ThomasPowers

It's interesting to see a timeline of Henry VIII's armours; the lithe armours of his youth gradually giving way to the globose armours of his later years. BTW there is an interesting book on the Royal Armouries from a technical standpoint--- The Royal Armoury at Greenwich, 1515-1649: A History of Its Technology (Royal Armouries Monograph) de Reuck, Anthony (there is a quite cheap copy listed at abebooks.com if you are in the UK!)

Could you show us the hardening hole? Great find on *both* the anvils. Your William Foster is in MUCH better shape than my 1828 William Foster which is missing the heel and 90% of the face---I bought it for US$5 at a fleamarket to add to my wall of shame collection of abused anvils. (was the worst one till I found the PW missing everything above the waist and then was given a Vulcan that is so trashed it's unspeakable!)

If you are in the United States you could probably advertise it with a local blacksmithing club for a decent price and know that you were helping another smith and the anvil would be used for what it was made for! However, once it's gone; it's gone! Any possibility of a grand child or great grand child who might take up the craft in the future? It's in good condition and a very nice size for a hobby shop. Note most smiths don't give a hoot about age or "rarity" but consider condition and usability as the key factors as we are *using* *them* not collecting them. There are collectors out there who do care though.

I always thought you were supposed to empty it and lay it down.... Nice curlicues!

*Asking* is such a powerful tool! I have often found that I end up with *more* than if I had done a snatch and grab. Even better I often have gotten call backs as I leave my card and make *sure* I leave the place cleaner and neater than when I arrived!

I have a Powell that missing the heel but has a fine face and is a great anvil particularly teaching the strong but un-skilled students as I don't worry about them damaging it! That big one has about as fine a face as can be expected on a used anvil---please don't muck with it! *great price on the big one BTW and my Powell ran me US$40 (for a appx 120# anvil!) back in the 1990's so I think that was a good price on the broken one too!

So I brought a forge up to my daughter's place for Thanksgiving. *3* three year olds in the house as my other daughters came over with their kids as well. I had planned for this and set up a heavy piece of timber a small anvil---about 1 pound, steel!---that was one of my Daughter's birth gift from friends. I set some nails in the cracks in the wood and gave them each a length of no lead solder and a 4 oz ballpeen hammer and let them go to town while their fathers and I worked at the forge at the other end of the area with a "fence" between us and them. *Everyone* had a good time and no "owies" were reported! Soon it will be time to start giving them tools for birthdays and Christmases---even my grand Daughters!

The forge looks way oversized compared to the blower and if used with the top on severely limiting as to size and shape of the items to be worked in it. With the top off you could infill substantially with fireclay and shape a decent 'forge pot" in it---but why go to all that effort when you could use the same fireclay to shape a forge pot in a lighter system? In other words: I think you could do better easier with a different starting point. Forges are pretty simple---I've forge pattern welded billets using a hole in the ground and charcoal from a wood fire near by.

I agree with Ken! Do you really want to say: "I spent my time and energy and skills to make you a hand made item *just* like the one someone else made!" If you are worried about symmetry make several of them and then group them in pairs that are "closest".

My guess is with Frank's as that sort of bench is seen with other leather working tasks.

Last I recall carbon dating of steel was still a bit iffy; has the science caught up with it yet? I'll ask over at the Archeological Metallurgy mailing list tomorrow.

Remember one aspect of high end armour was to impress the riff-raff that you were worth a *LOT* more alive to be ransomed than dead and looted. Have you seen the book about the Negrolis? Repousee in medium carbon steel armour!!!!!!!!!!! Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and His Contemporaries Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N. Y.), Leydi, Silvio, Godoy, Jose-A, Negroli, Filippo, Pyhrr, Stuart W. ISBN: 0870998722 / 0-87099-872-2

A B3 beverly would probably cut 1/4" thick copper like butter---how thick are we talking?

I think you have it backwards, london pattern anvils are about 200 years old in their final form with pritchel hole added. A big honking piece of metal for an anvil goes back over 2000 years---so which is the "real" anvil! Like Honest Bob I have started doing demos with "improvised" anvils to try to counteract that mindset that if you don't have a london pattern anvil you don't have a "real" one!

Well Played Sir!

Just remember disc are generally high C and so weld them like that!

You can sometimes "cheat" and heat a higher carbon/alloy piece hotter then you might generally do it by shielding it in the stack so the outsides are of a more heat tolerant alloy like wrought iron. You do still run the risk of cottage cheesing it or getting spider web cracking if you take it too high.

You mean like not leaving a crack between the bowl and the handle that can't be effectively cleaned and could harbor food poisoning bacteria or cross contamination for someone with food allergies? Hmm tinning the entire end might deal with that aspect...

Ah grammpa, what's common in Alaska, USA may be quite rare in Capetown, South Africa; or Sidney Australia... another reason it's suggested to put your *general* location in your profile as *many* blacksmithing questions end up having a location aspect to them. Now here in the USA I would suggest looking for a broken or damaged fork lift tine as possible die material. Especially the large ones! I have one that weighs about 180 pounds and was definitely made from a good steel as it was used in critical tasks where people's lives depended on it not failing in use. Check at fork lift repair or rental places too and be sure to tell them you want it cut up as many places are scared to sell "usable" ones that people might try to re-use and so damage themselves. My local scrapyard has the tapered ends that were cut off a set of tines that I was looking at last Saturday; but I have a couple of entire ones I haven't used yet and I'm looking at a probably move...

I assume this is an auto correct issue. Have pity on the typo and concentrate on the issue. Funny; neither of my legs are light blue, they are rather an off white pinkish colour...

Well might not be a misunderstanding...the local building inspector here has been know to categorically state that he will not ok somethings specifically mentioned as allowed in the state code... When we had the first part of my shop built we used a contractor that used to be the building inspector---easiest inspections I have ever heard of!

Don't forget high temp silver soldering as a method of attachment.

One of the methods used to classify medieval knives is how the high carbon and wrought iron are put together: butt, lap, interior HC, exterior HC, etc are all found in originals. As I recall "Knives and Scabbards, Museum of London" has a page on this classification. As for welding; you don't want to take it up to wrought iron temps if you can avoid it. Actually it's possible to weld at room temperature if your pressure and or cleanliness is high enough! (cf galling and vacuum welding)

McBruce your rate of fire is much faster than mine; mine only fires a 2" ball, (or grape...)

Nothing seems to attract anvils as having anvils as bait/decoys!