Randy

It's pretty cheap to get them laser cut out, too. Get guys in your group to up the quantity and it even gets cheaper. I even get up to 3/4" plate patterns cut out as for the time it saves me and the beautiful cut I can't do it myself for that price.

A serial number on a Peter Wright anvil? Never heard that there is one. On the face is the name and english weight, but that's it.

I have found, and use this often, that if I want more carbon in an end of a bar, I simply heat it in the coal forge to a welding heat. I take the heat up slow and make sure it's a good thorough welding heat, but don't burn it, and that's it. I show this in my tool making classes and I do it in wrought iron and mild steel. Spark test it first, heat it and then spark test again and you'll see how much carbon is added. It's also a very deep penetration of carbon, not just on the surface.

Rob, the "drop the tongs weld" isn't that difficult and you don't need a third hand. Practice cold is a good tip, but the key is if you are right handed, the long piece is in your left hand, the short piece in the tongs in your right hand. (Opposite if you are left handed) When you come out of the fire the scarf of the long piece is on top of the scarf of the short piece. Line the two pieces up and use the strength of the long piece to push down and hold the short piece in place. Then drop the tongs from your right hand, therefore the name of the weld, and grab the hammer and snap the two pieces together, not a killer blow. Then carefully put the lightly welded pieces back into the fire, take a good welding heat and finish the forge weld. If it's heavier stock you can do it in one heat. Now that you know what to do look at Marks' video that was mentioned earlier and you will see those steps. Now do ten welds like this. Each one will get easier.

Did you know that the makers of the Peter Wright anvil also made vises? Here are 2 shots of the one I have. Notice the large overhang on either end. A good sign it's a Peter Wright. Also they had a "solid wrought box", which is stamped on the box. If you can it's best to mount your vise on a solid post that extends about 36" into the ground and postioned behind your anvil so you have a working triangle from your forge, anvil and vise. This makes for less steps between them. All of the old smiths I knew thirty years ago called the vise the right hand of the smith because they are so useful. It amazes me the number of shops I've seen that don't have one. I don't know how they get anything done without it.

For that size material you hardly need a fuller. Your hammer will draw it out fine. But in drawing out always hammer out a square taper first, then octagon and then round. Actually for vines it looks great to stop at octagon and do some back and forth twisting. That will give it more life.

A few more safety rules: Don't lean on vises. They are a heat sink and will burn you. At least they'll pinch you real bad. Never heat a hollow form. Some bull points, (jack hammer bits), have a threaded end that can get closed over in use and if you heat this it can explode. Many of us know to be careful of using oil in heat treating. Have a metal lid handy to snuff out a fire. Have oil-dry or the like for oil spills. Fire extinguisher. Enough volume of oil for what's being quenched. This is to prevent flashing and burning oil. And always use a metal bucket, not plastic. Hot oil can melt a plastic bucket and then you can get burned, oil all over the shop and a potential shop fire. Ouch!!! Keep in mind that whatever we're throwing in the back of the car or pick up can become a potential missle if you stop quick or are in an accident. Tie down what ever you have in your vehicle. I heard of one guy who had the horn of his new anvil piercing the back of his truck between the passenger and the driver. Practice patience!

I did this one several years back. It's a wall mounted sign. The center is all stainless steel and as stainless warps when you weld it, I sunk it before welding. The curve prevents warping and gives a 3-D look. All of the c-scrolls are hand forged and riveted on. Also included a detail of the dragon on top.

Okay, let's simplify this. The old touchmarks did not have letters or a design that cut into the metal, but were raised out of it. That makes it easier for you. Make a punch. Punch small chisels into the end while hot to make your design and then cut/grind the outside shape to what you want. Then heat treat. Attached is the results of that type of touchmark.

I should also add that my original flat plates were mild steel and even at 3/4" thick with a 1" x 2-1/2" backer plate these plates got scarred up and would even bend. Mild steel might work for a 24 ton press, but for a 60 ton you need more resistance. I'm in the process of making new plates and using 4140 that I'm hardening and tempering. Some of the tooling I place on these plates are also 4140 and others are mild steel that I have hardened.

Thanks, Grant. I'm starting to get a better picture of how this works. I didn't design or build my press, but bought it 90% finished and completed the build. He has 3 presses in his shop and just didn't finish this one. We have a company near here that buys out shops and businesses direct or through auctions, it's stuff is too good to call a junk or scrap yard. I guess they call it an industrial surplus and salvage company. Any way that's where the clyinders came from. He buys them there and then takes them to a hydraulics company to cut them to size and rebuild them.

So he's moving the cylinder mount in order to adjust the height? I would have had to planned that into the press from the get go. Maybe that will help someone. Back to the drawing board.

I work on designs and tooling for multiple projects. Not mass produced items, but at a larger quantity than I normally do. I develope a line of work that I can sell in a catalogue or online instead of all of the custom work. Tooling more than anything. Tongs, mandrels, texturing dies, etc.

Pump: Nothern tool 16 gpm, 2 stage, 1/2" shaft 2,500 psi / max 3,000 psi

Ironwolf you are leaving me hanging! What was the trick??? How'd he do it? That's what I'm looking for. Thanks for the other replies, but I'm looking for more detailed info for someone who has no clue on how to do this and no idea what switches you are referring to or where to get them and how to hook them up. Sorry guys I'm a newbie when it comes to limit switches.

Control the height or depth of the push. Instead of putting blocks in to stop the push at a certain point, using the limit switch to stop where I want it to stop.

I have a 60 ton, 2 cylinder hydraulic forging press (you might have seen it on YouTube) and would love to have the control of a limit switch. Does anyone know what to buy and how to set one up? Thanks in advance for any help. Randy McDaniel

Well thank you, Bill! I'll be down there again next June. Don't know what I'll be doing, yet. Hope to see you then.

In the beginning I used rivet forges and railroad forges to get started. Then I ran into a number of old retired wagon smiths who used brick tire forges. So after learning about them and liking how they worked, I took a masonry class and built my own. Sorry I don't have a better picture of it. When I started moving to different shops I liked the tire forge design so had one built in steel. I used this one with cast iron fire boxes and for the last 9 years with the steel fabricated firebox and tuyere that is in the back of my book, "A Blacksmithing Primer". It's worked very well, but when I build a new one I will go up to 3/8" thick walls. The 1/4" lasted all this time with all of the forge welding and large stock I forge, but one plate has started to warp. The grate is machined to blow the air into the center of the firebox so heat to the sides is only residual. The angle of the sides contributes to how well this works, too.

Yup, it was Country Meadows. Used to be at Nolt's Mill, but they went out of business and Country Meadows bought them out. So now it's right on Rt. 340.

Like everyone said, don't connect the two flues. The forge chimney should be a brick and a half square on the inside which translates to 12" round in stove pipe. Don't go any smaller!

Just bought a half a ton of soft coal yesterday, near Lancaster, PA, USA. It's running $225 per ton. About twice what it was two years ago. That price was loose, just dumped in your truck. They also had it in 50 pound bags for $8.00 per bag. So that would be $320 bagged or an aditional $95 for bagging. I bagged a half ton today in an hour and a half. Propane cost about $18 for a 20 pound tank to be refilled, not exchanging tanks. Ususally I use a 5 gallon buck of coal a day or if doing a lot of forge welding a bucket and a half. I have used charcoal, but don't like it much. Too much sparking.

Here's some on line: PRESSES FOR SALE 30 Ton Hydraulic Forging Press - Ellis Custom Knifeworks Carlisle Press Carolina Custom Knives Online

The other tips are right on. I'd just add that flame eats smoke, so when you first start up you'll have some smoke, but the sooner you can open it up to get flame the sooner the smoke will dissapear.

When I first started blacksmithing in 1972 I spent a lot of time studying the history of blacksmithing through old books and spending time with retired smiths who were in their eighties. I believe there is more than one interpretation of what a master smith is depending on the circumstances, area and date. From my readings a smith started out as an apprentice to a master smith. After years of working with this smith it came time for the apprentice to produce a master works to be judged by his peers, which the master smith would assemble from the area. If the piece met the criteria the apprentice would become a master smith, at which time he would take off on his own to open his own shop, usually in another area. This procedure was used in Europe and as the smiths came to America they brought this system with them. Samuel Yellin, the most noted and proficient smith was from Poland and at this juncture he didn