Backwoods Blacksmith

I have had similar problems attaching glass and mirrors.  I usually add a section that is hidden by the mirror and weld a 10-32 nut.  To this I use a glass clamp to hold the object.  I use felt to pad the glass.  I also try to use at least 4 clamps, 6 is better.  Do not tighten them.  Leave them loose enough for the glass to move slightly for thermal movement.  Depending on the design, the forged metal work can hide the clamp.  I have not tried to attach the glass to the metal with calk or RTV but that is an option.  Mock up something and try several things and see what works best with your design.

Welcome to the brotherhood. You would be better off by searching this site or checking u tube for making a brake drum forge.  lots of good information on this site avaliable by searching.  U tube also has lots of vidios.  Check blacksmithing and forging.

Use a pipe cap and drill tap it.

A clinker breaker is good two different ways. Of course it breaks up the forming clinker but it also shakes up the burning coal and allows ash and other debrie to shake out of the pile. This allows the air to move better and you can control the heat with less blast.
Good looking forge.

wrought iron bolts and threads do not mix very well. dovetails were easy to cast. Only guessing

Is there a rotation indicator? Most hyd pumps will only work in one direction. This will also detemine which port is suction. If the rotation is clockwise looking at the moter from the pump end the port on the left should be the suction. Or in. The next one over should go to the valve assy. Or out. Then the valve assy should go to your cylinder. Assuming you are using a double action valve.
But the main thing is the rotation.

I use 1/2 13 allen head cap screws and lock washers on my dies. My main dies are flat 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 6 which I use with top tooling and form dies. I recently made a large radius profile set for free forming. My die plate is 1/2 x 6 x 6 and I use two bolts to hold it in place. Never had one come loose.
The dies are welded to the plate and heat treated accordingly.
No dovetails, no tapers and no wedges.

The material was from some high speed bushings. The bushings id was 18 in dia and 3/4 thick. At the time I thought that it was navel brass but I never really knew what it was. Wish I still had some.

Mostly brass can be worked pretty cold. I have worked it in the bright red range but not in the orange. You can work it longer after the red is gone. But it heats pretty fast so no reason to work cold until you planish it. Hope this helps

It would depend on what you want to do. Are you forging into a die or using a fuller? Even then it would depend on the fuller radius or even if you were using a top and bottom fuller. No help I am sure but more info needed. I don't know if there is a single formula.

My 30 ton press is powered with a 3 hp mtr, 11 gpm 3500 rpm pump and a 3 in ram. The rod is 1 1/2. You could also use two 2 in rams instead of one big one. Look on this site for examples also on u-tube. Lots of examples out there
Loots of luck and be safe
OH and have fun

You sure have the fish thing down. Nice work

as has been mentioned it allows time to think and allows blood to circulate. You are not really hitting the anvil you are resting your arm. altho some smiths seem to be resting more than they are working

I centered mine right to left and 2/3 1/3 back to front. You need the extra room in the back to keep the breeze and coal from falling off the back edge when working.

I would make a 1/2in plate die set to which dies are bolted to the ram and sow block. No tapers, wedges, dovetails.

When I made the fire pot for my rivit forge I made a form for the ducks nest from a piece of 4x4 lumber 6 in long. I filed a 1/2 in taper on all four sides and centered it over the blast. I wrapped the wood in a plastic bag to keep the fire clay from sticking. Mixed the clay 3 to 1 with clean sand and enough water for the mix to stick. Pre mix the dry first. Pile up the wet mix around the form, tamping it down as you go, up to the top of the form. Then either taper the clay down away from the form to the pan or if you have made enough make it level, tamping it all firmly to help displace air pockets and excess water. Once all the tamping was done I removed the form and radiused the edges. Allow to dry in a cool dry area for at least 3 days, depending on the weather, At this time of year 5 days. You could cover with a box and warm it with a light bulb if it is cold and wet. The trick is to drive out the moisture SLOWELY. After drying light a wood fire in the pot and keep it fired for a couple of hours. The idea is to build a bed of coal and just let it work. Charcoal will work. As it burns down keep adding fuel. This will cure the clay and harden it for years of service. I realize that ther are 100 different ways of doing this but this has worked for me several times with no problems. DO NOT GET IN A HURRY.
Good luck and have fun.

I would make it no less than 6 ln up to 8 in deep. Your pot seems pretty big. I would make it a couple of inchs narrower as the fire will spread quite a bit.
Thomas is right a lot depends on you main usage. A smaller pot can be used for bigger material, but trying to heat small stuff in a big pot is a waste of fuel. Plus you can lose your forgings in a big fire

Use some brick to contain your fire or use clay and build up a fire pot. There are several good examples of what others have done on this forum. You should easily work with 1 in size stock . I used one similar to this for several years and turn out some neat stuff. Learning is half the fun.

That is nicely done. Vary good start at what will evolve into who know what. Keep it up.

Great first try. Keep it up.

Very nice war ax. I have made several tomahawks. I think I will try a war ax. I have a 2 in dia truck axle I think I will use.
Great insparation.

When I cannot forge weld pieces together I use oxy/acty or propane to weld small branchs and leaves. This makes it easy to fill in and blend. If I can I wll heat and hammer the joint. If I cannot hammer I use a Dremel type tool to blend or a 1/2 round or rattail file then heat to scale and wire brush. It sounds like a lot of work but the results are worth it.

Good deal. Nice looking knife and hammers.

4dead
I like your idea of modifing the hammers. I have tried spliting the branches and welding them on. Once you split them and draw them out, it may be difficult to texture them. I like to make the branches, texture, and then gas weld them on. Forge weld them if you can as there is a little less rework. Then you only need to texture the weld area.

How radical do you want the texture. The grape vine is pretty radical while the tree bark is pretty mild.
If it was me I would use a rounding hammer and the horn to make a random texture and form. Without a power hammer or treadle hammer these dies can be less dramitic and hard to handle. If you don't have a rounding hammer use a big ball peen.
While working over the horn continue to turn the stock as it will bend down. Even turning the stock it will get squirrly. But that is a good thing. It will be random and the texture will be eye catching.
Hope this helps. have fun