Iron Cross

How 'bout a 125# anvil (not sure of mfg, but has 125 stamped on the foot beneath the horn) for $100, a Roper-Whitney #16 punch for $256, and a 36" post vise (complete and in great working order) for $10? I also recently purchased an old forge with a "Hero" blower made in Chicago Heights, Ill. for $50. I'll post pics if interested when I get the blower reassembled.

Thanks for the photos and input. Without anything for reference besides the 55 gallon plastic drum for a base, I'd guess 150-180# maybe? My father-in-law has a 187# anvil that looks a bit bigger, but, without reference, it's hard telling.

A sale bill for an upcoming auction advertises a "large Peter Wright #15 anvil". Any ideas about weight and how much it might be worth in good to very good condition? Thanks in advance!

I wonder if I could stuff a forge that big in my 30'X30' shop...one of those shiny anvils would be nice, too!

About forgot (that CRS thing again!), Ohio is blessed with flint. I've found it in fields and in driveways before. Not as good as English or French amber, but throws sparks just the same.

Thanks, guys. For some reason, garage door springs didn't even cross my mind. CRS (Can't Remember Squat), perhaps? I tried ripping leaf springs with a plasma cutter, hence the time consuming part. It worked, but left a rough edge. Since we have an overhead door company in town, I'll call them Monday. Thanks again!

Does anyone know offhand where to find 5/15" or 3/8" square high carbon steel? A customer requested some custom flint strikers, but I'm having difficulty locating usable steel with little time involved acquiring it. Thanks in advance.

Great tutorial! Kudos on making it very well illustrated. Samer, I agree on the inspiration for the project!

Hello, everyone! My name is Ramey, coming to you from partly sunny (instead of snow-covered) Greenville, OH. Iron Cross is the name of the blacksmith/fab business I'm about to start. I've been reading about forge/burner designs and had idea and a couple questions. First, I want a gas forge capable of forge welding things as large as a broad axe, but that won't be my primary project size. Would I be better off making a smaller (freon tank) size forge for smaller jobs, then builking a larger one for big jobs? Second, I've access to a 15" steel drum. I considered cutting about 1/3 off of the diameter of the drum, welding a flat floor on it to increase floor capacity, making it a 24" long quonset hut w/ 2 burners. Anyone else try anything like that? Thanks in advance! -Ramey