VaughnT

The hunt for cheap and free stuff is fun! Sometimes it's so disappointing to hear a rumor of something only to arrive a day late or dollar short. But that's part of the fun, isn't it? But, to be practical, a beginner should be fair of mind and acknowledge that a certain outlay of cash is required to enter this field. It's the price of being all grown up and getting to play with the big boy toys. And, honestly, for as much metal as we save from the landfill by recycling it into other things, it's only fair that we spend money somewhere!

Nice anvil. With the stump or without, you done good on that deal! Welcome to IFI.

Glad to have you aboard, BamBam. With your background, I don't doubt that you'll make an excellent smith and turn out some really nice work.

Looks like you've really got it going on. I've been wanting to try that electrolysis technique for awhile, but I've never gotten around to giving it a whirl. Think you could repurpose a file handle to replace the blower's handle? Drilling through the center might be tough, and getting the right length might be an issue. Something to think about.... John, if the clinker blocks the grate before you're done forging, you'd have to reach in there to move it out of the way before you could let the fire cool down. With the raised grate, the clinker settles around the perimeter so you can forge all day without worrying about obstructed airflow.

Jody, when I spoke with Jay he did mention that the coal was in large chunks, but they also have finer stuff that's around the size of a quarter. I forget what he called it.... but I do remember that it wasn't very expensive. I'll have to check my notes, but I seem to recall it going for $10 for a 40# bag. That's not bad for regionally available coal. I'd love to see someone offer to store a ton or three so SC smiths could have a central location to get the good stuff, but that's not going to happen any time soon. As soon as I get my forge up and running, I'll get a couple of bags and file a performance report.

Just saw one of those on ebay, iirc, and was wondering what the hole was for!

Very nice. There's a lot of face still left so it's a working anvil for the meantime. I'd be hard-pressed to not find someone to fix it up, though. An anvil that size is just about perfect for the hobby smith and because you got it so cheap you won't have too much invested in it should you decide to weld it up. Great find!

Jim, the thought is that by raising the tue a good bit above the pan you give the clinkers room below the air blast to consolidate. With gravity and the air blast working in your favor, the clinkers don't clog the grate and you don't have to break up the fire as often to clean them away from the air holes.

Very nice. It would look great as an element in a larger piece, too. Simple elegance.

Very nice design. I don't see the need to line the steel with refractory or firebricks. The old cast iron pans needed lining because of the differential heating and cooling that caused cracking in the pans. Oddly enough, I've never seen a cast iron fire pot that cracked like the pans so often do. Of course, I have to wonder if a lot of those cracks were caused by being tipped over. Your design, as is, looks very solid. The only caveat I would offer is the overall table dimensions. Unless storage is an issue, I'm partial to a larger deck area for fuel and tool storage.

Thanks for the support, guys. It's been a rough day today just knowing that that anvil is there.... but I'm coping. I have a long way to go before I can really put a large anvil to its proper use, so it isn't that great a loss. The guy's attitude is what threw me. This is an older house with open-sided pole buildings all around. Said buildings are chock full of stuff and clearly indicate that the guy works with his hands. When I rolled up, he was using a belt sander on a roughcut board, obviously making something. I was happy just to meet a fellow tinkerer and thought that, at the very least, we might trade tips and tricks for general handiwork. I pointed out seeing the anvil as the reason I pulled in, hoping that he might also forge a bit. His responses didn't match the questions I asked. I never asked to buy the anvil. I never asked to borrow the anvil. Though, I will never understand why someone would want to have 'garbage' in their yards more than a few hundred dollars in their pocket. It's one thing to use the stuff, but to simply let it rot away in a field is such a waste. And I say that about anything, not just blacksmithing tools. If you're using it, even sparingly, that's cool - but if it's just one more thing in a pile of things that you mow around.... What's the point? Even if it was grandpa's, you're not honoring his memory by letting it go to pot! If I had any hair left on my noggin', I'd be pulling it out right about now! :rolleyes:

"an old stamp mill on the Yahoola creek here in Dahlonega. " There's only two people in the world that know how to pronounce the name of that town. Those that live there, and those that have lived there! If you need any help salvaging that wrought iron, hoss, give a holler. I'll be over directly!!

Great score, hoss.

My job keeps me driving all around. It's a good job and I really like that every day provides me with something different. Until today. I just happened to be rolling past an old farmstead when I noticed a Fisher anvil sitting on a stump amidst a few wood-burning kitchen stoves. The bolt lugs were easily visible... Keep in mind that a Fisher anvil around 200# is my dream anvil. I have literally dreamed of this anvil as I sleep, and I constantly keep an eye open for one as I run around the state doing my job. To get this close to one is simply unheard of. From the looks of it, it had to be about 200#, but it was covered in rust. "Fisher" was clearly printed on the foot, though. When I pulled into the driveway to introduce myself, hoping against all hope that I might have found another blacksmith if not an anvil for sale, I was met with outright hostility. How dare I pull into their driveway!?!?! Wow. It's not like they were living well off the highway! When I inquired as to whether or not the guy did any forging, he completely ignored my question and told me that, "That anvil isn't for public use." What does that even mean? Suffice it to say I didn't spend much time visiting. But I will be keeping watch for any auction signs....

Definitely a good start. I wouldn't bother trying to grind a horn on that hunk o' steel, though. Horns play very little role in 99% of knife making, and you can buy or build a cheap cone mandrel for the vice if you ever need one. Fullering is just as easily done using the edge of the anvil as the horn, too. As for knife steel, buy new stuff that you can heat-treat best. Unknown metals don't work well because you don't know what heat treatment they need to maximize their abilities. Railroad spikes could be mild steel, or high carbon, but the one thing you absolutely know is that they take a lot of work (and fuel) to pound to a knife-shape. It's cheaper to start with bar stock that you know can be made into a serviceable knife. Love that anvil.

Very nice!

Heck yea, I'd go a few hours to see it. I just dropped $50 on a 3.5" post vice that I had to drive two hours to see. Another 1" or more is easily worth the time and money.

One of these days I'll have a nice little shop. I'm not too interested in building big things so I can do without room for that, but I sure would like something where I can work without interruption and keep all of the smithy stuff together. That Neeman shop is dreamy!

Ah! I've been reading up on charcoal and its proclivities. Now everything makes sense! Using the sides of the tank to direct the heat away from the smith is rather brilliant!

Unfortunately, my region is wrought-poor and I have to rely on buying it from online. The few times that I do run across it is in wagon tires, and they go for a premium because they are "antique". Ran across one house, a country mansion from the mid 1800s, that must have had a hundred tires leaning against the trees surrounding the main house. Try as I might to get just one, the owners just wouldn't part with them because they "were integral in telling the story of this old plantation." Never mind the fact that the only story they were telling was how oxidation effects ferrous objects when left exposed to the elements! Some of them were almost six inches wide and most of them were half an inch thick. It was a sad day for me.

Amen. I couldn't live nearly as good as I do if rough men weren't standing watch while I play. God Bless you and yours. Thank you for everything you do.

Beautiful! One wonders, thought, why you sank the fire pot down so low when it means you'll have to cut access ports on the sides to you can fit longer stock through the fire. Love the chimney, but the design of the table has me worried. By angling it downward, you've sacrificed your ancillary work table and made it so that it's just that more troublesome to get longer stock into the neutral zone of the fire. Personally, I would section off the fire-pot area and use the rest of the body as a coal storage bin. There's plenty of room around the perimeter for tong racks and tool holders so you don't really need a table that close to the fire. With a coal bin right beside the fire pot, you'll have more fuel than you can use in a week... and still have your tools handy. Love the hood. Might be unnecessary with the chimney placed like it is, but it's still very cool to look at. Lets you know where the forge came from!

Well, I spoke with Jay at Osteen Fuel and they do carry coal. According to him, all of their coal is West Virginia coal, but he can't be specific because load after load gets mixed. They've had Pocahontas, Blue Jim and others, but blacksmiths have been using it without complaint. Prices are good. Sold by the bag, not the truck load. Very polite and helpful fella, and I'll be sure to report more once I've got my forge up and running.... Osteen Fuel Oil 402 N Markley St Greenville, SC 29601 864-235-6127

I've seen sink forges before, and they work well. Build up the sink with some gravel to get the depth almost there and then a good layer of clay (cheap kitty litter mixed with some sand and wood ash). Form the fire pot as you go, and don't forget to cut a few access ports in the sides so you can get a long piece into the fire. I've been wanting to try making one for myself, but I never seem to get around to it.