CurlyGeorge

I used hardened bolts, nuts and lock washers on mine. I haven't had a problem with them coming loose on me, at all. The misaligned dies sounds like that could be reasonable. I'd check that first and if that's not the problem, use lock nuts. My 2 cents. :)

That's no fun. B) :D :ph34r:

Sorry to hear about that, Steve. Prayers from Illinois for him and his family.

Hey, jump on it!! That would get you started until you can find a larger anvil. It is well worth the $20. :)

Now Stan, we wouldn't tell any stories on RT,........or Steve Sells......... or... :ph34r: :P

If you search the forums on here, there are a lot of threads that cover that subject very well. Several of the members make them and there are several companys that sell them. :)

It is August 17-19 at Stan's shop just north of Pinckneyville, Illinois. It's always a GREAT time and we always have a lot of fun. Stan and his family are very gracious hosts, and the food is GREAT!! :) My wife and I will be there, for sure. There are always several of the folks from this site in attendance. Hope to see you there. :)

I'll guess about 25 hours, at least. :)

The hammer will ring three times in Illinois.

I too have had this happen, this summer. My "fix"? I soaked them in the slack tub for a couple of hours and they tightened right up. Just wiped the head off and dried it them wiped them with an oiled rag. :)

Personally, I don't have an extra $600 to put out for a swage block. But then I don't have a need for one very often. If you do the type of work where a block could save you a lot of time, then it may be worth it. But if you don't use it often, that's a lot of money just setting there looking back at you. :)

There are folks that will say that a Vulcan is junk. But I used two different Vulcans, before I got my two Trentons, for a lot of years and made some good money with them. They are quiet and not a top grade anvil. But they aren't bad to work on. My 2cents. :)

Those are really cool, Mitch. You did a good job on them. I really like the idea of the belt buckle. Thanks for sharing them with us. :)

I have one on my demo set up AND I also have one mounted on the stump for my shop leg vice. Yes, I have an electric grinder in my shop. But sometimes it's just faster and easier to touch something up right by the forge. I agree. They are cool and I also agree that they are a magnet for kids of all ages. :)

It may be a temporary solution to your fuel shortage. But I'm not sure that I would use it very long. Try it and see if it works. I have been known to be wrong, a time or six. If it turns out that it works without a problem, then you may have found a new fuel source. Good luck and let us know how it works. :)

Hi Eric. Not sure what petcoke is. Is it from the refinery, out there?

If I remember correctly, there was a fellow on here a few years ago that had a portable set up and went to a park to play with it. I think that he finally met someone that allowed him to keep his equipment in their shop and use it when he wanted to. There was also another guy that posted some videos on IFI of his "storage unit" smithy. He rode his bike from home to the unit, opened up and pulled it out and set up out front of the unit. Just some thoughts. :)

Very cool, Tim. they show craftsmanship, for sure. Thanks for sharing. :)

Love it, Beth. Really looks great. Your work has really gotten outstanding and I really enjoy seeing a project that just started out as a thought and a sketch. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

Larry, it's good to see you back on here. I hope that you will continue to visit. I wish you all the best with your shop changes. as was said earlier, if your heart isn't in the work, you won't be happy. Good luck and welcome back. :)

Looks like that would be a cool piece to make and have laying on the table at a demo. Be a great conversation piece. :)

WOW!!! That is a beauty!! You really have a talent. Thanks for sharing. WOW!!! :)

There are several threads in the anvil section on repairing/replacing the face. I am, by far, no expert on repairs. However, there a lot of folks on here that do have the knowledge and experience needed to do such repairs. I'm sure that they will respond soon. Your anvil is useable as is, but would be better if it had the complete face. It's present cash value is limited by the damage. But don't give up on it just because of that. It is still a good anvil and worth the trouble and expense to repair. :)

Download the FREE program called "fotosizer" and try to resize them to 600 X 800 px. Works great for my pics, and it's free. Yep, your anvil has a broken face. Don't sweat the serial number. I have a 250# Trenton that is pitted just like that and can't get a number. It still works just fine. :)

Good on you!! Now you know that you can do it. That is what practice does. It instills self confidence. Glad to hear that it took. Like the other guys said, when you get the blade working, take pics. We like pics. :)