made worse with freezing and expansion --- unless the antifreeze is acid based and eats the wood. I'm at a loss but makes an interesting conjecture point!

I like to cover the piece in soot- either the yellow flame of the fire or the acetylene flame from a torch. Too much heat burns the soot off. While the piece is still hot, I melt beeswax onto it, coating all of it. Then I let it cool a day or more - the wax hardens up. Gives it a dark -lamp black- look. The finish lasts a long time but not so good for outside in the weather- Very easy to retouch for that fresh look. - use a candle! My other favorite is to make a piece and file it to bring out high-lights- then varnish it.

Richardson in his 1880 blacksmiths book tells ways to fix the nut or screw - usually by wrapping a small spiral of rod around the screw and brazing it where-ever it was worn. Good luck with that. I'd just buy a new nut and screw (buttress) and replace it. ebay search or flea market for similar screws. The grease didn't hurt it, just worn. Sometimes a large washer or spacer in between the front of the twist handle and the vice sets the screw into a different place in the nut and it doesn't slip. Good luck

I think you have it right. I'm cheap and I don't have a straight pene but I want one. I like the hammer to dance in my hands. If it doesn't I walk away. I like 24 oz -2.5 lb regular work and 3 lb heavy stuff. My best hammer was in the scrap pile at a flea market- old hand forged straight pene 3 lb. paid a dollar. I always round the edges of the face of the hammer with a file so it is like a slight dome - think farrier rounding hammers. doesn't leave marks and pushes the metal . Do that to the pene as well. Penes are always too sharp - round them up.

I like my hammer handles - any piece of straight grain hardwood and I use a rasp and draw knife to rough them out. A while ago I cut a piece of 2nd growth maple - no knots and left it to dry - back up stock. I always run the grain up the handle in line with the face, not flat or angled to it. If it is for a handled tool, I always leave a piece sticking out of the head. I wedge with wood or steel, what ever is handy. In maine everything shrinks and loosens over the winter. To deal with this I leave a taper in the handle in the neck, and when the head loosens I tap the handle on the anvil and the head sets itself further down. If I need to I add another wedge. I've thought of epoxy - I don't like glue. When the handle head shrinks- it leaves an air gap between the wood and the steel. Every hammer I own loosens- commercial or my own. I like my hammers to do the work, not my hands. I set a back and forth rhythm and the hammer rocks, doing the work, in my hand in my loose grip -pushing the steel. I never hit up and down. I don't mind a flexing handle (small hammers) because it adds to the rhythm. Dead weight hammering is for set tools and power hammers, not for my hands.

The coil spring steel straight you can us to make some punches. I find for sharpening and large whetstone wheel or a small electric one is great for edges which I then temper bronze or yellow. Be gentle with spring steel- doesn't work at the super high or super low temps- cherry(low) to orange is good. avoid fast cold complete quenches - can crack it. grab an electric motor and blower arrangement out of the dump - squirrel cage housing- makes great blower with toggle switch. I hate bellows- too much work- vacum cleaners anything with air coming out - dryers etc. All good-- watchout for rail road anvils- brittle and pieces can fly off- bad for the eyes. Try safety glasses until you get used to the flakes and slag coming off the forging. Easy to catch sneakers and melt a piece down to your foot. Water handy is a must. Sprinkle it on the fire to control the burn. I use a tin can on a long handle with holes drilled in the bottom. Have fun.

Farriers often send their used files off to be treated- acid bath probably- but they go through a file quickly. Usually they just buy a bunch more. A friend of mine would give me his used rasp and it was perfect for filing iron, though not sharp enough for a hoof. (good for wood too). I tried Chinese rasps to trim my horse's feet and they were lousy. - too few teeth and too shallow a cut. I like Nichelson and Diamond.

This is my portable forge for demos. Clutched crank blower, brake drum forge with cookie sheet top.

Of my two anvils, this is my 189lb circa 1845. My other is a 94 lb Peter Wright for demos. At the heel near the hardy hole a corner is broken off. I leave a slight dish to the face for straightening and I tapered the edge radius from square to 3/8 round for corners. I dragged it outside onto a stump for a project.