GMoore

I, recently, bought a striking anvil (13 1/2" long, 4 7/8" wide, and 1 7/8" thick with a 1" by 1" tool hole) and am trying to come up with an idea for a base upon which to mount the anvil face. I contacted a local steel company and told them I was looking for a 16" long, 7" wide, and 4" thick piece of steel. They must have misunderstood my material wants. They gave me a price of $580.08. Anybody have any ideas? I can arrange for a 1" by 1" hole to be put in the base. I'm looking for something sturdy, something I can weld the top piece to the base, and can weld on some legs. Suggestions sought.

New shop coming up. Have floor poured - 6" base with a 10" power hammer locale - and a 6" skirt around the interior portion (18' X 20') and an 8' X 18' covered and paved porch. It will have double doors on one end and a sliding door leading to the porch. A Tuff Shed structure will be put up in about a week (10' side walls). One window and a roof vent. As soon as it is up, I'll wire it with 110 volt and 220 volt, put ion lights, and a ceiling fan. And, in this shop, will go a coal forge, a gas forge, 2 swage blocks, an anvil, a Mig welder, a gas welder, and an arc welder, a couple of drill presses (powered), a hand drill press, a 25 lb. Little Giant, a trip hammer, grinders, a large tool box, and other things. Will send photos as things develop.

I've got a 25# Little Gaint, so it's not the largest around. Just to be safe, I poured 6" of rebar concrete below where the hammer was to sit (with about a 4" margin on all sides). I then built an oak base of 4" x 4" planks (bolted together) surrounded by a 3" frame of angle iron - bolted on to the boards. Lastly, I bolted the hammer to the platform. It is critical that the entire assembly be very level. Works for me!

My house wasn't flooded, but my barns (shops) were - but, now O.K. I've been busy with the flood damage. I work for FEMA doing flood disaster work (never thought I would be doing so in my own backyard).

More of it!

I used 4" by 6 "kiln dried oak planks, glued together, marine varnished, and enclosed in a welded, angle iron frame - bolted horizontally and vertically to the wood. The power hammer was then bolted to the pad. The pad was not bolted to the floor (concrete, 6") to allow some minor movement. It works like a charm. The base of the hammer (the oak part) just went through a major flood (Colorado) and survived just fine.

Being FEMA deployed on Monday to Aurora, IL. Any blacksmiths in the general area (one's I might/could visit.)?

I, too, am now the proud owner of my Grandfather's Case - and I am 71 years old (so, that makes the knife even older, since he owned it before I was born).

H-3260 (Little Giant 25#) was sold new on 4-2-1923 to L. R. Pyke of Kevin, Montana. It was sold by Williams Hardware of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You made a beautiful piece of art!

I have a pair of tri-focal safety glasses made by Lens Crafters (originally got them for welding classes), and I love them.

I'm about to relocate to Sandy, Oregon (near Portland) from the Colorado front range. Outside of the mountains about to be on the wrong side (back to the east of me), I'm wondering about the availability of coal for my forge out in Oregon country. Any hints?

I live in Colorado, right up against the Rocky Mountains, and - although I am just a beginner - my shop heats up comfortably just from a combination of my coal forge, my gas forge, and a small wood stove. If fact, I don't know anyone with a heated floor. I'm getting ready to move to Oregon (near Sandy just below Mt. Hood. I didn't realuze Oregon got that cold.

NEAT!!!!!

Welcome. I think I must have seen you this past weekend - at David's shop. I was the old fellow attaching a big vice to a stand. I understand David is planning a class on tool making. May see you there.

A friend of mine does work in copper and is looking for some ideas as to what would make a good copper cutter (for copper thicker than shears will handle). Any suggestions? Thanks

I'm looking for some blacksmithing Christmas cards (not too expensive ones) to send out this year. Also looking for a good blacksmithing calendar to hang in my shop. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

My shop has corregated metal on the inside walls with paperless insulation behind it. My forge (coal) and my wood stove sit about two feet away from the wall, but I have also placed cement board between the stove/forge and the wall.

Way back in my youth, I did some oxy/acetylene welding, then messed around with stick welding (ARC). Now I have the opportunity to take free welding classes at a community college where I teach, so have branched out to Mig, Flux Core, and TIG. Still not very good at any of the types, but have lots of fun trying. So far, in the classes (freedom to do as I please), I've build a large welding table, a swage block stand, a gas forge stand, a propane cart, a power hammer base, a anvil stand, tool racks, and have resurfaced an anvil. Next comes a large wood rack and a metal stock rack.

My wife is attending a conference in Woods Hole next June (2013). Is there a school, close by, where I could take a class? On a scale of 1 to 10, I am about a 2.5 in blacksmith skills. I've taken a number of classes from David Norrie in Berthoud, CO and one from Brian Brazeal in Brandon, MS, plus 3 or 4 welding classes at Aims Community College in Greeley, CO. I've got a small shop, but nothing even approaching professional.

Any standing water can breed swarms of mosquitoes, even your birdbath or rain barrel. Our Mosquito Control Rings contain Bt 'Israelenis,' a naturally occurring bacterium that kills mosquito larvae for a full 30 days. Each slow-release, floating Control Ring treats 100 square feet of surface area in your pond or water garden. Control mosquitoes naturally Rings last for a month Each ring treats 100 square feet

My uncil, Harry Schreiner, was a blacksmith in Manitou, Oklahoma - back in the late 40s and early 50s. On Friday afternoons, a few of the local men would stop by his shop to cuss and discuss the world, and to watch this 6'6" German pound iron and steel on his 300 lb. anvil. Every once in a while, the gathering would get a bit rowdy and Uncle Harry would know how to quell the noise. He would simply grab the anvil with both hands, hold it at arm's length, and look at the offenders. Things always got real quiet in very short order.

I'm an old caver (spelunker) and learned a long time ago that finely ground calcium carbide (welder's and spelunker lamp carbide) spread around the hole works fine for killing ants (in particular, fire ants) - and, incidently, most ground dwelling bugs. Obviously, calcium carbide - when exposed to moisture - forms acetylene gas. The carbide powder will be carried below surface into the dens/nests, will come in contact with ground moisture, and form the gas. If you think your soil doesn't contain enough moisture, set your sprinkler a couple days before leaving the carbide powder, and once the surface has dried, the critters will carry pieces of the powder underground. If you are concerned about birds picking up pieces of the carbide, don't worry. They, almost always, avoid the powder. By "almost always," I remember a robin picking up a piece of carbide from a pile which had been dumped (to be hauled away). The robin exploded! When finished, just pour some water on the remaining carbide and the resulting acetylene will be dispersed into the air.

Thanks for the idea.

I just got a great deal on a wooden whiskey barrel to be used as a dunking barrel. The slats are in good shape, but I'm having trouble getting everything tight again. I cut out one end of the barrel and plan on plugging the bung hole. I've been spraying the barrel down with water and for three nights have put a lawn sprinkler inside the barrel and turned the water on full force - about 10 ays into the process. Indeed the slats are tightening, but are coming together very slowly (still have some 1/16" spacings). If I could fill the barrel with water, I think things would "come together," but with the spacings, I cannot do so. Any ideas? I'm thinking about filling the spaces with silicone (calking), filling the barrel, and just letting it sit - hoping things will swell, forcing the silicone out as the wood comes together.