VaughnT

You could do a full penetration weld on that church-window plate without too much difficulty by standing it off of the side a bit and snaking a thin rod into the gap. Basically, the same technique you would use to weld a plate onto the top. But even if you didn't manage to get complete penetration of the weld, the airspace left is on a non-working side. Not really a critical area, imo.

Well, I have to agree with Judson a bit. That giant round of mild steel (and I really doubt that an industrial melting ladle/cauldron was simple A36 mild steel) would have made a tremendous circular anvil and swage block. A 3" wide face is plenty for any smith's needs, and being able to rotate the whole thing and bring up a new feature would be the cat's meow! Need a 1/2" bottom round tool? No problem, just spin the wheel of fortune!! Having said that, though, I think this project certainly has merit. A smaller london-pattern anvil has a lot of benefits to it, and I like the design you've come up with. For the face, I would be tempted to use a forklift blade if I could find one. You don't have much of a step down to the cutting table, as is, so adding a bit of height with the blade wouldn't look odd. Deep penetration on the welds would be critical, but certainly doable with a thin enough rod of 7018 or the like. Eliminates the need for hard-facing rod which can be expensive. The upsetting block on the near side is a nice feature, but I don't think you need to worry about it being on the near side (the side you're standing at) or far side on an anvil this small. For me, I cut my teeth on an anvil with the horn pointing left as I stood at it and have a very difficult time using an anvil with the horn pointing right because it upsets my fung schway. It's personal preference and what you get used to. You can easily use an upsetting block on the far side even when you're standing at the near side. And, the round that you have left over would still be plenty good as a circular anvil/swage if you still have the center available to mount it on an axle. That would be the coolest anvil-swage combination in the world and everyone would be super jealous of you. That thing must weigh an ungodly amount!

I know I love my Fisher for it's quietness, but I've been able to silence all of my other anvils to the same level as the Fisher using silicone caulk. Cast steel or wrought w/a face plate, they both quieted right down! Still, I wouldn't mind seeing someone try to bring the Fisher style back. Reverse engineering the process can't be that difficult for someone familiar with casting on a big scale, especially with the advancements we've had in metallurgy and general science since Fisher closed their doors.

The swage portion can match the size of your hammer face, and the fuller section can be rounded over without sacrificing the fullering ability. The radius of the fuller will dictate how much it moves the metal, much like the varying radii on the horn change how the metal moves when you use it as a fuller. Of course, none of this is set in stone. The tool you made is very neat, and I'll more than likely steal the idea from you.

If you watch that BBC Mastercrafts production on the blacksmith, you'll see that his forge is absolutely heaped over with fuel. It is this mountain of coal that allows you to create a hot zone that's high enough to get away from the air coming into the forge. He also talks about wasting fuel but it's not by using too much or too little. Novices waste fuel by not striking while the iron is hot. If you bring the hot steel to the anvil and then have to think and plan your strikes, the steel is cooling and you have to put it back into the fire. Lots of coal/coke burned up in the process.

I use one of these. Plenty of pockets on the outside for organizing those small tools, and roomy enough on the inside for hammers and tongs. Maybe no the most fitting for an historical setting, but it's great for everything else. Wheels are your friends!

Any decent steel pan or plate will work if you rivet on some legs that can attach to the pipe. A bit mesh around the end of the pipe to keep the birds out, with maybe a 4" of clearance between the pan and pipe end. Check the cooking section of the local stores, or watch the resale outlets. I've always wanted to try an inverted Wok! Another idea since you need a screen to keep birds out.... Form a tube of expanded metal that's 12" in diameter and about 8" long. Bolt this to the end of the pipe so you have at least 4" sticking up past the end of the pipe. Find a suitable cooking pan/dish/tray in stainless steel. Something that's not too deep or needing too much reworking. Drill three or four holes around the perimeter of a scribed 12" circle and cinch the plate to the expanded metal with stainless steel threaded j-hooks. No need to worry about riveting legs on because the mesh acts as both the support and the barrier. J bolt

NJ, any timeline for those Neo-Fisher swage blocks? :D

Did anyone else get the impression from that description that they weren't pouring the entire anvil in one fell swoop? I remember that photo njanvilman posted that showed the mold pattern for one size anvil, and it had a big black box shaped thing on top of the anvil's top plate. Never understood what this would have been for.

Gents, I'm not an expert on welds, but that rolled section doesn't look like it was welded up to my eye. There are areas around the heal that look slightly peened over, and that would seem to indicate that the whole thing is rather soft. If it is a weld, great. If it isn't, the anvil has plenty of rebound and should be very good for demonstrations.

That's beautiful, hoss. I love a brick forge, and I think you nailed the hood just right. Can't wait to see how you grow the shop in a few years.....

Definitely a twisting wrench/ bending fork. Saw sets (not rests) would have a narrower jaw.

I would definitely talk them into letting your "store" it and replacing it with a piece of rail. I would even go so far as to make a very nice stand for the rail so they have even less reason to say no. That's a beauty of an anvil, and just perfectly sized for most of what folks do.

When I first stepped into a blacksmith shop, the smith was kind and courteous. But, he was watching me as much as I was watching him and it wasn't until I had visited several times that he started to open up. What impressed him, he said, was that for those first few visits I didn't do anything but sit and watch him work. Most folks that wanted him to teach them wanted to jump in the deep end right off the bat ("I wanna make knives and swords!") or wanted him to drop everything and hold their hand through the most basic movements. This, he thought, was very annoying and disrespectful. It's no wonder that those students didn't stick around long enough to learn his 'trade secrets'.

I'm very curious as to how the hole will be aligned after it's been drifted to proper shape (flat oval) and the cheeks have been worked down. Having never built a hammer, I don't have the hands-on experience, but I'm thinking that a lot of the metal can be moved during the shaping process. Am I wrong? Another thought would be to drift the hole to the proper shape, but leave the one side a bit larger. Basically, this is an hourglass cross section with the bottom portion wider than the top to account oopsie. The hammer handle could easily fill this larger portion and would make for a stronger handle, too. Does that make sense?

Great news! 60% rebound is very good so don't fret. For less than $3/lb, you got a very good deal. Does it look as good in person as in the pics? Very happy for you.

The larger anvils were rarely garbage so I think you can buy with confidence. The horn and face look to be in immaculate condition, with no chisel marks or chipping. If the weight is over 150#, I wouldn't hesitate to offer a dollar a pound. If large anvils are hard to come by in your area, you really need to think about how long it will be before another one in this condition pops up on the market. My big Fisher cost me just a bit over $2/lb, including shipping, and I thought that was a great deal considering that you just do not see large anvils for sale in my area, and you never see large Fisher anvils for sale in my area. If you're in a similar boat, I would consider anything under $3/lb a good deal. Definitely worth it considering the condition of the anvil's horn and face plate as shown in the pictures.

Very elegant. Puts me in mind of something the Greene Brothers or Frank Lloyd Wright would have designed and used!

I like it! The scrolls are very nice, but the upset feet really make it pop. The collars don't look wrong to my eye. I like that they are more blocky and plain because it contrasts with the softer, more feminine curves in the rest of the piece.

And post pictures of it when you get her cleaned up.

Looks beautiful. I like the matching paint on the impeller...... very classy.

Looks great! I don't think you'll have any problems with the splay of the legs and tipping issues. The hardy hole is almost directly over the rear legs, and that's the only place I could see you doing some heavy sledging. Just remember to work the metal when it's at a yellow heat if you're interested in moving the metal. Red/orange heat is for lighter blows to dress the metal up.

I'd sign up! Welders are incredibly useful to a blacksmith and don't take away one bit of the "historical" nature of the craft. How many traditionalists use wrenches that they didn't forge themselves? Nuts? Bolts? Rivets? Look at the great work that was made when acetylene welding first came on the scene. Personally, I have a welder and don't know what I'd do without it. Just for making jigs and stands and other sundry in the shop, it's been a tremendous boon.

Very nice, and stout enough to flip a brontosaurus burger! I really envy your ability to draw out 3/4" stock.

I like the idea, but I'd put casters on that unit so you can pull it away from the wall and rotate it. You would have a slew more storage available because you can reach everything.