ThomasPowers

If this is for cookware it seems you would lose the "non-stick" properties of well seasoned cast iron. What do you gain? The methodology I would look into is making a tabbed stainless piece and then casting the cast iron to it. Don't know if you could get a true bond like the Fisher anvils did with steel and cast iron---might be a lot trickier! Also you might look into metallic glass as a bonding agent---metal that has been cooled so fast that it doesn't crystallize and so forms a "glass". a section of such a film between two clean metals reheated below fusion temp can result in a bond. Don't know if it would work between stainless and cast iron but I know it was tested with jet engine vanes and Tom Maringer the swordmaker held a patent on it for making a pattern welded steel for cutlery use.

Something a lot of people don't realize is that many insurance policies *require* you to sue any third party involved. So if Idjit comes into my forge and swears he would never sue me and then cuts a finger off due to his own stupidity; his insurance company will tell him they don't have pay for re-attachment surgery unless he sues me. I sat down and read my policy once, scary what is hidden in it!

because it's not rated for forging temps?

Look at commercial variation of this. I have seen them for natural gas. The conductive materials are not firebrick as that would degrade too fast. I believe that Jock has used one of this type over at anvilfire and has reported on several issues with it over there. (Including having to sift the materials frequently to remove fines from use)

Added one from NM, starts out higher than a lot of the others so less far to go!

The amount of effort that goes into making a sword means that buying good stock to start with will SAVE you big time. If it would take you 5 hours to earn enough to buy a good piece of steel and you *save* by using scrap that turns out to have a hidden flaw in that shows up *after* you have done 25 hours of work on it---did you save? I advise people to use appropriate alloys from the git go. Learning to do a blade in mild does NOT teach you how to do it in a higher carbon steel. In fact it can get you used to habits that will come back to bite you when working on High C stuff---forging too hot and/or too cold for example. Accidentally quenching a blade by leaving it in contact with a cold anvil or post vise jaws, etc. And lastly: this may be the *ONLY* sword you make; if it turns out well---which can happen---beginner's luck---you end up with a sword instead of a SLO. (there used to be a saying in the biz that "every knifemaker makes one sword" most never make another as the time vs money is way skewed compared to knives)

Where are the skulls on them?

I'll have to flip my Arm and Hammer over and check it tomorrow morning before I head to work. I get off late tonight unfortunately

Actually---No. The internet is full of "I've never done this before in my life but *this* is how you do it!" posts and even videos---remember the SLO videos that got pulled as they were so bad they were dangerous?

Have you tried riveting with a very small crosspein instead of a ballpein? A jeweler suggested that to me when I was worried about riveting two pieces of amber onto a piece. Of course the rivet too long is the most likely cause. One hardly ever gets to use a rivet without sizing the length in my smithing experience as the "standard" sizes are not as much use when you forge the stock "non-standard"

The late 19th century "American" variation of the London pattern with long horns and heels and narrow waists makes them LOUD ringers; but they can be quieted down and I strongly suggest you do so at ONCE!

Made in Cleveland OH, a good brand and it's all cast steel, no cast iron involved! They also made postvises and other tools---too bad you are not out here I have a 4" columbian postvise pretty much in mint condition I'm selling at out conference in a couple of weeks.

Yes and no spikes tempered to the same hardness will have different Charpy test results depending on carbon content.

Why not have them make some camp cooking equipment? Handy stuff to have and a lot easier for the most part than a blade (and blades make most insurance companies break out in a cold sweat...) Tripods, toasting forks, skillets all pretty much beginner projects Once they have several sessions doing that they might be ready to forge a preform from a farrier's rasp for a simple fold around and forge weld hatchet. The actual forge welding would need to be a one on one deal with the smith. A bit easier if the smith does the judgement work and they act as striker. Then they could drift it and finish forging the edge down and file it for heat treat. The folded and welded rasp hatchets are light and great for camp chores and would be close to what a lot of people would use when they had to carry stuff in. Too bad this isn't Las Vegas NM, I might give it a go then; but what I'd do is to run the *leaders* through it first and see what they think....And yes you will need extra adults as you will need 2 with the person forging and 2 to watch the rest to keep the "2 deep" mandate.

Don't forget to tell the seller that the welding DECREASES the value of an anvil compared to selling it with the worn edges! If it's a good deal, I'd still buy it and deal with the edges as they "weather". The problem with any weld repair on an anvil is "did the welder do a proper pre-heat and post heat to avoid HAZ cracking?" many seem not to know that the face of an anvil is high carbon steel and the body is a massive heat sink for "auto quenching" welds.

Caplet depression in the bottom, was that the Arm and Hammer or the Trenton? (Though I recall that they shared base castings a bit in later years as they were in the same town---Columbus OH) Anyone got their copy of AinA handy?

Split the difference! Both of my gas forges were made as part of an ABANA Affiliate "build a gas forge" workshop. One Saturday's work and everyone attending had their own tested design forge. Since I don't know if you are even in the USA I can't speak on costs compared to having a commercially built forge shipped but the workshops were *cheap* when I did them! (have you thought of editing your profile to give your generally location just in case someone can say---"we're doing such a workshop next week about 30 miles for you!"

How deep a dip south are you willing to do? Frank Turley is about 1 hour north of I40 and I am about 1 hour south of I40 both of us right off I25 which is a north south highway. Also in New Mexico is the G3 school the Gunters run in Moriarty about 1 hour east of the I40 I25 junction. What kind of things do you like to do and see? America, especially in the west, is the land of long drives, it's a 2500 kilometer drive for me to attend Quad-State!

I use the horn when I need to do a lot of drawing on my BIG anvil it has a "soft radius" and so doesn't mess up the piece as much. That anvil has pretty sharp edges so I don't use them save for tenons or incuts for dragon's heads, etc. As for the horn direction I have one anvil pointing left and one pointing right and generally one pointing towards me and one pointing away! Why would anyone think that there is a "single right way" when it depends on how a person works and what they do. Last time we had a discussion on this topic I dug out my old smithing references and in the 100+ year old books they showed anvils pointing pretty much all directions including with the horn pointing towards the forge.

I have a personal failing that when somebody comes up to the forge at a demo and tells everybody that he knows all about blacksmithing as he has done it on a video game, I liked to hand him the soft hammer and ask him to show me something...The amusement is well worth the fuel and metal wasted and having to dress the hammer again...

When I studied under a swordmaker one of his pieces of advice was that to do it for a living you had to burn through grinding belts as if they didn't cost a penny! Worn belts tend to overheat the blade and don't make as clean a cut on one.

Most likely that's a part number from the manufacturer. The manufacturer may be able to trace that down to what alloy was used. As for welding the typical preheat and postheat for medium to high carbon steels is suggested---don't draw the current temper and the face should be usable as it is. As hardy tools just sit there with force being directed to the anvil face by the overhanging sides of the tool you don't need excessive strength there---I have an anvil missing the heel where I have a section of sq tubing held to the back with a 1/2" U bolt and it works though the hard tools only bear on the face on one side. So a good pen top and bottom weld should be sufficient. If you manage to break the weld in use---weld it up again! As for the tubing I would go with structural rather than thin wimpy tubing. I get all mine from a scrap yard next door to where we take the trash in Polvadera NM. Since you don't list a location you must be in NM too---right? Some people even make their own by welding up four lengths of steel strap---I'm lazy. I pick up sections of sq tubing that look "useful" when I can find them free or cheap and when I need one I mosey over to the cabinet where they are stacked and get one. Now think about this: You *made* that anvil and so you can do nothing to it that you can't fix!

Woodskevin---you are an *evil* *evil* *person*! And I like that in an acquaintance!

Ridgeway, I'm going to buy a vehicle do I need a car or a truck---please tell me! Kind of hard to know without the details...

Went to the scrapyard Saturday and picked up a couple pieces of wrought iron from wagon tyres, a drawknife (Baystate) still had the wooden handles on it, a nice light adze with spike, piece of 1/2" pipe for a project, a coffee can of 3/8 and 1/2" bolts---still shiny and unused, a piece of sq tubing, and some other stuff for US$8--a bit high but the woodworking tools in decent condition upped my costs...