Cole Cross

Will a 110a mig be sufficient enough to weld some 4x2x4" 4140 to a railroad track? I only need it strong enough to stay in place while its being hammered upon at least until I can manage to buy a real anvil. I'm guessing I'd have to make quite a few passes if this will work. Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks for everyones input. I came across one problem though, it sucks regardless of wire position. I couldn't figure it out so I just bought a cheap $10 hair dryer and it works great.

I've heard of hair dryer's burning up because of the lack of air flow in one direction; it has nowhere to go but back into the fan. If this will not harm my vac motor using a valve type system, then I will do so. Will this happen to the motor?

I scavenged an old vacuum motor and I was wondering, how do I slow it down? I want it to run about 100-150 cfm but since it's an ac motor, I have no idea how to do it. I thought about running a dimmer switch to an outlet to which I could plug it in but I read that I shouldn't since it's against code. It wouldn't be mounted in my house, just on a piece of wood.

I am mostly wanting one for tacking things together like when doing forge welding for instance, anvil making/mods, and if any other occasions arise be it for blacksmithing or general house maintenance.

I hear a lot of horror stories about using a stick with thinner metals. Perhaps some clarification would clear some of this up?

I am new to welding and I was looking at harbor freights 90a flux welder. This one here Will this work pretty well for general blacksmithing? Or should I go with a lincoln stick welder?

Hey LDW, what you made as simply amazing! I made a forge out of an old grill. I ran a 3/4" pipe through the bottom with some holes drilled in it and then hooked a hair dryer to it as a blower. I use old wood pallets for fuel and I am wondering, can I get the steel hot enough to weld it with the setup mentioned?

I am looking to try my first damascus project and my research lead to using steel cable as a start. I found some 1 Inch 6X37 IWRC Wire Rope for sale online and was wondering if this is suitable enough to start with?

I am looking for a good pair of general purpose blacksmithing tongs. I want something that will be good enough for a beginner (me), but will also last me into further progression of my hobby. They would mostly be used for knife making as that's what I like to do. I was looking at some wolf jaw tongs, but I need some input as to what more professionals would suggest I use. Also what length would should I get?

Cool, I am going to try the drill and screw solution. I think this should work quite well. Thanks.

I have acquired a piece of railroad track to use for a temporary anvil until I can get a better one. My question is that when I hammer on it, it is extremely loud. If I hold it down against the stump with my left hand and hammer with my right it deadens the sound. What can I quiet it's vibration noise?