VaughnT

Love to canoe, but don't get to do much since I hurt my knee. Always wanted to put a skirt on my Bell Morningstar but never got around to it. I would love to see how your wife fabricated a skirt and how you're going to attach it. That would make a good tutorial.....

Well, the good news is that the trailer ball hardy will work just fine unless you made it too brittle with the heat-treat. Even completely annealed, that sucker is going to take a pounding. Not only are they made from quality steel, solid through and through, but the recipe of the steel is usually stronger than regular mild steel. I wouldn't think twice about dishing on it. As for the notches in the side, they come in handy when you have to heat the middle of a long bar like you would when you are making larger brackets and the like. Trying to heat the middle of a 3' rod so you can bend it 90* can be bothersome if the sides of the forge are too high. Generally speaking, you want to be able to slide a bar straight through the fire from one side to the other. Not really an issue for 80% of the forging you might do, especially as you're learning. If all you plan to do is work on the end of a 12" piece, no problem. Great looking piece of kit, all told. I was just looking at some sheet metal I took off of an old water heater and have been brain-storming how I could use it to copy your forge. Thanks for the inspiration!

John, a sink will certainly work if it's not too deep. Otherwise you'll need to build up the bottom a bit so you can get your metal into the middle of the coals. Saw an old article in Popular Mechanics, I believe, where they demonstrated building a very nice forge from a sink that had a drain area off one side. Lined with fire cement/sand/etc to concentrate the coals and bring them up a bit.

Good job! Looks like you're moving right along. If I were to make any suggestions, it would be to cut pass-through notches in the perimeter of your forge so you can heat the end/middle of longer stock without angling it oddly. Love that trailer hitch turned hardy tool. I could use one of those.....

Absolutely fantastic! I really need to come and visit that town one day. Can tourists purchase hand-forged wares from the shop? I'd love to get a felling axe from the Williamsburg Smithy even if I just made it a wall-hanger!

I had the opportunity to pick up a table that measures approximately 4'x4'. I'm thinking that it would make a spectacular forge, but the top of the table is 3/16" aluminum. The rest of the body is steel and I'm wondering if the aluminum top would be a no-go for a forge table. I plan on using a mild-steel or cast-iron fire pot and such, but wasn't sure how much heat would transfer from the fire pot to the table. Could I line the aluminum with fire bricks? Cement? Leave it bare? It's ready to go, as-is. All I would need to do is cut a hole for the fire pot and plumb the blower.... if the aluminum is durable enough on its own. But will it survive the heat?

Yep. Looks like it says, "Solid Wrought". A lot of anvils say that so it kind of follows to reason. I'd do a soapstone/chalk rub on it to see if any other letters show up. But, I'm pretty sure......

I shot video. Stand by. Okay. Finally got a decent clip uploaded (wow that took a long time!). As I mentioned in my OP, this anvil isn't sealed to or chained to the stump at this time. I am sure that doing that would deaden the sound a good bit. My point, though, was to demonstrate how much difference the two magnets made on their own. I have never found a london-pattern anvil that wasn't loud, but I've also never found one that was seated as you fine folks recommend. Curiosity lead to experimentation. If this anvil shushed up right and proper with nothing more than a few magnets, what would it sound like with a proper seating? If it's this quiet now, what will it be like when all's said and done? Just thought I'd throw it out there for consideration. Certainly something to think about. Check out the vid and let me know what you're thinking. Tried to make it entertaining and educational, don't know that I succeeded on either count though. Best. http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i115/VaughnT/?action=view&current=MVI_0344.mp4

Well done! That level of craftsmanship will serve you well.

I've had tons of folks tell me to slap a magnet onto the side of my anvil to quiet it down. Tried it with a handful of different magnets and it really never did anything. Some folks say that it'll get better once scale accumulates on the magnet.... but I can't see that making a huge difference. Wrapping a bit of chain around the waist of the anvil didn't help matters either. I was stuck with a loud church bell of an anvil that was sure to wake the neighbors, some of whom work the nightshift. Then I got to thinking about what makes sound. Sound is vibration. The idea behind putting a magnet on the side of your anvil is that it will absorb some of the vibration of the hammer blow. Unfortunately, putting a magnet on the side of the thickest, heaviest part of the anvil means that there is going to be less vibration for the magnet to absorb. And it leaves the thinnest parts of the anvil to vibrate till their heart's content! So, I took two small magnets and placed one (listed as having a 25# pull) on the tip of the horn. The second magnet (listed at 100#) I placed on the underside of the heel, completely out of the way of the hardie and pritchell. Instantly, the church bell of an anvil went dead silent. You would have thought I had a Fisher for all the quiet it was making! And all of this on an anvil that isn't fastened to the stump yet! Yea, the magnet on the horn, while small, will have to be moved when I'm working at the very tip of the horn. But the magnet at the pritchell won't be in the way of anything and does a remarkable job by itself. Do I need to shoot a bit of video to demonstrate?

Beauty! I wouldn't take it apart unless there was some serious wobble to fix. If the stand wobbles on the floor, you can check that with some shims. Personally, on a stump with that small of a footprint I would be inclined to add some lumber around the base to widen it. This would make the anvil more stable when you're working on the horn or hardie, and get rid of the wobble. All told, you did great. That's a pristine anvil and it'll do you well for the next hundred or so years.

Good looking stuff. I really like the cross and might have to try something similar for my mom.....

Lousy anvil, of that there can be no doubt. But, as has been suggested, it would be well worth the money as a stand for your post vice, or as-is for a cutting station when hot cutting or trying to punch/drift a hole in some stock. The only thing I would add would be to backfill the rim with cement to give you a bit more mass. This will also deaden some of the sound and some of the bounce. $20 could be spent on a lot worse ideas.

Looks great. I really need to get a forge built!

Nice job! I have a blower that's frozen solid and I'll have to cut the nuts free in order to dismantle it. Hate to go with new-looking nuts and bolts, but the older square-style aren't available around here. Might have to fab them on my own....

There's a guy in Louisville that's selling his entire blacksmith/bladesmith shop. He's listed on craigslist and might be interested in parting out what he's got. That could be a great find for you as a lot of those tools would be handy to have! Personally, I'd hold out on the anvils you mentioned. The Anvil Brand looks decent, but I don't know enough about them to say. Generally speaking, a farrier's anvil is not good for general blacksmithing on because it has so little mass under the hammer because of the wasp-waist design. They ring like a bell, too, which is annoying. The Fisher anvil would be a good anvil for light duty work. If it's in great shape, it might be worth the money because a small anvil is great for traveling or making small things on. Don't think you'll be working 1" stock on the thing, but knives and hooks are good to go. Fisher anvils are also very very quiet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-158-lb-FISHER-NORRIS-3-CHAINMAKERS-ANVIL-Blacksmith-Forge-TK-11-/130668376398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6c71314e#ht_9070wt_1083 Now that's something unique! Wonder how they used the through-holes in the side?

If I was anywhere near Milwaukee, we'd have to talk some business! Those are gorgeous anvils!!

Yup, got the Columbian vise fixed! How would have thought it would be that easy!!?!? :)

Beauty! I'd love to inherit something like that!! As for price, you should be able to ask top dollar because it's in such great condition. I can't make out the logo, but it looks to me like the N3 is the model number.

Yea, but if you build it out of such spindly stuff, what are ya goin' to do after the next hundred years? :D I really need to get a job at a place like that!

Have you oiled the blower and linkage joints? Does the forge have to be portable or could you build some cement footers to hold the feet in place? Very nice piece of kit. I've been looking for one of those for awhile...

Finally got something decent to add to this thread! While I was browsing the internet, I ran across this fine gentleman looking to part with a couple of blower. I have never seen blowers with the cast iron bases like these (at least not around these here parts), so I was very curious. The price was simply too good to believe and I feel like I stole these ladies even when you add in the cost of gas to go get them. While I was visiting, he mentioned that he had a small post vise he'd let me have for only $50. How could I say no? Sadly, the Buffalo Climax was rather anti-climactic. She doesn't turn. I popped the cover off to see what I could do about it and found the axles inside to be just completely rusted over. I might be able to break them free and get her back into service, but I can't promise anything. If nothing else, she'll be relegated to yard art status. I'm a bit sad that the jaws on the Columbian don't line up, but I can probably work around that. I certainly don't have a shortage of vises!

Old leaf springs, Bass, are a "bad" idea for knives and swords. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if there are micro cracks in the steel until you've done a ton of work to get that blade nearly finished, if then. With a sword, the blade for very easily snap into pieces sending a chunk of sharp metal flying off to parts unknown. Heaven help anyone standing down-range when that happens. The biggest problem with using old leaf springs, though, is that you don't know what metal you're working with. Not knowing that crucial information means you cannot properly heat treat the blade to maximize it's potential for strength, edge retention and resilience. Unless you send a piece of each spring off to have it analyzed, you're just guessing and hoping, and that is not a recipe for success. Furthermore, as far as knives are concerned especially, leaf springs are rarely the right starting dimension for the knife you want. You'll spend a lot of time and energy, never mind sandpaper and grinding belts, to thin down a leaf spring when you could have spent a few measly dollars on a blank of 1084 or O1 that the right length, width and thickness to begin with and gives you a solid idea of what needs done for heat-treating.

Where do I get a boss like that? In a production shop, I'd be a bit hesitant to recommend an anvil as "light" as 200lb. The Nimba line of anvils are top notch tools. I'd love to have a Gladiator in my garage!