VaughnT

You did buy them, right?

Would buying from Lithuania be easier? I keep seeing this guy on ebay and am curious. Product looks good, but I don't have any direct experience. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-DFS-1-Bnr-LP-gas-Forge-Knifemaking-Welding-Blacksmith-/110953842250?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d55d464a

Very nice. I like the wood base you built for it. Think about lining the inside of the bricks with ITC100 or Plistix to increase the working temp without increasing the gas used.

Hate to say it, but it would most likely make a mediocre knife under the best circumstances. Logging tools were make from wrought iron or mild steel because they had no real need to be made from "knife quality" metal. The more pure, high carbon steels were expensive back in the day, so they were used sparingly. Not to say you haven't hit the jackpot, though. The problem is that you don't have any way of telling what the metal is and will burn up a good bit of fuel to make a knife only to find out that the knife isn't worth a hoot. "Free" metal isn't a savings in the long run.

That's a beautiful anvil, and I really like the work you did on the stand. One suggestion.... Use that beauty to forge some brackets that you can mount to the stump and bolt the two together. At 250#, the anvil isn't going to bounce and walk under the hammer's blow, but it would certainly look fantastic if you bolted them together. I'm thinking something nice with some scrollwork and the like.

This is going to be fun to watch! I couldn't find any pictures of the complete set online, so I'm very curious to see what you come up with.

That is very impressive! I'd love to have a similar shop, and can't wait to see her all finished and appointed!!

Gotta love Matchless Antiques for their ability to find interesting things. $(KGrHqFHJCcFCdPcNQ9EBQoqjwj,b!~~60_57.JPG $T2eC16hHJGIE9nnWsyHeBQoqksJpvw~~60_57.JPG $(KGrHqJHJEsFC,mG4d)yBQoqkrprUQ~~60_57.JPG I'm going to run down to the local big-box store and see if they have any in stock!

I'm partial to a little-known talent. He's an internet sensation and does some of the best smithing scenes I've ever seen. Name's Brian Brazeal.

If you go behind stores like Walmart, Kmart, Big Lots, etc, you can get pallets from overseas shipments that are made from tropical woods like teak and mahogany. Whatever is their "cheap" wood equivalent it's usually some rather nice stuff by our standards.

Congrats on the acquisition! I'll look forward to learning more about how the vise mounted and worked.

I was thinking along those lines, but that's an awfully complicated mold to make just to fasten it to a power hammer. And why have the face slope down right before the bolt-on part? Or have the bolt-on extend out into the cutting table?

Saw this on ebay and it's got me curious. Looks like the depression in the side was for removable dies. It looks like a place at the bottom for a leg that would distribute the force of the blow and a bolt hole for securing the die in place. What kind of job would you have that you needed such a substantial changeable die on such a light anvil? http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-ANVIL-BLACKSMITH-165-lb-/221152866879?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337dbcf23f

Any time you can get a decent anvil for close to $2 per pound, I'm calling it a good deal. A dollar a pound is a better deal, but two bucks is well worth it in my opinion!

Thanks, FS. The edges are solidly chipped for the entire perimeter, but the chips are actually very nice because they've basically removed the sharp corner in exactly the way anyone would want. All I'll have to do is take a flap wheel to smooth them up and the radii will be perfect. She does sit tall; the face is right at 36" from the floor. My lower back is shot and anything too low would have had me stooping a bit. It does feel a bit odd, but I'd rather have to worry about my elbow blowing out rather than my elbow AND back going south on me. Best of all, she works! I just built a stacked-brick forge using my weed torch for heat, and can tell you that it's going to take me some time to get used to working on such a large anvil. John, I'm just as curious, but I haven't been able to find a heavy scale.

Poor girl!

Lost track of this thread so I thought I'd post a few pictures of my newest friend. She's certainly a beauty! The body measures 5,25" wide, but they called it 5" even because of the slight chipping along the edges. Silly gooses!! Very stout young lady and well worth the time. Figuring in the cost of purchase and the cost of shipping, I got her home for just a hair over $2/lb. That's a win-win situation in my book!! Now it's time to fire up the forge and work some devil's bone!

Yep. A bit off center allows you to stockpile fuel and tools to one side, depending on your strong hand, and also allows for a side-draft hood if you should need that somewhere down the road. Certainly need to cut a groove fore and aft for long metal to pass through the fire.

Anyone try a J Newman trunion-mounted swage block? The pics look wonderful and it seems to have all the different points that I would be interested in. And, it's definitely unique. The only thing I would like to see is a spoon/bowl/shovel depression. But, major points for thinking outside the box. Don't see them for sale anywhere....

Use a piece of that leaf spring you just picked up. A 1" hole would be easy to drill out after annealing, and then all you have to do is drift it to spec and mount it on a sturdy stump. You could do it with a 4" thick piece of steel, and I'd be sorely tempted, but getting it up to a working temp to drift the hole would be a chore.

The leg brackets pop up on ebay fairly regularly.

Very nice HB! Good to have a dad like that; my dad bought me my first anvil. Now, you gotta work her!

For $50, you'd be silly to pass it up. Grind down the welds to get a nice flat surface and use the anvil as it was intended. There is enough of the original flat surface to use for pounding hot iron on and the rest of the anvil can be used for hardy tools and bending/turning around the horn and corners. If, after a few years, you decide to rebuild the face, you'll have a much better idea of what you're dealing with and how to go about repairing it.

Thought I'd try my hand at a tool rack to practice my welding and clear up some of the clutter. I used a piece of scrap 10" ductile iron pipe for the stand because it was there. Had to buy a 12"x12" piece of expanded metal and 1/2" angle to make the table top. It holds all sorts of stuff rather neatly and cleans up my main work table rather nicely. But, I'm already seeing some ideas for improvements......

Did you try Uship.com? I was able to get my 350# Fisher from Mass to SC for $200, and the guys that brought it down were very professional, but thoroughly blue-collar. Might be a way to get it from PA to the west coast and then let the customer meet with the drivers.