Private Entrance

I've seen it advertised on Craig's list, too. I waited until I found one in better shape. I'm not a welder and don't have a lot of loose change lying around, so I waited, and I'm glad I did. I got a 117# Hay Budden from a different guy on Craig's list for $250. I think if you're patient, a better one will come along sooner or later. I think someone's been trying to unload the one you pictured for several (like at least 4) months.

Whatever he wants, I would think. Beautiful piece of work.

More time at the forge. To better observe what I'm doing there, and to learn from my mistakes, and use that knowledge gained to do better on my next project.

The brake drum and hair dryer I'm using work pretty darn well. I can get a railroad spike to bright orange with it. Cost me $36 for the drum, hair dryer, and some pipe for the draft. Now if I can enough to time actually use it, I've got some tools and maybe a knife or two to build. Maybe the 3-day weekend will be my chance.

Definitely agree, Mark. My forge I cobbled together from a brake drum and some miscellaneous junk. My son calls it the 'ghetto forge,' but it gets the job done. I had my eye out for railroad track, big hunks of metal, etc, anything that would do in a pinch to hammer on. The first thing that happened to come along for me was a pretty nice anvil.

I cruised Craig's List, Ebay and the classified ads out here for about 2 months before I finally found something I liked and could afford. Ended up with a 117# Hay Budden that was in pretty decent shape, and I only had to drive an hour each way (20 minutes off the paved road) to get it. Definitely be patient and diligent in your search. I saw lots of them in/around Michigan during my hunt. The additional price of shipping out here to California is what kept me from being able to bid competitively. You shouldn't have as much of an issue with that since you're quite a bit closer.

I keep the corner of the garage that is 'mine' pretty clean - a small workbench with a small vice and a small ASO (which is suprisingly handy sometimes) on it, a small collection of scrap metal that is fairly well contained, a small knee-high table for putting stuff up a bit higher so it's easier to work on, or lower so I can sit down and fiddle around with it, and the anvil and stand, my little forge, and the slake and coal buckets. Those last 4 things go outside when it's time to bang on things. Tools stay in their tool chest when they aren't used, otherwise I can't find them, and I have a deal with my son - he can use anything he wants (except the power tools, he's only 11) as long as he puts it back where he got it. I've also got another small workbench with a drill press, another vise, and a couple of grinders on it that I can run a cord to and power everything with one go. I've got another corner that is not so pretty - it's covered in stuff from some of my previous hobbies. I realize as I'm writing this that the table covered in stuff is a metal workbench - would make a good layout table if/when I ever get to the point of needing one. The rest of the garage is given over to the wife and kids and the stuff they have to have out there. Almost no point in cleaning/reorganizing the rest of the garage. As soon as I make enough space to turn around in, something from the house gets moved into the opening. PS - someone mentioned losing tools in a clean shop... when I worked in the ski shop, one of the best places to hide a tool someone needed was right in front of them. Skis go into a vise while you're working on them, usually. Put a screwdriver on top of the ski, parallel to the long axis of the ski, and your coworker will bat guano crazy looking for it. He'll never see it. Quite entertaining. Works with snowboards, too.

And there we go. I tried using tags before and it kept saying it wasn't allowed. C'est la guerre. It's all more gooder now. Thanks. It's amazing what you can use to make stuff if you put your mind to it. :)

Right on. Thank you very much!

This is the stand I made for the anvil I just got. I made it out of what I had on hand, a bunch of 2x4's nailed together. Probably not the best long term solution, but it works for now, especially until I find the place where I'm going to keep it parked. The straps pieces of sheet metal I cut from an old microwave and nailed down. http://s1125.photobu...nvilonstand.jpg EDIT: Yay! Thanks, DClaville!

Another noob question, this one about this website: Is there a minimum number of posts or something you need to do before you are allowed to put up pictures or start a gallery? I want to post pics of the anvil I just got and the stand I made for it, but can't figure out how to get things started. Thanks! PE

Clean shaven. Much more consistently 'in regs' with my haircuts nowadays than I was in the service.

Sacramento is about 6-7 hours from me, otherwise I'd love to go to the classes. There's a place out in Yucca Valley that is giving a noob class this weekend (that I can't make) and another in early January I'm going to try and get to. I'm kinda in the same boat - have a little bit of space set up to work in, some friends are keeping an eye out for anvils for me. Sooner or later, it will all get done. :)

Frank, Thanks for the tip. I drive by those gates fairly regularly and have noticed them but never stopped to take a look. It's possible someone drove into them (I don't recall hearing anything specific) but the cemetary did go through a period of getting vandalized with some frequency. It could have been a tree fell on them, though - a number of big trees have fallen on that street over the last 10 years or so. I will definitely go check them out. EDIT: fixed some typing mistakes. Whacked the tip of my left index finger twice in the last two days making bottlecap roses and it makes typing difficult. ;)

I worked in ski/snowboard shops for 17 years and used files every day on steel and plastic. A file card was my best friend. Chalking before starting work was always a good idea if I had some, and carding the file every few strokes really helped keep the file clean. I kept a pair of 8" and 10" mill bastard files in a drawer and I was the only one that used them. My files would be good as new for about 2 years of pretty heavy work while the rest of the guys in the shop would go through a half dozen in a season and beat them all to hell. If someone needs a source for decent files at a not-too-terribly steep price, try a sporting goods store that has a ski shop. They usually carry them for sale to the people that like to tune their own gear. You can also get file cards, usually, and some shops will even sell what you guys seem to call Vixen or body files. The ski industry usually calls them Panzar files. Also, a ski shop would be a good source for old files to use for other projects. They'll probably give them to you. Every shop I've ever worked in has a box of old beat up files that they really can't (or don't how) to do anything with. Hope this helps someone like me that is on a pretty tight budget.

Thanks. I'll look into those options when I have a chance.

Thank you everyone. I just got some real coal that I'm trying to work with. Like I said, it's a bit of a challenge, but I'm getting there, and you are right about the burn rate - it goes pretty quickly, faster than I expected. I'm working on a way to mount the blower with some kind of valve to control the airflow better. The dryer has two settings - too fast and WAY too fast. I've gotten in touch with a guy out here in Yucaipa that is supposed to be doing a class in the next few weeks. There is a place in Yucca Valley that does classes more regularly. It's a bit of a drive, but doable if I've got an open Saturday when they hold them. I'm very interested in getting some guidance and learn some lessons from someone else rather than trying to teach myself. Vista is a fairly reasonable drive. I will keep an eye out for the date and try to get there. From what I've read, they sound like quite a bit of fun, and I will go if the scheduling works out. Unfortunately, the kids' activities have a bit more priority than Dad's hobbies when it comes down to brass tacks. Now if I can only find a decent anvil at a price I can afford...

I just bought a 50# from this guy on Ebay. His ad says he sells up to a ton at a time. I paid $15 for the bag and $20 for shipping to CA. The rate he has posted on this ad is $7.50/bag if you buy 40. Hope this helps. Contact me PM for his information

Just lit my first fire last night. Using an old brake drum I scavenged from Pic-a-Part and a hairdryer for a blower. Someone in another post mentioned fire management using coal being a challenge. I had no idea until I actually tried working with the stuff. Very rewarding test fire. Will keep working out the bugs and posting results as they come. Will post a pic as soon as I figure it out on this site.

Thank you all for the advice. I've worked in the cold before (winter sports industry) so it in and of itself doesn't bother me much. The concerns you expressed about ventilation are exactly why I asked the question - thank you very much for the straight skinny. I've looked into classes - the nearest one I've found is about an hour away, but very doable if I can work out the scheduling. As to finding a blacksmithing group, I haven't had much luck finding anything close enough I can get to on a regular basis. I've looked at the ABANA site and the CA Blacksmith Assn. Any other ideas that might help me direct my search? Would a blacksmithing group be attached/associated with something like a community college? Thanks again.

Just found the site and have begun to wade through the vast amount of information available. Quite overwhelming. I've read some books and done some experimenting with drawing, upsetting, annealing, tempering, etc. Still figuring things out, but what I've read is starting to make some sense. Have made a few small items, rings mostly, out of 12-14d nails for stock and small brads/finishing nails for rivets. Not epic by any stretch, but a beginning. I'm getting eager to start upgrading my equipment and start working on bigger stuff. This will probably be a drawn out process since disposable cash is an issue. I do want to get to the point where I can make my own tools out of whatever I can find lying around. I currently have a couple of odd hammers and a small (15#) cast anvil shaped object I'm beating on metal with. Using a torch for heat right now which is a challenge. I spend more time trying to get stuff hot than I do banging on it, but it's a start. The noob questions I have: 1) Hot items seem to cool down quickly once they contact the surface of my anvil, which makes sense since it's acting as a big(gish) heat sink. Should I be pre-heating or warming up my anvil before/while I'm working? 2) I'm trying to figure out a better heat source, probably with something on the small end (brake drum size?). I'd like to use it indoors during the winter/inclement weather and I'm worried about ventilation. Assuming I make a hood and ducting, would it be feasible/advisable to run the ducting up to the chimney for my home furnace and run the forge exhaust out that way with a T-connector? I'm assuming that it would be a good idea (if it is feasible) to put some kind of spark barrier in the ductwork. Thank you in advance for any help/advice anyone can lend.