David Einhorn

I just found this article on documenting the parts of an old bellows: http://www.blacksmithing.org/Articles/Old%20Dominion%20Blacksmith%20Association/Bellows@Grand%20Blacksmithing%203.pdf

In case you are interested, I have been photographing the process of building a standard bellows and side-blast forge at: http://www.facebook....35399321&type=1

I suggest corks at the end of each point to prevent it from coming through the packaging.

Very nice anvil.

I am the current custodian of the anvil from my wife's family's ex-horse-barn. It was purchased new when the barn was built around 1837 to keep the horses shod. Bank barns in the area housed horses in the lower level and hay in the upper level. A well stocked barn for horses around here would likely to have had an anvil for shoeing horses. I hope to be able to pass it on and keep it in the family. So, the bottom line is that a well supplied horse barn would or could have had an anvil and not have been through a fire. This particular anvil was likely buried in the mud inside the barn when Lee passed through on the way to Gettysburg.

That is absolutely great! I hope it is armored so that your bloke can't run over it again.

I tend to advise people to join their local blacksmith club/guild so that they can try different forges and equipment so as to find out what equipment works best for them as well as to take classes when possible. Your question is similar to asking, "what car should I buy?" The answer depends on what you plan on using it for, the space you have to use it in, what you are most comfortable with, and what you can afford.

Rubber Cow mats...... Available from farm stores and designed for large animals. You can put them where you need them, move them if you rearrange your equipment.

I bet that you are right. Some sort of fantasy axe such as a zombie type weapon is the most probable goal, especially after zooming in on his avatar. .

About 22 years ago I talked to the owner of a shop in Baltimore Maryland that was selling his equipment and going out of business. He said that his two long-time employees broke so many firepots by dumping water on them while hot that he had special firepots cast for him that were employee proof. The firepots were reportedly twice as thick as a normal firepot. Sadly none of his sons and none of his employees wanted to continue the business. He had samples of shovels and other items in his display room that were made for the Federal U.S. army during the American Civil War, so his business had been there for at least several generations.

My apologies but I not sure that I understand what question(s) you are asking. Are you asking about becoming a farrier? Are you asking about the cost of establishing a shop to become an artist-blacksmith? Are you asking about the availability of someone mentoring you in their shop? If you are asking about becoming a farrier, then perhaps a forum that focuses on farriers would be more appropriate place to ask your question. This is not a forum that is likely to provide answers about being a farrier.

The search term that I suggest is "masonry forge". http://www.iforgeiro...h&fromMainBar=1 A masonry forge is basically a table comprised of four masonry legs connected by arches. This allows access to clean out the tuyer and chimney. The firepot sits just outside the chimney opening because if the firepot is between chimney supports or within the chimney, then the size of your project is limited to the size of a large horse shoe. If the firepot is too far away from the chimney opening then you can have problems with the smoke not drawing into the chimney. The size of your flue is critical, there are differences of opinion on the diameter of the flue but 12" diameter is the old standard with anything less than 10" not recommended. You can connect two small size flue pipes to create a larger diameter. The height of the top of the chimney to the roof is also important. Check your local code for fire safety requirements, and any requirements for distance of forge from your building's wall. Size of forge table is dependent on your space available, what you plan on making and your work style. A larger table allows you to have space to draw coal into the fire and space to have your tongs and other fireplace tools handy. I highly recommend trying out as many forges belonging to other folks as possible, and talking to the smiths about the advantages of features and what they would do differently if they were to build another forge. Excellent examples of masonry forges are the forges in Williamsburg Virginia, and my favorite arrangement so far is the masonry forge in Furnacetown Maryland.

It looks like a great opportunity..... if only it was not so far away.... almost in Canada.

Thank you. It was quite a learning experience researching and constructing it. I just took the government plans and started making parts from the plans for something to do, hinges, hasp, handles, fasteners, hooks, understraps, forge pan, tools to construct wheels, etc, etc, and learned as I went. I did not start making parts with the expectation of actually constructing a 1800s army Traveling Forge, I was just making parts as an exercise in something to do. You have a very nice vise that will come in handy when you do public demonstrations. While a wheeled 1800s army forge may be too much for most folks to spend time building, there are other less time consuming options for portable smithing set-ups that can be used at historical events where your vise would work excellently.

A good buy! 3.25" to 3.75" wide is pretty standard for those vises. It is a nice portable vise for use at demonstrations away from your shop. ..... You could always build a wheeled forge to go with it. ;-)

I wondered about this so I asked Wally. He told me, at a BGCM meeting about a year or so ago, that he never sold his pattern/design for his swage blocks.

I advise taking a welding course for both safety as well as to learn about what machines can and can't do, ie their limits. That said, I made the mistake of buying a welder before taking a course and found out that the cheap tombstone with the click into a limited number of settings did not have the adjustability to make decent welds as the limited settings would result in either not enough penetration or too much penetration. I always advise learning what you can about new tools and trying them before spending money on something that you will have to replace.

A bunch of good suggestions. Decide which end for the pig, you can either either cut out the shape in the center of the flat and/or the head in the handle. Or.... how about a set of three branding irons of three different pigs that can be used to brand meats as raw, medium and well-done. (Or good stuff, best cuts, and inlaw's gristle cuts ;-)

Excellent! Congratulations.

I just came across this picture of the inside of a hand forge lock. I hope that it helps. http://tudorironworks.com/padlock.htm I also keep my eye out for old forged locks in fleamarkets and antique type places. Old Germany made colonial period door locks with screw-off handles that doubled as keys are sometimes found as they were very common in Pennsylvania. Someday when I have more time, they are another project on the growing list of things to make.

Very very nice. Thank you for sharing. I use Dark Cherry Minwax stain for many wood applications.

Many years ago, I attended an auction where one guy bought absolutely every blacksmith tool, even the broken and mangled blacksmithing tools that were for sale. He was absolutely non-discriminating in what he bought. He even paid top dollar for an anvil that was missing the rear third. Since no one else was allowed to buy stuff, it became a game for the attendees to see how high they could bid him up.

jimbob makes a good recommendation. I have no idea were my copy is or the title until he mentioned it, and I could not find it in a search. My apologies, as the week progresses my brain processes decrease due to increasing sleep deprivation.

Thank you for the information, I found the high temperature gasket material of special interest and have requested them to send me a catalog. I appreciate the information. P.S. Hey Junksmith, I hope to see you at the Blacksmithing Conference in Westminster Maryland this weekend. I'll probably be only semi-conscious due to sleep deprivation, so grab my attention and say hello! My advance apologies to anyone that expects intelligence from me this weekend.

This is what I found with a search: http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Book-Locks-Locksmithing/dp/0071448292/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top