VaughnT

I've always used those cheap screwdrivers you can find at flea markets and "dollar bins". Depending on how long the shaft is, and the design of the striker, you can get two strikers from one driver shaft. That's mighty cheap strikers when you consider the screwdriver usually doesn't run more than a buck to begin with! Like others have said, don't temper the striker. I've never been able to get tempered steel to throw a shower of sparks, but only-hardened strikers work great.

Yea, I'd grab a handful of those axles for scrap price and then sell them to local smiths for a fair profit margin. A 6" dia. anvil face is more than enough for making a blade, and all the mass is right under the hammer! All you'd have to do is build a box or framework to hold the axle steady so it doesn't wiggle or fall over while you're hammering. That would be a breeze!

Considering all of the various factors, I would use a poured pewter (lead-free solder) guard. It's not that difficult to do and will fill the odd gaps you have between the blade and wood.

That's a great product for a new maker. You have an eye for design, now you just need to work on the manufacturing of that design. Overall, though, two thumbs up!

Very nice work for a first try. I like the leaf-type blade, especially for a letter opener, and might have to borrow that idea from you. What's the bolster made from?

That's probably the best example of a railroad anvil that I've ever seen. Never even though about making all those added work stations to one of them, and I don't doubt that it will be great for making knives on! Very good job. One thing I might do differently is to remove the hot-cutter portion and weld on a section of 1/2" or 3/4" round stock in its place. As a built-in fuller, that round stock would help a good deal to move metal for tangs and make finger grooves or radii for transitional areas. A short section of coil spring would work wonders right there, and you won't have to worry about any "accidents".

J, you have a great set up and I'm looking forward to pics of your work! Where did you find a speed controller like that? I've never seen one, but would love to have one for my next forge!

That's some good-looking work! I usually dread looking at 'railroad spike' work but I'm glad I stopped in here!

Neato. I never thought about using a pair of channel locks for raw material. Looks like you're on the right track, congrats and welcome.

I wouldn't put the stand on casters because of the inherent flex between all of the various parts. But, if you put the wheels on the side so that they contact the ground when the stand is tilted just a few degrees (like on a hand truck/dolly) it would be workable.

I'd buy it. Assuming the rest of the anvil is in decent shape, we're talking about a bit of damage to the edges of an otherwise flat top plate. The price is less than $2/lb, which isn't bad, and there's plenty of good surface to work on. Yea, I've seen better anvils come up. But it wouldn't hurt to have this one in the shop, especially as a beginner anvil. No need for repairing the face.

Very impressive. I'm liking that fullering tool design and just might have to 'borrow' it from you. What's that piece of square tubing on the side of the stand doing? Does it work with the guillotine in some way?

Got one of those for $20 two years ago. Great vise to have in the shop!

Great price for an anvil! Even without hardy holes, I'd be hardpressed to pass up something that big for that cheap as it would have a dozen different uses in the shop!

If you go to sell the anvil in a few years, I don't doubt you'd be able to get your money back. Anvils don't wear out easily. Even if you sell it for a bit less than you paid, at least you can say that you got your money's worth out of it!

http://wildertools.net/?page_id=319 For making knives, you don't need that much of an anvil. Rick Marchand makes some great knives and his anvil, seen in link above, is just a block of steel set in concrete. Works like a charm, apparently, and a whole lot cheaper! Still, I'm a sucker for a small london-pattern anvil and would have to look carefully at one in great condition. It's no disrespect to try and talk the guy down on price. Heck, he might have started high so someone could talk him down and both parties end up happy!

Ooooh, how about building a bonfire around the anvil on a nice beach. Then run a length of chain out into the water to a waiting boat that will take off when critical temp has been reached? You might need a buoy midway on the line to keep the anvil from going to the bottom, but you'd sure have plenty of quench and no worries about a steam jacket!

Price really depends on location and the buyer's need. A mint condition anvil in any size is rare, and Brooks has a good rep, but if you don't need it, then it isn't worth $4/lb. Personally, I'd offer him $2/lb and see if he takes it. Or ask if you can bundle the anvil with some other tools/materials for a better price. Anvil + XYZ for $350? Don't worry about the anvil not sitting perfectly as that can be fixed easily. The top plate and horn is where you're concerned, and you say it looks cherry. Did you check for solid rebound? 75# is a bit light, though it would certainly have its uses and trumps a railroad track! Are you really needing something to get started learning blacksmithing? Are you interested in knife-smithing or making large gates, etc? A small anvil can handle working with small metal (say nothing over 1/2" thick) but will really bog down if you're trying to work larger stock.

That is truly amazing. I would love to have access to tooling like that to make my own large anvil!! Will there be issues with a steam jacket forming between the hot metal and the water/oil? Or do you have a tank with serious flow capabilities?

Whenever I browse the Mad Dwarves Workshop website, I can't help but think that some training in art wouldn't be a bad thing for the blacksmith/armorer/whatever. They way they combine art and their website and their finished product is really amazing.

Yea, I'd buy it. Even if the faceplate is completely missing, you could still find uses for it around the shop. If the body is wrought iron and not cast iron, you could cut it into chunks to sell to knifemakers and such that like small pieces of WI for making fittings. Very easy to recoup your money in that case!

Searchtempest.com is your friend!

Six degrees, indeed! I was talking to a bud the other day (maybe six months ago) about anvils and he said he had his grandad's in his back yard. I've known this guy for years and drank many a beer with him. $30 and the promise of a knife, and I now have a 120# Wilkinson that's seen better days. Solid anvil, especially for the money. And I wouldn't mind a trip to VA for a BIG anvil. The 120'er is the biggest and only anvil in my shop, so I wouldn't mind traveling a bit to get somethign bigger and better! Keep me in mind....

Yup, you need to do more forum searching. Welding the stock back on itself only creates a lot of work to end up with exactly what you started out with. A file is a file, and if it's good steel and not case-hardened, it will make a decent blade all by itself without any need to forge weld.

That is an incredible shop!