Elemental Metal Creations

I will be e-mailing you also. If/when I get good enough to make these I will get rich in this area. Most guys around here live for hunting and will pay BIG$ for something like this!

I also went to a used tool shop on Mon. and got these for $15 the pair I figured that I could reforge the jaws a lot easier that making new.After getting them home and looking closer at them I realized that the chain tongs are wrought iron and have forge welded reins. I think that I will leave them the way they are, I'm sure that I will find them useful as they are.

I went to the scrap yard today and this follwed me home, The large piece is 18-3/8x10-3/8x2, 106 lbs, the bar is 2-1/4x2-1/4x13-1/2. The 2 jackhammer points have never been used. I am not sure what type of steel they are, the big plate and the jackhammer points had almost identical sparks with the 4 in. grinder, lots of long straight sparks, the bar had simular sparks but less of them like it was harder. 160 lbs for $56. Not sure what I will use them for but the big piece will probably be used for an anvil, it weighs 2x what my anvil does. It also makes me think of a swedge block, has anyone made one of these?

Lit the fire last night, cut the air by about 3/4 still a lot of clinkers. Tom may be on to something I know that the wood around here has a lot of minerals in it, our bonfires are the most colorful that I have ever seen. I took a good look at one of the clinkers and they are more glassy looking than metallic. A whiteish bubbly material with some metallic in it. Guess I'll try to get my champion 400 set up and try some store bought lump and see how it works. I'll keep you all informed.

I think that the problem was to much air, i am using a blow drier at the moment and I thought that it was a lot of air but kept going anyway. when I get back to the forge tonight I will leave the ash dump open to let some of the air out the bottom and see what hapens. The charcoal was stored in a plastic barrel to keep it clean and dry. Thanks to all and I will let you know what happens.

I lit my brake drum forge for the first time in about 2 years this afternoon and had a problem with large clinkers. I was using charcoal that I had made when I was using the forge back then and I rarely had any clinkers then and on the rare occasion then they were the size of small pebbles. Today they were huge and constant. I wasn't thinking about them because I had not had this problem before. When my fire started acting weird I poked around and pulled out a clinker that covered almost the entire bottom of the firepot! Could this be because the charcoal was old and had possibly gotten damp from the high humidity we have during the summer here in Missouri? Any advice or suggestions and thoughts are welcome. Thanks, Jerry

I make my own charcoal. I have a fire pit about a foot and a half deep that I build a good fire in and when it has been burning good for about an hour I fill the pit with chunks of wood and cover it with tin. Seal around the edges with dirt or mud until there is almost no smoke excaping. Open up in about 2 days and you should have a bunch of charcoal. Don't get in a hurry to open it up, one time I uncovered the pit the next day and was going to bag up the charcoal later, when I came back about 20 lb's of fuel for my forge had burned up.The top was cool but there was enough heat in the middle to burn when the air got to it.:-(

I think that a copy will find it's way to the wall in my shop when I get it built this winter!

This is my first anvil a Miller Falls Anvil Drill, given to me by a friend a couple of years ago. She said that it had been in her family forever. Well used and abused, cracked and broken. Has a groove in the horn, looks like a million horse shoes were made with it. Does anyone know anything about these?

That is awesome!!

Looks great, will be watching for the step by step!

Looks good, I gotta quit looking on here. Getting to many ideas!

Thanks for the comments and info everyone. I checked out the links and got some good ideas. I will definatly dress the chisel so it fits better in the hardy hole and use it for now. I like the idea of making on that sits diagonally out of leaf spring, I have some 3"x 1/2" thick leaf that should make a good one. I also have some 1 1/4" axle that should make some good tools when I get a chance.

I am getting ready to set up and start some projects and was thinking of using a brick chisel for a hot cut since I don't have one or the time / experience to make one yet. I have a chisel that is a good fit in the hardy hole of my 50# anvil. Then I got to thinking, the part that rests on the anvil is only about 1/4" thick, would this put to much pressure/force on the anvil if across the face and risk breaking the tail of the anvil off? Would it be safer to have the chisel length wise to the anvil?

That.s purty, Wonder how they hold up?

Here is my $15, 5" Indian Chief. I didn't even know what kind of vice it was when I stole it! I have almost ripped the bench apart using it. I will be making a new bench shortly and will post new pics then. I also have a big Wilton and several other vices.

Come on guys, some one has to know about when these were made, here are some pictures.

I was asking for because I have the big rod and some 1/4" flat stock. I am going to be making a pot rack for my wife and thought that ss hooks on a black rack would look sharp. I have no plans for the big stuff for now, no PH and not enough ambition to forge something that big at this time. Thanks for the info.

I thought that to anneal something you heated it up and let it cool in air?

Is stainless forgeable? I have about 3 ft of 1-1/2 " round stock and some flat stock and am wondering what can be made from this?

A couple of years ago, before I was interested in in blacksmithing my wife and I went to a yardsale and spent a bunch of money. as we were walking back to the car she said " I'm suprised yoy didn't want the vise", What vise? we went back and she showed me this vise that I had never seen the likes of before. He wanted $20 for it. I dug in my wallet and could only find $15. he said ok so I picked up this monster and loaded it up. After doing some checking and a little cleaning I discovered that I had stole a 100% original 5" Indian Chief post vise in great working order and this got me interested in blacksmithing. The only issue with it is some wear on the jaws and a bent handle. I will try to get some pics posted this weekend. Does anyone know when these were made?

I have been reading on this forum for about a week now and this is the most awesome and informative thread that I have found yet! I do have a question tho, I have no idea what all of these numbers mean, and no money to spend on special steel for tools. I do have access to coil springs, dynamite drill rod, and an assortment of old chisels and other old tool steels, these would work for making these tools, wouldn't they?

Brainstorming tonight! Step 1, set the forge on the table base for now and use with a blow dryer. step 2, build 55 gal drum base and use until I can get the table built the way I want it. step 3. mount drum forge on table ( or maybe build an entire new forge and have 2? The 55 could be made portable to use for demos! My mind is running rampant with possabilitys now. My wife just informed me that a friend of ours is wanting me to do a workshop at a gathering that she is having in a couple of weeks. Time to stop dreaming and get to work. I have a champion 400 blower that has a square flange on the output that I have to make a way to connect to the 2" flex exaust pipe that will connect it to the forge.

1. Miller Falls anvil drill ? ( does anyone know anything about these?)about 20#, hollow, cracked parts broken off. 2. Piece of RR track 3. 50# london pattern anvil. Face about wore down to tha step. Still looking for a good 100#+ anvil my wife can afford.LOL

I am getting ready to upgrade my forge and am wondering which would be better in the long run. The 55gal barrel or to make a table out of a 22" x 30" x 1/8" piece of plate that I have? I don't have any torches or welders, I do have grinders, drills and assorted power saws. I also have a ready built stand so I would need to cut a hole in the plate, attach angle iron sides and mount to the stand. I do know that the drum would be easier and faster but it seems that the table might be a better set up in the long run. I just want to hear the pros & cons of both. I am in no big hurry, I can use ithe forge for a while as is on blocks. Thanks