ThomasPowers

How solidly is it closed up, could you heat the entire thing and let the internal pressure pop the dent out? TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS! Thomas

I keep my hat under lock and key to keep Sandpile from sneaking away with it... Thomas "Disreputable Red Hat" Powers

"Schoene Alte Wirsthaus Schilder" ??? Thomas

I made a hold down from the movable jaw from a pipe wrench. Dropped it into the hardy hole and then drilled a hole through the side of the lower section and fastened a spring to it that was also fasted to the anvil stump and welded a T handle to the top. Thomas

As they probably don't have access to heat treating equipment they probably do not want to anneal the file! I sure hope they drew the temper on it in their oven though---if not when they drop it it will probably break in several pieces. Drilling hardened steel---if you must, use a solid carbide twist bit make a dam for coolent and use a *GOOD* steady drillpress, Drilling in a hand drill will probably break more expensive bits that you want to! I'd suggest figuring a way to do the handle using epoxy to hold the tang, much more likely to get a good using knife that way And be sure to find out how much they drew temper on the blade *FIRST* Thomas

Who has ever thought that "more government means more freedom"? Seems to me that everyone I have ever read thought that more government meant less freedom! Remember Will Rogers' quote to the effect of "People keep saying that we are not getting all the government we are paying for---well I say *Thank* *God*!" Thomas

In good working condition several times what you paid for it! Good deal! Thomas

Out here you save at least $5 by getting a bottle refilled instead of exchanged and the refill place doesn't care who's bottle it was originally---I used to trade my old bottles needing inspection at a place like BR and then take the nice bottles to the refill place from then on. Thomas

Stacking stuff flat is usually a bad idea for anvil stands as there is always some give between the layer interfaces. If you have to stack stack vertically! though 12x12 MDF won't make the height you need vertically... Thomas

They are called a "fish plate" and go between the rail and the sleeper (AKA RR tie). What I use fish plates for: I put them under forge/workbench/welding table legs on the ground to keep them from sinking into the dirt. I do know a smith who welded a box out of them to use as a hardy holder---Sq holes in them! as his anvil did not have one. Bob you are right I have used an apx 50# chunk of broken coupler as an improvised anvil anvil with good results. Archie it gets worse----one summer I was out of work for a month with pneumonia and as I was coming back from my every other day Dr's visit I spoted a 6# sledge on the side of the road. So I told my wife to pull over and let me go get it---took about 10 minutes to drag it back to the car and I had to rest before I could pick it up and put it inside; then I went home and slept for several hours---my HMO didn't believe in hospitalizing folks... Thomas

Well it would depend on the particular alloy and use requirements right? Thomas

I can't concurr on the age as a lot of these were made in the "colonial revival" movement in the 1920's and '30's. Thomas

One other thing: wood from furniture tends to be kiln dried a bit more brittle than handles usually are so be prepare for needing to replace it. OTOH I do save old axe and sledge handles that have broken for re-use for custom handles and I do use trashed furniture as a source of wood for woodworking projects---my Y1K bellows were prototyped using wood from an old printer stand. Thomas

Fireplace tongs. They look a bit large for pipe tongs but just about right to move coals around a coal fire. Thomas

The better you get the more latitude you have with things like stock condition and temps. My hardest weld was doing a basket from rusty barbwire. Next time I'll clean the ends first! Note also that this is usually not a "mission critical" item so if the weld is not perfect probably not a big issue. Thomas

I'd go with the age of your building as a baseline as it's a lot easier to do, hand crank blowers, hand crank drill, london pattern anvils, etc. See if you can pick up some of the old kerosene metal lanterns that have been converted to electricity to provide light. "Practical Blacksmithing" by Richardson would be spot on for that time period and give you a lot of ideas on how it was back then---including the advertising plates that show smiths in 'working attire". When you do your sign put "circa 1880" on it to let folks know. As the "village smithy" you are wide open to what you can work on; but aware that many things will be factory made by then---except there were a lot of exceptions in semi remote areas for repairs that can't wait for a shipment or to just fill up down time with "usefull" work. You can even discuss the change from wrought iron to that new fangled mild steel! If you want to go earlier I have a friend who spent over a decade as the 1860's smith at the Ohio Historical Society's Ohio Village in Columbus OH that I might be able to direct you to; I don't know if he's on-line though. Thomas

The cost of pouring steel is such you would be better off going with a totally cast steel anvil and not adding the extra cost of re-heating it and forge welding a face on it. I have a friend who looked into getting a local foundry (did a lot of RR work so decent steel!) pour some anvils for him. It turned out to be cheaper to buy imported ones. Forged anvils, which are back in production I hear, take a massive chunk of good steel and the skills to forge them neither is cheap. If I was trying to go that route I would see about having anvil shaped burned from heavy plate and then apply a face. Wouldn't be very pretty but you're fighting costs! Thomas

Ahh 55# sends warning bells---could it be one of the imported cast iron anvils? If so welding or trying to reforge will be *not* be possible. you might try "sweat brazing" the tougher face on. Thomas

No, the cost to do it right, (not to forget the learning curve and the heavy equipment), would make them too expensive---just look at sourcing a regular supply of decent wrought iron! If you have to pay a lot more for one than you can buy an old one in great shape why would you? Thomas

I used to live in the old part of the city; pretty run down; I taught smithing to the guy who was the "head" of the local teens that ran about the area and suddenly there were no break-ins or graffitti on my shop building anymore... Thomas

Good Luck! I had lived in a house for 14 years and was 1 month from having 15 years in with the company I worked for when they downsized and I ended up moving 1500 miles away for the next job... A friend called me yesterday and told me about some propanel I could scrounge for my shop extension---I want to build the coal forges a seperate area to help keep the rest of the place cleaner. Thomas

I did a dragon headed cube hook for my coat---the dragon peers out into the "hall" and the coat goes on his curved tail inside my cube---back in those days; now it's a paper weight in my office. I must admit I have not read the ASM handbooks cover to cover or Machinerys handbook. But being a reader and smithing for 25+ years I do have a bunch on the shelves I have read, Richardson's Practical Blacksmithing; De Re Metallica, Cut and Thrust Weapons, the first 20 or so Knives annuals, SteelMaking Before Bessemer---both volumes, etc I hope to read a substantial ammount of "The Knight and the Blast Furnace" on the upcomming trip to Quad-State if I can save enough to get it before we leave. Thomas

Can you get 3 phase power? most used 3 phase equipment is a lot cheaper than single phase. You are young---what are the chances you will be moving? You may want to put money in equipment rather than the building if you may move in 5 years. Also sturdy metal shelves that can move with you may be better than built in's Make sure that there is a seperate storge shed for things like lawn mowers, shovels, rakes, etc---don't clutter up the shop with them! I had an abandoned small school bus moved to my property just for "yard" tools and camping equipment storage. Thomas

Where the 1940's came from---your post saying " ideally I'd like it to look as if it had been there for 60 years or more." 2006 - 60 = 1946 Now 1850's - 60 = 1790's and probably that shop would *NOT* have been there. I think what you are trying to get at is that things should not all look *new*---a good goal. Replacing the shelves with worn wood ones is a good step. Buying a good wooden bucket to hold drinking water and using a dipper to drink out of it with can impress the tourists To get a bit closer in clothing, look at the Blacksmith's Calendar's put out with pics from shops over 100 years ago---a tunic is *not* appropriate. However you may want to look at clothing made for the Amish, check out Laymans store in OH for such. (suspenders, button front trousers, leather shoes and broadcloth dress shirts would be a good start. There are historical shirt plans available if you know someone who sews... Now you do need to decide on if you are trying to do an accurate portrayal for a "mine smith" in which case you need to work on mining equipment with perhaps a few things "for the boss's wife" as well or if you are just smithing in a mining forge so anything goes. Thomas

Actually a lot of jackhammer bits can be just 1050---as reported to us by a guy who used to resharpen them as his "day" job. Thomas