Nolano

I second The Complete Bladesmith, I really like mine.

Well, they very well could be the pipe lighting tongs. But for many blacksmiths, I think they would better serve as a coal and clinker rearranger.

Well, I have heard if the kind of tongs you speak of, Irn, and I seem to remember hearing that they had bent, narrow jaws, so that they could actually fit in a pipe to light it. Also, as such devices were normally only owned by the rich, I believe they were also rather decorated. neither of this type that I have seen has been decorated at all.

They are certainly rare, most people have never seen such a thing. So very very useful for those times when just a few pieces need rearranging, or when you just cant seem to move things the way you want them with the poker.

Oh oh oh! I know what the ones that look like scissors with round jaws are for! They are clinker tongs! They are extremely useful for moving around coke and coal, as well as grabbing clinkers. This is the second pair I've seen, they are not very common at all. An overall very handy tool. I cant say about the others.

Thanks for the suggestions, Thomas. I will not need to move this anvil, because if i ever do any demo work, then I can borrow the equipment.

Well, now I need to mount it to my stump somehow. With my last anvil, I use large spikes bent over the feet, and I was unsatisfied with that. DOes anyone have any suggestions?

More pictures!

Ahh. After work with the grinder, then on to a 24 grit flapwheel, then a 60, then a 120, almost all the dents and chisel marks are gone, and the ones that remain are so small they wont make a difference.

Oh, I only grind for short periods of time on anything. Im just not up to anymore than that. Something I forgot to mention, is someone was using hardy tools with welded on shoulders, so the area around the hardy hole was pushed into the hole itself, blocking the use of a 1" hardy tool. I ground that off, and did almost all the rought grinding today while I was locked out of my house for almost 3 hours. soon I will start with a flap wheel. Went through 2 grinder wheels getting here. That was a lot of work with a 4" grinder.

Well, as you may or may not have seen in the "it followed me home" thread, I have gotten a new anvil. it is a 130 pound Hay Budden, and I payed $265 for it. As you can see on the pictures, it needs some work. However, I would say that close to 90% of the pits and flaws are shallow enough that they can be ground out, without removing too much of the face. I will attach more pictures when I get it finished.

Well, I just got back from a hammer in, and a 130 pound Hay Budden came with me. It was $265, but it needs some work on the face and horn. Mostly grinding, but at some point maybe a bit of welding. And I have pictures, so when I get it fixed up, I'll post some before and after pictures. The face is a good hardness, and the horn is somewhat soft, as it should be.

It doesnt sound like a manufacturer of good quality to me, if they dont even polish the anvil face. I would pass on it, personally.

In my humble opinion, if you are going to make a cannon, make it steel. The old hand cannons killed far too many men by going off unexpectedly. I would make the walls of such a device at least 1/2 an inch, at the thinnest part. Hopefully an inch at least, at the thickest point. I would start with steel probably 3 inches in diameter, and bore out the hole, then taper it down.

Glenn, unless Im sadly mistaken, the cavity that the lead would be poured into will be sealed off. But, if you can find a large rosebud torch, and heat it where you have direct access to a large amount of flowing water(Like several garden hoses, ready to be applied, or perhaps a river), you should be able to harden it alright.

Doc, the lead is a good idea, in my opinion, as you will want that extra weight. After blacksmithing for a few months, carrying around 150#'s wont be much of a problem. my 80# fisher used to cause me a few problems, but now I can carry it with relative ease.

Making a mild steel practice sword is not a bad idea, Julian. I am annoyed when people ask if you have ever made a sword. Cause then I have to explain how much work and experience it takes.

I didnt mean he needed a big heat, but in my experience, you cant weld large stuff unless you crank up the amps. However, I have never done any arc welding, only Mig and TIG, so I might be wrong.

I cant say on the welders supplies, but thats going to be one heck of a welding job. make sure you crank up the amps, and use large rods or wire. Oh, and you might consider using hardfacing rods/wire.

There are a few books about making woodworking tools, you might see what you can dig up on that. I need to ask a friend what the books he has are called.

Jimmy, that is the funniest thing Ive read all day.

Well, what I came up with, is to wirewheel it and remove all the loose rust, put on a rust converter, then when thats done, put on an oil coat of some sort.

Well, I have....*counts on his fingers* 5 hammers, not including my sledge hammer. I also have a hot cut. Ive only used it once, and its somewhere close to 60 years old. I want to get a brass hammer so I dont hurt my baby hotcut :P

Well, my suggestion is to make sure you have either flux core wire, or that you are using the proper Argon gas. without one of these mig welding just doesnt work.

Well, I am probably going to put it on a post set into the ground, as my smithy is outdoors, on kind of uneven ground. Does anyone have any suggestions on finishing it, if I were to remove the rust somehow?