VaughnT

If it was cement-filled tube, it wouldn't make a very good forklift tine. I would stand it on end, with the biggest end becoming the anvil face. How you want to support it when on end is up to you. I've see a lot of them set in a bucket of cement, or using a cardboard tube as a mold for the cement. This makes a very sturdy base that can be rolled out of the way, but the tine actually passes through the cement to rest on the ground. All the cement does is surround it and give some ballast. You could also make a wood frame around it. I've seen several on the net that are quite attractive and functional, and pressure-treated lumber is readily available. Durability is a good thing, but relative. Weight at the bottom, or a wide footprint, will make tipping a non-issue, and that's important.

Lots of truth, Copilot. The body of the anvil provides the smith with a giant chunk of steel that can be abused without really hurting their business. A plate sitting on the side would do the same thing, but quickly wear away. Not to say it's common, but it was "normal".

That hurts. After all I've done for you... :huh:

You've got a great start on a smithy! A tripod stand will sit flat no matter where you put it. A four-legged stand will have some wobble depending on where you put it. By standing that tine up on end, you get all of the benefits of the mass under the hammer, without any of the draw-backs. How you want to secure that time to the base, making sure it doesn't wobble..... well, that open to discourse. Personally, I've make a stand from dimensional lumber and have the tine resting on the ground. If you're not working on a hard surface (cement), then you need to think about something that will absorb and distribute the force of your blows. Lots of options and ideas. You're on the right track, though, so don't be disheartened!

Don't feel bad one bit! People are always bragging about mint anvils that cost pennies, but for a real working anvil, you got a great deal. Those hardy tools would set you back $20 each, and they will come in very handy. The condition of the anvil is very good. The rounded edges don't hurt anything, but they sure might come in handy for a dozen tasks. You didn't get an anvil for $3/lb; you got an entire smithy. With the hammer and hot-cut, you can make every tool you could imagine. The fullers will only help you. And considering the durability of the anvil, $3/lb is mighty cheap. You'll be working on that same anvil thirty years from now. No parts to replace. Nothing to wear out. 100% function for pennies on that value.

Still need to try this on my frozen blower. I've tried everything else to get it unstuck, but I haven't screwed up the courage to give electrolysis a go.

Couldn't ask for better than that, and you got Pops in on the action. Decades from now you'll remember that time whenever you look at that wonderful tool.

Very neat contraption you built there, Chinobi. And to think it might have come from a Greene Bros project! Aside from Wright, they are probably my most favorite architect/designers. Very nice work. Does the vise move a lot when you're working at it? I'd almost be inclined to install a permanent post at it's outside location and then fabricate a more traditional mounting plate with the wedge and gib key. Easy to carry the vise to position and then secure, but a lot more solid when in place. Had a friend do the same and he put a bird feeder on the post when he wasn't using it. Kept the wife happy....

Clean it up and post more pics once the rust is gone. And mail me that forge since I've been so helpful.

Amen, Smooth Bore. I hate to sound jaded, but....

Bolt lugs like that are indicative of a Fisher Norris anvil. They have a cast-iron body and a tool steel plate, even the horn has a tool steel top on it. They are great anvils. Even in that condition, she's perfectly usable. I wouldn't mind finding someone that knows their business and could weld it back up a bit. Hate to see a Fisher in that condition! Looks like you got a beauty of a forge, too. I'd love to have one of those larger forges.

Gotta love it when providence shines! Congratulations on that fantastic find.

A general-reference chart will be helpful as long as you split it between the two main types of anvils. Vulcan and Fisher both tend to have thicker waists and heels than Wright and the like. Even though they're the same height, the Fisher could be significantly heavier because there's more metal in that height. Still, not a bad idea to have cheat sheet when looking at anvils on the internet.

Tried driving and quit real quick. OTR turned out to be more sitting than rolling if you weren't a company driver with a company truck, and the prices for food were ridiculous. Best thing I could suggest would be to get your 2yr OTR experience that most companies insist on and then hunt for a local gig that will let you stay home most nights so you can have a life. Even as an O/O, a local gig can pay well and still allow you to be home at night. Forging on the road? Frosty has it right. If you want to get some time in, you have to think about simplifying your gear, but that doesn't mean simplifying what you make. Many a top-shelf blacksmith and knifemaker uses a post anvil with no horn or hardy. Stock-removal knives can be as complicated as you want to make them and require little in the way of tooling. Here's a great piece that shows what type of tooling you need to do some seriously great work. http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=25866 80% of what he does could be done on the road, and I'm sure the other 20% would just take more thinking than I'm doing right now. The important part is that he's able to do some truly great work without the benefit of a shop full of funky modern technology. If you can heat the steel up, you can form it. If you don't have the tools to make an ax, make the tools and then make the ax. A bean can forge with a torch for a burner would be awesome. I don't recommend using a large propane tank, though, as they can be hard to find storage room for. A dozen torch bottles, though, can be stashed all over the place. More expensive route, for sure, but easier to manage and fine refills for.

You don't need a building to smith in. A roof is nice, but many a shade tree has had an anvil parked under it!

They're meant for sheet-metal work, but you can certainly use it as a swage block for small stock. I wouldn't use it stuck in the hardy hole. Make a stump out of dimensional lumber so the stake is at a decent working height and use it. Lots of good things you can do with something like that!

Good work. I have a table about that same size that I'm thinking about turning into a forge. The folding handles are a great bit of ingenuity.

Fantastic work, a mirror-shine might not be needed on a hammer head, but it sure doesn't hurt anything! Also glad to see I'm not the only one that seems to get bloody knuckles when working....

Fantastic! I would dearly love to have a combo like that, especially in such great condition. You must truly live in anvil rich territory.

That's a beauty! The sway will come in very handy, and you're lucky that it's so smooth and even. That spot at the prtichell looks like someone was dishing metal cold. Very handy depression.

"Hot cut to rough shape can help" What he said! On a piece that short there isn't much room to work. Best odds are to start by knocking the corners back before you try to draw it down to a point, being sure to work from the end back towards the eye. If you guillotine from the eye towards the point, you'll force the fish lips to grow and have to knock them back.. Were it me, working alone like I usually do, I would have squared the end then used a bandsaw to cut it mostly to shape. Then back to the forge refine the shape. Beautiful work, Tubbe.

Fantastic job. Funny enough, I just found the very first hatchet I ever did any forging on; just a roofer's hatchet that I wailed on for a bit, but it was my first. You always remember your first.

"...Frosty talking about double hangers..." Double-hooks are always a good idea. They allow the user to hang pots face-to-face, doubling the effective rack space, but also allow them to use one hook for a ladle or the like. It gives them options that a single hook doesn't and, I think, looks better than a single hook looped over a piece of flat stock. As for the rivets, I think the brass will look very nice in contrast with the steel. It will give it a bit of class, and you might want to consider giving the hooks a bit of brass on the finials to tie it all together. A quick wipe with a brash brush while the metal's at a black heat..... The size of the rivet's head is going to play a factor in how the project looks; it will become a focal point for the eye. Depending on the size of your stock, the piece might look more interesting if you used two rivets together. On the diagonal, maybe, or maybe three smaller rivets in a triangular formation. Lots of options. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Should be plenty strong enough if you have a decent head on both ends. A right decent thing you're doing for those folks, and I'm sure they appreciate the courtesy.

It's stuff like that that keeps folks motivated to keep trying. Very beautiful work.