SLAG

Would soaking the cement in water and subsequently freezing the forge do the job. Water expands when it freezes and that might cause cracking. The cracks in the cement could then be levered to break chunks of the cement up and off. Just sayyin', SLAG.

Also, Silvadine ointment before sealing the burn. SLAG.

Yves, You may be able to get a wooden barrel or half barrel from a micro brewery, brew pub or small winery. Is the Montreal, Molson's brewery still in operation? If so, they may sell you one. Putting some denatured alcohol in your slack tub will lower the freezing point. Other alcohols will work but they are poisonous. The same applies for antifreeze. {Propylene glycol is not very poisonous), but ethylene glycol is very toxic. The latter glycol sweet and animals love it and can die. Your block heater idea is brilliant. And most cars in Canada have them. But Americans outside of the north do not. Aquarium heaters would work. (I have not used them). Some hot tub heaters may be usable. Salut. SLAG.

Yves, Minus 27 C is minus 16.6 F. SLAG.

Mr. Casapa. Thank you for posting the reference. It's excellent. SLAG.

Mr. Casapa, Thank you for posting the video. It was very informative. One point, I did not find the link mentioned in that video. Please tell me where I might find it. It looks like a very informative link. Thank you. SLAG.

Mr. Enewguy, The blacksmiths of Missouri coal vendor agent page is, bamsite.org/maps/coalmap.htm SLAG.

Boiled linseed oil is a heavily modified linseed oil. It is comprised of linseed oil and stand oil plus a metallic drying agent. (such as lead oxide + 'litharge', or a cobalt salt, etc., etc.). * It does dry. Stand oil, a component of boiled linseed oil. Stand oilis linseed oil which is heated to almost 572 degrees Fahrenheit, (300 C.), for several days in the absence of air. The resultant stand oil/ boiled linseed oil, is very thick and forms an elastic coating. That oil is heavily cross-linked and polymerizes rapidly. I suspect that the non-drying oil, you read about, was essentially plain linseed oil, not boiled linseed oil. The oils, mentioned above, do not dry but are chemically changed, and hardened. SLAG. * boiled linseed oil is NOT edible.

Mr. Chelonian, You get a lovely 'bunch' of tools and it gives many of us folks a really good feeling, when we rehab them and put them back to use. The file teeth can be sharpened. It is not hard to do. Or, there are sharpening services advertised on the net. (they are a little pricey for my budget.) I suggest that you search this site for "file re-sharpening" or file "acid etching". We have discussed the process at great length, in the past. Use "I.F.I." plus the search phrase with your favorite search engine. (the one on this site is not very good). Regards, SLAG.

Charcoal briquettes are primarily made from compressed carbon particles that is made from wood waste (& sawdust). that is charred in a reduced oxygen atmosphere. The powder is dried and mixed with glue and a coloring agent. The mixture is then compressed. Lump charcoal is mostly carbon Some smith's have used the product, primarily, for demonstrations. But it does do not produce much heat per weight. Hence it is a very expensive fuel for smithing. SLAG.

Amen Frosty, Good advice. One point to add. Do not forge with a carpenter's claw hammer. The face, of it, is made of soft steel and it will deform and could then spall. Yah, use eye protection. Cheers. SLAG. p.s. Welcome to the club.

About two years ago I was doing some research on available new anvils, for sale. I came across the Texas Farrier Supply (T.F.S.), company's advertisements and posted information. It tool me a long time to discover that their anvils were made from malleablized cast iron, ( = ductile iron ). IIRC they did not come out and explicitly 'say' so in the advertisement's copy. The written copy artfully avoided mentioning that fact. I am NOT intimating that the T.F.S. anvil's are inferior. I do not know not know. But I moved on to competitor's copy. SLAG.

There is a thread, (probably many threads), that discusses handle configuration (shape), in great depth. Frosty's distinct hammer style was discussed at length in that thread. Perhaps someone on this site can help me to dig it out. (I've got A.D.H.D. which makes mucking through a lot of data a real chore, requiring great energy and effort, Sorry about that.), I use the following tools for shaping hammer handles. A draw knife , & sometimes a Japanese saw rasp, a course file, sand paper, linseed oil. You can do most of it by, only, using a knife. Using those tools, I make short work of tool handling for a custom hammer etc. ... SLAG.

"bubbly banter?" "bubbly' Come on. Why can't it be called 'instructive narration'. (it is just as informative a communicative method as the other types you suggested in your post.) SLAG.

Allow me to get to the heart of the matter. Cast iron anvils will NOT stand up to smithing, iron. (most anvil shaped objects, (A.S.O.'s) are made of cast iron. Hammering hot iron, on those 'anvils' will cause divots on the anvil edge. Hammer marks will be appear on the anvil's surface after the first use of said anvil. That "anvil" is not an anvil. It merely looks like an anvil, and will look like junk after one or two sessions at the forge. Suggesting that it is useful for smith's work is fraud, by both the retailer and the manufacturer. SLAG.