frogvalley

Assuming that a LG style could cause less damage than a helve hammer if it broke is a guess at best and in my opinion totally incorrect. The bulk of the moving parts of a helve hammer are BEHIND the center column and away from the operator. An LG style has a spring and a number of lever arms right in your face. I have this home made 75# plus a Fairbanks 25# (which LG copied). Both are good machines and equally reliable, but if the Fairbanks breaks a spring or arm, its probably gonna hit me or at least fly past my head while I xxxx myself. With the home built, the parts are gonna just fall away from me. LGs are not safer. Your mileage may vary

After Bill passed, did anyone contiue to run the place? Is Iron Age Antiques still open? I never got the chance to meet the legend, but I am going to be at the Ocean in a couple of weeks and just thought I would go to Mecca. Anyone hear anything?

I have a home built appalachian style helve hammer and use it at least weekly, in my busy season I use it daily. It already has hundreds of hours on it. Upto 182 beats per min, 75 pound ram weight, 6 inch stroke, 1 horse drive motor. Parts from three junk/scrap yards plus the springs off my Jeep. You can see a pic on my forge page or elsewhere on this forum. Search under "powerhammer junkies". If ya'll are really interested I might take a few more pic of her and post em.

Dodge- What plasma cutter are you considering? That would help with the advice. I have a Thermal dynamics CutMaster 38. Its their small unit and will cut up to 1/2or so but works great on 1/4 and 1/8 which are more common sizes to work here in my shop. It runs great off of our painting compressor which is a three horse with a twenty gallon tank. We rarely have to wait for recovery but sometimes do. Not a big problem though. To answer your question more directly, the compressor will make you wait if its too small, we first tested this unit on a smaller one horse and it worked for a minute at a time and then we had to wait. The tank size is important but secondary in my opinion, the recovery time relating to the actual output of the compressor is more important.

I like my gravel floor and I plan to remove the sqaure of concrete under one of my tables. I hate the concrete. The gravel I recommend is a "crusher run" , its a mix of sizes from fines(small sandy bits) up to about 3/4 inch. It packs well, is relatively low dusting, and packs well. I agree with the others about a clay or dirt floor, they work well although my dirt floor in the outer forge area here is harder to clean. I can rake the gravel and the dust is less than than raking or sweeping the dirt floor. Never concrete, gravel or dirt are great choices for working or walking.

I rarely recommend any repairs other than a belt sander. Remember, you only need a smooth flat spot the size of the hammer you are using. Most old anvils have a sway back and chipped edges. Several of mine do and I don't seem to find a problem with them. Welding a new face on is tricky at best. Brazed on will be very soft and I wouldn't try it. The idea of an anvil is to have a contiguous piece of metal that has a hard face and softer body that will take the pounding. Nothing short of original will work in my mind, repairs are somehow almost always less than original. Use the abused one. HW- please take no offense. Your method seems quite good and would, if I were to repair one, be a method of choice for me. Your mileage may vary.

I make these as singles in two sizes, plus three piece for table top and three piece for the floor.

Not for outdoor use is wrong. Any of the above finishes that I have talked about can be used outdoors. Our modern thinking is coat it and forget it. The older finishes needed to be reapplied once a year or perhaps every two years but they certainly are fine for preventing rust. I treat and touch up stuff all the time. It isn't that hard to do, a little steel wool and reapply the linseed oil or what have you and bingo. However, I do use other finishes for clients that want it and for some of my gallery customers Ifinish work with a Clear Rustoleum or for a little more a couple of coats of Polyurethane Clear. I happen to like the look of these finishes myself as you can see through to the black and silver colors of the metal. Clear enamel or poly is my finish of choice for sculptural indoor or outdoor items that I don't want to "patina" to red(rust). Next in line is pure boiled linseed oil, not heated. I don't put the spray finishes on traditional hooks or tripods or hangers or the like. Not usually anyway. And I don't powder coat at all. Even a powder coat will eventually wear and rust so all of these finishes are transitory. Why worry about it rusting outside anyway? Unless the stains will be troublesome, mostly I tell people to let it rust. It takes 75 years to rust through a half inch of iron, maybe longer so I ain't all that worried.

Nocturnal Forge would be my vote. Spin it off but keep it connected and then "morph" the designz part slowly into the background while bringing the forge part forward. The company I own is Frog Valley Artisans. It consists of 6 artists here and some part time apprentices and helpers. 3 principal artists in residence (everyone else lives off site) with three main fields or divisions- metal sculpture and blacksmithing ( AKA Frog Valley Forge), stained and fused glass( Frog Valley Glass), pottery (Frog Valley Pottery). All four are separate and yet equal. The three are part of the one for legal matters, but the customer contact and image relates to the separate parts. Glass people connect with the glass, pottery with pottery, metal with metal. We each have business cards for our respective specialties ( I have three cards-forge, photography, metal sculpture ), plus a combo card for FV Artisans to promote the groups talents rather than an individual. I am in an upcoming show as a featured metal sculptor/blacksmith. I'll be handing out Frog Valley Forge cards for most of the opening, except when discussing the combination/collaborative works that will be there. Then I'll hand out the Frog Valley Artisans card. So I guess what I am saying is that a multi disciplined metal shop with a current focus on fabrication with an increasing focus on forge work is not too hard to do and can be done well with a little thought. blah blah

Bake them in your kitchen oven for the finish- at 250 degrees for a few hours or so. If you don't mind a little stink that is. This too works great for canola oil finishes, which is my reccomended finish for bowls and eating utensils. Bake either linseed or vegetable oil as you would for seasoning cast iron pots and pans. Read all cautions about rags and linseed oil! I forge a number of bowls of various sizes, and occasionally a wok, most of them way to big to evenly reheat in the forge. I am currently making a 20 inch wide 12 across and 4 inch deep tray/bowl/platter thing out of 1/8 inch plate. Once that done, I ain't gonna be sticking it back in the fire or anywhere near coal dust. You can't reheat most of the stuff that you make in the forge unless you have a monster forge or make only small stuff or just heat parts of it at time-- and that won't work for some things as the finish comes out uneven.

I use a linseed oil and beeswax mix for much of the "traditional work" that I do. It is an old fashioned mixture. BEE CAREFUL as THIS IS DANGEROUS! DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! With that said, In a double boiler , I melt beeswax in the amount of or equivalent of about 2-5 percent of your finished volume of mix. then slowly add the linseed oil and heat and mix until both are thoroughly mixed. It should be thick but still liquid if the proportions are right. I also make some that is thicker like paste and rub on warm not really hot metal and bake in oven. Apply to black hot iron, reheat and recoat as necessary or apply a little heavier and bake in your oven like cast iron for a couple of hours at 250 degrees. This gives a nice black/brown finish that is durable. An alternative that is popular with my customers is straight boiled linseed oil applied to cold metal with a brush or rag, wiped down till it just barely coats the piece and then allowing it to dry over several days. This option gives it a pewter / clear finish. Not as durable as baking it on, but pretty enough to warrant the application nonetheless.

There were many of these anvil, vise combos made over the years, some better than others. Some junk, some quite useful. I have one like the one shown that I use for portable / demo work that is light duty and would not stress the anvil too much. Our modern bench vise with its anvil on the rear is a hold over from the very popular older versions like the one pictured. Does it replace my PW 150# and my post vise? No. Does it sometimes serve a purpose that dragging 200 lbs of gear around would be over kill for? Yes. Don't be so hard on the purchasers or dealers of these items. Not everyone needs a big anvil and vise, so hapless is a bit harsh. I need them cause I do this for a living, but my part time goat farmer brother doesnt need a big shop and 4 work stations with professional equipment and power hammers. He needs a little vise and a little anvil and it has to fit in his shed. I like mine, its cute and the kids love to work on it.

Bruce, I would gratefully accept any literature you could send me. An email is fine, any size file works on my server. If you got high speed its no problem for either of us, if you got dial up, split it anyway you want. mark@frogvalley.com

Looks like the bumpers/cushions are in fine shape. I don't know if they are original or not. I hope not, but either way they look good.

Strine- The phase converter will convert the so called single phase 240 voltage that I have to the 3 phase required to run the motor. Its not uncommon to have 3 phase for industrial stuff, but around the mountains here it ain't so common. Apprentice- Helve hammers were and are excellent machines, not at all weird and will work their butts off all day and all night. I like them better than air or steam, they are more energy efficient and for me easier to work on. I never liked having all that static pressure around anyway. The "arm" is a huge timber, I think its maple and could probably lift a truck so 300lbs is easy.

Steel prices are variable depending on location. You must contact your local supplier or get a quote from a shipper like MSC- www.mscdirect.com. Or you can try the dreaded King Architectural- www.kingmetals.com. Or the much loved McMaster Carr- Steel has become a commodity and the price has just about doubled in just a few short years and varies with the vagaries of the economy. My price is different from your price as I buy a lot and fairly regularly. And depending on how close to the source your dealer is will depend on your price. Not necessarily close physically , although that is a factor for added transportation costs, but is he a third hand middle man or first hand. What are those m and m things after your sizes?LOL Mild steel comes in 20 foot lengths traditionally.

Thanks HW. Those are along the lines I was thinking. Frank W. A ten horse will run it just fine. I actually will be getting a very old GE 10 horse motor with it. With a phase converter it will be about 7.5 horse, but that will still run it OK.

Just made the deal on this one. Perfect working order, just rusty. Only trick now is to move it 300 miles. 7 foot tall, over 8 feet long, and 4 feet wide. And of course 8 tons. Built in 1909 in Syracuse NY, for those who don't recognize it its a Bradley 300# guided helve hammer. Takes a 10HP motor to run it. I hope to have it hear in the late fall. I'm gonna have a rigger pick it up and drive it here, then unload, but I'll have to place and hookup. This should complete the full range of hammers for the shop. 25#, 75# and the new 300#. We'll be able to work from 1/4 inch to 3 inch. Anyone got plans for a foundation? Shop floor is gravel and the new foundation will be independent of course, but how thick? Isolate the anvil and support with wood? Any thoughts on any part of this project would be appreciated. Its the biggest thing I've ever moved. Well heaviest anyway, I moved a small house once but was lighter by far.

150# Peter Wright and a 200# Fisher are the equal primaries with several others around for demos/special uses/etc. Like the Fisher best, PW just behind that. Have used many others and these would be my faves of all.

Its all about inertia.

After I enlarged the image you posted, there would appear to be a name or other insignia on this side. Even if it is not readable as is, one of us may be able to indentify it from the shape or patterning of what is left of the impression. Also a really good wire brushing may reveal more detail. Could you post a close up and higher resolution image? Or send me an email with any size file if its too large to post here and I can digitally analyze or enlarge and have another crack at it. Farriers anvil is a guess, although there are other specialties that require a large horn.

I use a Peter Wright 150 # mostly, I also have a 200# that I use much less. Also have a 40# for demos and small work. The size of the anvil should match the size of the work to some degree. Obviously I ain't gonna work 1 inch barstock on the 40, probably better on the 200. Irnsrgn is right about larger anvils, mostly bragging rights. Sorry to say that I agree with HWool about the railroad anvil. With it welded up and not a continuous piece there are certain deficiencies. However it will work for some stuff, although it is not going to be lively. I used an unwelded but cut and ground to shape single piece of track for my first anvil. Made a lot of stuff with it.

This can be argued both ways, but, metric or english units, there is no difference in accuracy. One is not outdated. Neither one solves certain problems with dividing a given unit of length, or perhaps time.Either one has some strengths in certain areas, but linear measurements ain't gonna show a real difference. UNLESS of course you are going to compare something to a specific wavelength of light. I don't know about ya'll but I don't do that in my forge. Math is not an exact science, it is very much a convenience for explaining a numerical phenomenon. If you can use a caliper to read a ten thousandths of an inch, then you know how accurate inches can be. A metric caliper is no more accurate.

The shop, blacksmith shop or the forge depending on who I am speaking to. For sculptural clients its the shop, for clients looking at tradtional work its the blacksmith shop, for most everyone else its the forge.

In the past I have simply gone to the internet and downloaded a hundred different images of things that I liked. Then I simply went to the forge and worked and hammered and hammered and then hammered some more. Then after making a few things I refined that Idea after looking at it for a day or two to nit pick it. Back to the forge again , hammer hammer, etc. and then into production. My own interpretation of a simple form. Now larger art pieces come to my head at night while attempting to sleep. Or some crazy and inspired client says "can you make this...whatever..?" And I say sure. If its a big job requiring a" bid " or proposal then perhaps a drawing to show a concept but not a finished form. And thats only if its a really big job, over a couple of grand or so. But even then its hammer hammer hammer, refine, hammer hammer and then sell or install. The art part of artist comes only at the actual inception or creation point. I am not a pencil artist, I am a metal artist. The metal must flow. On all the small stuff , I don't draw anything until after the first one is refined. That way the drawing is actually right and reflects what looks good in iron, not what looks good on paper. Almost all of my current work is done in my head and does not see paper until after its finished.