anvillain

one morning it was colder than a well-diggers ankle bone. Anvillain

Dan, I was amazed about the seals dropping dead. And where did this info come from? How do you tell why they dropped dead? They may be overpopulated because of some laws preventing the harvesting of seals. I know nothing about seals and even less about harp seals. For some reason this sounds very much related to global warming hype. But then I'm not that much concerned about saving whales either. So, no doubt I AM an insensitive clod. I think it would be great if corn was better than charcoal, or coal but it will really surprise me if that turns out to be the case. I am guessing that corn burning will not smell like popcorn but like burnt popcorn. But I admit to being cynical and doubtful about some things. :-) Anvillain

I have a champion 400 and a small rivet forge. Both are well worn and a little noisy in the gears. I use chain saw "bar and chain oil". It is designed to stay on a high speed chain. There are summer and winter grades. Use the winter grade as it is not so heavy. It quiets down those old gears very well. What ever you use, just don't run them dry. Anvillain

You guys ARE in bad shape. I can quit smithing any time I want to. Just yesterday, I quit three times. Anvillain

Roy I have a Kerrihard 30 lb hammer. A friend of mine knew which junkyard his uncle's machine ended up in, so I went to inquire about it. This was about ten years ago that all this happened. I got it for less than scrap price. It was lying on its side in the mud but mostly unharmed except for the large crank bushing was so loose it had nearly a quarter inch of slack in it. Still in its sorry condition after cleaning up and putting an electric motor on it, it would hammer. But it was so loose I could not tolerate it so I rebuilt the crank and put a new bronze bushing in it. (It originally had no bushing, I believe, but I used the bushing to help make up for the lost material) After a little TLC it does a respectable amount of work. I will try to get some pics posted. Mine just has drawing dies that were mostly used for sharpening plowshares back in the day of moldboard plows. But it is very versatile in that it doesn't care if its hammering a plowshare or drawing out some tool edges or making tapers etc. I also know of a Kerrihard of the larger size which I believe is a 55 lb hammer. It is at a historic blacksmith shop. I love the mechanical design of it which allows a very small power source to operate that hammer. I you study the mechanism you will notice that the upstroke is slower and has more torque, but the downstroke, because of the geometry of the linkage is really quick which gives a lot of punch from such a simple machine. In my opinion those engineers really created a jewel of simplicity. Also the clutch will last indefinitely. It is a free wheeling wide pulley(made for flat wide belts from an overhead line shaft). However I just run mine on a single v-belt,3/4HP elec motor.There is adjustable clearance between a cast iron face plate and the pulley. When you step on the pedal a cam squeezes the two together and engages power to the crankshaft. I fear that whoever welded the dies together did you no favor. I would guess it has not been used since the welding was done or the weld would be broken. There are probably many of these machines around, I've seen several in my limited travels in the blacksmithing world. I removed my dies during cleaning and for curiosity. IIRC they were locked in with thin wedges. Anvillain

Hello, Ten Hammers Good to hear from you. Do you remember way back we talked some on another forum? Also, another trick I like is a bundle of 7 round rods of any size will nest together. One in the middle, six around the one in the middle will fit perfectly. this gives you a hexagon shaped bundle of round rods. I need to clarify that it needs to be 7 rounds of the same size together. But seven small rods or seven huge rods will nest together. I like 1/4" rods for basket twists. Anvillain

I think you are right on! HOT SHORTS often smell like sulphur also! :-) Anvillain

Here's something that may help, if you don't want to get out the math books. If you draw an equilateral triangle, (equal length on all three sides) each angle will be 60 degrees. But if you don't know how to find a 60 degree angle how do you know that you want a 60 degree cut? A protractor is useful also. Anvillain

I have the Roger Lorance firepot and also the B-2 swage block. I bought both of them about 12 years ago from Roger at one of our IVBA blacksmithing functions. Roger is one of the early members and mentor to many in Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association. My swage block is so versatile I have never felt that I needed a different one. The firepot would last a lifetime or 2. Anvillain Roger Lorance email: mrnobody3@aol.com

I'm impressed with all the answers provided here. It shows a number of different methods that would not be in general use today, and reveals the great experience of those responding. Thanks to all. Anvillain

johnptc: Thanks for the tip on waxing the ends. I'm sure that will help. I don't know if this the same as what grows in the desert. It is plentiful in Westrn Illinois and Iowa. Probably other places too, but I don't know for sure. Anvillain

Panzertank: I live in Illinois, I have quite a bit of ironwood on some land I have. It would be great for knife handles and such. Look up an article from Iowa State University to get the lowdown on it. My forester advised me to cut them down to make way for oak and hickory to grow. Since finding out more about it, I've decided to let them grow, except for those that are too thick. The only problem with it is that it doesn't get very large, (like for sawlogs). The largest one on my place is about 6" dia at the base. I'm drying some now, but it is showing some sign of cracking or splitting. It IS like iron: hard, strong, heavy. Anvillain

Hey Kilt, Glad you found an anvil. Happy hammering to you. A Trenton is a great anvil. Don't worry too much if it isn't perfect. I have had a Trenton, and it was also very musical. My ears prefer the softer tone of the Peter Wright that I kept. I won't re-open the discussion on anvil repair, since it has been tossed around quite a bit before. Anvillain

I understand the frustration, I had the same trouble, when first looking for an anvil. First, don't panic. You will soon have more anvils than you can imagine. Until then, if you are just getting started, and with limited tools and/or experience. If you can find any large shaft or square bar 3 or more inches in dia x 24" long, use it vertically. Radius the edges with file or grinder and you will have a good solid place to work hot iron. Don't worry about tool steel, you don't need it. You will need to support it so it won't wobble or fall over. I suggest wood for a frame to hold it upright. This will get you started. You could use it forever or wait until you find a good buy on an anvil. It is true that the horn will be missing, but you can find ways to work around that. Getting started forging is the main thing. more important than having every tool you read about. Once started, if the bug has really bitten you, you will find a way. Good Luck, Anvillain

I always use water on my coal, but not directly into the top of the fire. You can reduce the smoke of any fire by adding fuel slowly and keeping enough air going through to have at least some flames coming through the top of the fire. If you obtain some dry wood,cut into small chunks to start your fire. Keep plenty of air going and you will have plenty of active flames to consume the smoke. Start adding some coal in a ring around the nucleus of wood flame. You can do this with coal that is less than ideal as long as you have it hot in the center. Start pushing the coal toward the center until it starts to smoke, add water, sprinkling in a ring around the hottest part. Keep the pumping air, keeping enough flame coming through to consume the smoke. Once you have a very hot fire put coke from previous fire in the center and it will burn without smoke. I also use coke from previous fires as insulation on top of larger pieces of iron to help hold in the heat. It is like consumable insulation that keeps your metal from being exposed to oxygen. But don't try to start out with coke. Only use it after you have active flames. It is a continuing process, adding coal, wetting coal, pumping air, making heat, poking air hole into the center, heating iron. Some coal will definitely burn cleaner than others, but the best of coal will smoke if added too quickly or in too large a quantity. Soon you will do it automatically, and your neighbors will love the perfume of your fire. Once more, forgive me for belaboring the point; if you cover up your fire completely you will have smoke until it gets hot enough to be consumed. So when smoke is a concern, and it is for me too, remember to start with clean dry fuel, add coal only as fast as your fire can consume it.

I also would use arc welding if at all possible. mild steel rod is all you need 6011,6010, my preference is 7018. when you get filled up close to the surface 6013 or 7014 would make smooth stringers before grinding. any one of these would do the job by itself. no need for stainless. If the screw and nut are workable it will certainly be worth the work. Anvillain

I'm with Dragon's Lair on anvil repair. I weld and grind and make it do my bidding. However I've had a lot of welding and ginding experience. It is not a quick or easy job. And my repaired anvil has places where the metal does not match in color. That is no problem for ME. I like it because I have no dips and gouges, I have straight corners with radii to my liking. If I had a museum quality anvil, I would not enjoy using it.

I'm with you Quenchcrack (although I really think your alias is neat). I'm more than willing to give up my name as "Anvillain" (I got tired of it years ago) and become Richard Stephens. I would also put a little more info on my experience (as if someone really gives it a thought). Here is a question for Glenn or any moderators or administrators: If I change this in my profile, will I automatically find previously posted pix or comments as before, or would I need to just sign up as a new user? I'd kind of like to keep my small amount of material except for the name. Anvillain aka Richard Stephens

I know I'm guilty of at least one occasion of asking a question that I could have found the answer to by searching a little. I have not had trouble finding things when I do search. It may be the sheer abundance of information makes us ask something that was well covered before. I would certainly be glad to follow a link that someone has pointed out to me. In my case, I also miss a lot of posts because I may miss several days before getting back to the site. Probably by now, every conceivable subject has been covered and can be answered by prowling the site.

I think its a project that needs to be done. I've often considered it but somehow its gotten passed up in priorities. One thing I did decide. I would burnish one side with brass (while hot). The other side I would allow to rust with some encouragement from salt and vinegar. Then I planned to clear coat both sets. Then I would not play a game with them. I would continue to use the cheap wooden set for that. Some sketching may help, but I didn't get far with it. It may be a case of start with the simpler pieces, knowing you will make some scrap. But the process may lead you to a unique design. Good Luck! Anvillain

The Johnson gas forges (at least some of them ) have bottom burners. They also have a very powerful blower. On the one I had there were four burners mounted horizontally in the side of a trench about 5" wide and 6 or 7" deep and maybe 30" long. It used refractory lining in the bottom and had a swing away lid. It was primarily for larger jobs, in farm country the main use was probably used for sharpening plow shares. They could be used for a lot of other things as well. It had the ability to adjust the lid up or down, then firebrick would be used to contain the heat around the sides. I never lit mine, it was way too big for the small stuff I forge. I flung a bid on it an auction and kept it for a while,before selling it to a nearby shop. The blower would keep dirt from getting in the burners. And, yes, I wish I would have kept it. It would have been great for some of the stuff I did as soon as I got rid of it. I believe it would be unhealthy as I don't know how you would keep your shop from being full of airborne particles. OK--now I AM glad I don't have it any more. Anvillain

This is a little off the subject of "when tools go flying". And this thread brings me countless memories of close calls. And by nature I am a careful person. I remember one time when the whole job went flying. Early in my career as a weldor I hadn't learned about fumes in containers being just a bomb waiting to go off. In the shop I worked in I had good sized boat trailer sitting up on some barrels, while doing some welding and cutting with a torch. I had been going at it for a couple of hours and stopped to get a drink. I had walked about 20 ft toward the drinking fountain when a horrendous boom came from where I had just been working. Looking back, it was quite a sight I'll never forget: seeing this boat trailer suspended in a black cloud at least six feet off the floor! It turns out some customer had brought this barrel in to have the end cut out it. The foreman said he had put it aside because he did not want to do the job. I won't cut any barrel now without first filling it with water. I have had a lot of good luck since then as well, and got more cautious and suspicious when moved on to working in refineries and chemical plants. Anvillain

Great examples of smithing ! But, to me, an old man now, but even in my youth and long before that we had matches. I have been more humbled by the thought of starting a fire with such a device. At times I've had enough trouble starting a fire with a match in adverse conditions. I claim to be a pyromaniac, but what self-respecting pyro couldn't start a fire with a flint striker or by rubbing sticks together? :-) If any one can give a little tutorial on starting a fire with these devices, I would like to learn the secrets. (I was working in the home garden and missed Boy Scouting) Anvillain

Hey Unk: Nice looking tongs Anvillain

I once had a perfect arrangement with a broom maker who demonstrated at the county fair where I also demonstrated blacksmithing. He came to me with the idea. He had a market for all kinds of brooms. He travelled most of the summers to a different market each weekend. I made metal handles for him. On most of his he wanted leaf ornamentation. On the ones I wanted I would make them to match my other fire tools. I would make a bunch of handles, he would bring me complete brooms or money next time he saw me. Alas, he recently passed away and I understand his equipment has been sold. There are some more broom makers out there. I need to find another one, or learn to tie my own. Also like Frosty said, before that I used ready made brushes or whisk brooms, with custom attachments.