RBrown

I have no idea about answering your question but i so want to build on of those.

Avoid places that also use allot of chemicals i worked on trash trucks for a few years and on more than one ocation we would have some one have a bad reaction to something that was dumped in a truck or a bin.

id look into the power consumption of one of those things and there durability befor i would shell out the money for one.

I work computer every thing from building them fixing them and networking home to medium size business. For a number of my i am the it department.

ok i can see doing that to the skin side. thats good to know about.

Im wanting to make a few damascus jewelry things and curous what would be best to protect it from rust. Because this is something that some one will ware dont want any thing that will feel to oily or slimy or leave something on the skin.

i have one of those cheepo cast iron anvils and it actualy has some good uses. there good for cold cutting on i dont worry about dinging it up. also make a good forge welding anvil to set right by the fire pot. take metal out lay right on it and tap put right back into fire. Its also good for my son to bang on sence i want let him beat on mine. So there are uses you can use one for there just not any good for regular work on.
also just a sugestion if you want to try it. you could always cut a pice of good steel lay it on top drill holes and then drive pins down into it. Its not a perfect answer but it should make the face more usable.

iv seen other people do it other ways but this way has worked good for me Knife Network - Forging chainsaw chain damascus

PS. even when doing it this way you can expect to mess a few up till you get it right.

I have a wife and 3 small children its spent befor i even see it.

It is good to know that in the U.S that it can cause problems making selling and owning a switch blade but philips in china dont think the U.S federal law will have much sway over there about switchblades.

i would recomend sticking with quick books for your book keeping and depending on your shop i would take it its going to be metal fabrication or blacksmith shop i would recomend looking into http://www.profitfab.com/ its never to early to start looking at something like that ahead of time even if you are a small 1 or 2 man shop if your gona grow id start with something like that as well.

grace fuel in ashville nc i get my coal there its good coal. unlike kayne they will load it for you. the coal at kayne is a little better but not at twice the price diffrence better.

I used one at John C Campbell and really liked it. But thats just my opinion.

John

I used the one that was closest to the front door of the shop think they had 2 other i didnt use those i actualy liked the lg 25 i think it was over on the left side of the shop

I used one once at john c campbell to be honest i was not impressed with it but there could be any number of reasons it did not run at what i felt it should have. It is possible it was trund down because students use it or it was geting out of shape and worn out. I would contact them and see if they could recomend some one close to you that might let you try theres out and see if you like it. Thats what i would do if im gona shell out that kind of money on something like that.

i use a champion 25 works grate its the one i use the most think i payed about $45 forit i have a champ 400 and a big mohawk the 400 needs some tlc so i dont use it right now and the mohawk is so hard to turn i have to take it apart to see whats making it bind up so hard.
check with other smiths in your area and you should be able to find one but depending on condition and who made it price will range from free to $300 if you look enough and be patent you can find them at fleamarkets and junk shops. If you go electric you can take about any size squarl cage blower and make it work i recomend an air gate over reostat control less fidiling with a knob to get it at the right speed.

you know unless its an extra one as soon as you sell it you will need it. or cant find the other one to use

Beleve it or not i did see it on tv. I saw a guy on pbs being intervewed he had a school up in north carolina some ware never did figure out ware. I caught the bug then and thought that woudl be cool to make stuff like that. A little while latter i found anvil fire and got some information on how to build a forge i built one and used a big pipe plug for an anvil for a while then my wife let me get a new anvil about 8 or so years ago. Iv gone slowley from having almost no tools to about all i really need to get a job done not all i want but about all i need.

Can i run away to Wisconsin to i like blacksmithing and cheese

I beleve its Wayne Goddard considers a hornless anvil was perfect for a knife making anvil

i got one of those anvils from hf out of self defense gives my kids something to beat on other than my good anvils. that and it works perty good for cold cutting with a chisil other than that there junk

nope dont have one i still havent built a back wall and that is ware my forge is and i still have a 10x7 gaping hole in the front ware the doors are suposed to be

Allot of it depends on what situation im in. When i was working on heavy trucks for a living i got snapon, cornwel, matco and other expensive tools to do my job to give you an exampe i payed i beleve about $400 for my 1/2 snapon impact gun did the job of a 3/4 gun. they held up better and did the job that needed to be done. I used those tools to make a living with so a payed the higer price for the best tools i could get. My blacksmith shop on the other hand is a hobby that only pays for its self some of the time. i have to take money out of my income to buy things for my shop instad of my shop paying for the tools. If my shop was full time and i had to rely on the tools to make a living with i would buy the best i could afford to buy to make my living with. cheep tools work but they dont always do the best job and they brake more offten. Having good quality tools will normaly mean you get the job done faster and better than with cheep tools.

i saw part of the show didnt see them do a redo of it though. and no they did not get the hammers any ware near hot enough in there bbq grill to heat treat them if any thing they made them dead soft.
what happens if you hit 2 metals hardend to there maximum hardnest is they can crack and chips can fly a chip can and will come off with the same speed of a bullet just ask my buddy about the chunk of an axe in his leg that had to be pulled out (dont ask me how they did it were still trying to figure that one out)
also when tools are used for long periods of time they mushroom and get cracks in them just like the end on your chisils if you dont beleve in dressing the stiking end just wate till you are digging a pice of it out of your arm you will be a belever then.

iv got a chunk of big hydrolic cylender shaft im gona set up as a portable anvil for a knife hammerin i got to once or twice a year. not shure what the steel is but i would think it should be perty tough stuff consedering its about 5 inch diameter.

my son cant use that stuff any way he has bad eczema caused by alergys he is alergic to trees grass and tree nuts. if he uses that stuff it stings so bad he will cry his preschool found that out the hard way they have to use the non alcahaul based stuff on him. personaly i dont use any of that stuff i beleve all this anti bactirial stuff has actualy made us sicker. you will not build up immunity to things if you do not come in contact with it. if your imunity isnt being built up by the little things how do you expect to fight off the biger things when they come along.