VaughnT

Gorgeous restorations. I have this weird fascination with old block-n-tackle sets. Don't know why, but I just love the things and really appreciate seeing them restored. I wonder if those ball-peen hammers are really hammers, though. I'd be more inclined to call them top tools because of the off-center eye. They look like new and will certainly move the metal!

When I worked in security, we weren't allowed to have a beard because they considered it a disguise. I hated having to shave all the time! Have I set my beard on fire? Sure have, and mighty glad it was there to catch the hot metal instead of my skin.

A great project. For the sliding door hardware, don't bother with the mass-produced track sold at Lowe's and the like. A length of 1" pipe or flat bar stock will do perfectly well, and all you need to do is make the hangers from some metal bar and pulleys. You can probably buy a set of "antique" rollers off ebay for a cheap price. Poplar in the ground? As others have said, that's a horribly bad idea. There's just no other way to say it than that. Even cedars don't last for very long if you don't have the right species in the right soil with the right drainage.... If you can't get old utility poles from the electric/phone company, definitely invest in pressure-treated 6x6 timbers. Heck, I would invest in the 6x6 timbers and put them on concrete pillars to keep them away from the damp ground. You can skimp a bit here and there, but the skeleton really does support everything else and needs to be strong. And once it's all said and done, get a nice hit-n-miss engine to drive a belt line.

A big screw press! A power hammer just isn't in the cards because of my shop's location, but I sure wouldn't mind something other than my arm to move the hot metal!!

Take solace in the fact that you produced a decent piece that's fully functional. It might not be perfect, but it's close enough for government work, and you learned some important things. I always tell people to factor in their time when they start complaining about the cost of something. $40 for a pair of tongs isn't that expensive when you think about the quality of tongs you could make from "free" metal. And those $5 tongs you got at the flea market cost more than $5 when you factor in the gas and time it took to find them.

Patience. I used to really get miffed when something didn't come out exactly like I wanted, or didn't happen fast enough. What I needed to acknowledge was that my skill level and tool selection wasn't the same as Peter Ross or the like, and it was going to take me longer to get the same results. Once I recognized that truth, life became a lot better in the smithy. What I tell new smiths that are constantly complaining about not having all kinds of tools ---> the vikings were making pattern-welded swords and fine gold jewelry without all those tools you think you need. If the Egyptians could build pyramids without steel tools and bulldozers, you really have no excuse for not forging a nice s-hook, other than laziness. It just takes the patience to stick with it, using what you have, and mastering it. You can make a knife with nothing more than a chunk of leaf spring and a handful of gravel from the driveway. It's going to take time, but you can do it.

Dominick, looks like you got a dandy of an anvil. I wouldn't worry about "overpaying" for one. If you factor in the years of service you'll get out of that anvil, the cost per year is extremely low because there's almost no maintenance costs. Buy it for $500 today and you can definitely sell it for $300 in a few years... so your actual cost for the anvil would is only $200. And it looks like your anvil is in near perfect condition. That's always worth a few extra dollars on the asking price.

I used Uship to get my Fisher from Massachuesets to South Carolina and it cost me $200. Well worth the time it took to secure a bid, and it was delivered rather quickly. No complaints from me. The Blacksmith Express is a great idea if you can make it work. Finding a smith that has the time and doesn't mind the expense.... that's problematic.

Very nice, and I like the attention to detail you put into all the stands. I'm a bit jealous.

Never seen a Buffalo forge like that one. The detail is spectacular. You should mail it to me so I can carbon date it and make sure it's an authentic Buffalo product. :)

Pre-sprung doesn't make a good anvil face. You'll still have "unconnected" metal in the middle and that will give you a big dead spot. Even if you plug weld in areas, you'll still have dead spots between the plug welds. This is why a full weld is recommended by the experts. You can space the plate off the top of the body and backfill the gap. This has been done successfully on at least one occasion I'm aware of, and it produces a solid connection between the two pieces.

Beautiful job.

The way you're describing the plan to attach the top plate, you'll end up with a dead anvil. While the AR400 is tough stuff, you really really need to have to the top plate fully connected with the body. Plug welds and a perimeter bead just will not cut it. I'd hard-face the entire thing, including the top of the horn. My Fisher anvil has a tool-steel top plate on the horn and it's rather nice. You definitely won't be using the cutting table very often. I've got cutting tables on all three of my london-pattern anvils and can't remember the last time I ever used the thing. It's never convenient for the work I'm doing, especially being so far away from the holdfast and hardy hole. If you go with the tapered heel, I think you'll really like the finished product. Putting it on a heavy metal stand will be the cat's meow!

I think it's old! Anything pre-1900 is dang near ancient, in my books. I've never seen an anvil with so much writing on the side. Regardless, you're a lucky fellow to have run across such a good deal. Congratulations!

That's a great idea for a swage block! I'll have to move that up to the top of the list of 'to do' projects....

Frosty, that's a very good point, and something often overlooked. Keeping your shop clean and organized, with tools in their place and ready to use, saves far more time than most folks realize. And it makes it a lot more fun to actually work on stuff. Of course, I'm the world's worst at it and constantly struggle to get around in the shop.

Good lookin' anvil. I'd bet on it being a Peter Wright by the looks of it, though any quality anvil is a joy to use. For being in the family so long, that baby is in fantastic condition. With your neighbors so near, you might want to consider betting the anvil in some silicone caulk or the like. That will deaden the ring considerably.

I've got quite the list of things I need/want. Should I be truly blessed, I would really like a big fly press. While I power hammer would be nice, I feel like a fly press would do just as well for 80% of what I want and not make anywhere near the racket. Maybe a hydraulic press, but I'd prefer an old-school screw jobbie. Or, a kit to turn my O/A rig into an oxy/propane rig. That would streamline things around the shop. What can I afford? Ugh, suffice it to say that a fly press is a long ways off!

While I'm certain that my propane forge allowed me to do more simply because I can use it inside without a big chimney, I have to say that the number one tool that really allowed me to stretch my legs was a stick welder. Having a stick welder, and the ability to run a serviceable bead, means that I can create tooling for the vice and anvil. That makes a HUGE difference. Guillotine tools and hardy stems are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg in terms of what a welder can help you build quickly and easily. Yes, all of those tools can be done with nothing more than hammer and anvil, but the welder allows you to make them with relative ease. If you've not bought an old buzzbox yet, do so with all due speed.

Mine always seem to revolve around money. While I'd love to build a dozen things..... I'm almost out of fuel. I don't have the right size stock. I don't have enough metal. I don't have the right tooling. I haven't perfected the design. My back hurts.

How are you going to fasten the AR400 plate to the top of the anvil? Any chance of tapering the heel of the anvil so you have a square taper to work on like the old double-horn anvils?

It ain't metal, but still worth the time to flip through. The joinery and engineering is simply amazing. http://www.greenoakcarpentry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/greenoakcarpentry-joints-presentation-lowres-for-web.pdf

The rail will always be noisy because it doesn't have the mass or cross-section to reduce vibrations. You can wrap it in chains galore, and bed it in silicone caulk, but a rail laying down is a better bell than anvil. Stand it on end and you have a better anvil, but.... The 3x8x8 block sounds like a dandy of an anvil. With a 3x8 face to hammer on, you've got a perfect anvil size for 99% of any smithing you want to do. You certainly don't need an 8x8 face to work on unless you're truing saw blades for a living. I'd stand that girl up on end in a bed if silicone caulk and call it a day. She'll definitely work better as an anvil than a railroad track because you've got a lot of mass right under the hammer's impact point. Not having a horn is small potatoes because you can mount mandrels in the bench vise.

There's a guy on ebay advertising 'pure iron' bar stock. It was rather pricey so I didn't really consider it for anything.