David Einhorn

Used peanut oil from restaurants works well. Smells pretty good too.

Lets just say, use the best that you can afford. If what you have is a chunk of iron, stainless or not, then use what you have. The smith who taught my first exposure to blacksmithing in his shop had a thick piece of armor plate that he used as a surface to flatten stuff that were longer than his anvil. It can be handy to have a long piece of iron for flattening long stuff.

I highly recommend watching a tape of a presentation by Hofi on how he uses his hammers. If I remember correctly he posted an explanation somewhere on this forum. I was privileged to attend a presentation he gave locally on his hammer technique. If I remember correctly he tapered a large steel bar, at least one inch square, to a point... in one heat! He made a lot of converts that day. He got an incredible amount of work done in one heat with a hammer that was not very large.

Yes, that is a much better price.

You might try cleaning up the split with some file-work. I suggest widening the split so that both sides are even, then use a round file to round-up the bottom of the slit. The goal is to make all parts look 1) deliberate and 2) organic

You might also consider insulating the building as way to reduce how much noise reaches your neighbors.

I have had hand and shoulder surgery, so I very much love my Hofi hammers.

I haven't bought from a junk yard in a while but it sounds a bit high. On the other hand it looks like you got some good stuff.

Nice job of reforging.

I agree. It doesn't look like a triphammer to me. A bit more overhang on the ends than colonial anvils that I have seen.

Verizon has finally returned service, more or less, to where I live, so I can now use my cell phone if necessary. Can you hear me now.... sort of.

Interesting discussion. We used to have horses. To make a long story short we gave up one after it kicked me and tried to stomp me to death, and found a home for another one when we finally figured out that it was too hot for us to handle. Right now we have just empty stalls because of current finances. When people ask about shoeing horses, I just tell them that my wife would never let me try to shoe hers, but if they bring theirs by I would be willing to give it a try. That has always ended the horse type comments.

I have also noticed that the cheaper discs don't have the industry standard codes printed on them to tell you the properties of the disc. I look for an "N" in the code to tell me that the disc is designed for fast material removal.... if I remember correctly.

I agree entirely. I purchase "plain finish" fasteners and threaded rod from the local Fastenal store. That way I avoid welding or forging other heavy metals that stuff may be coated with like nickel.

I wear a welder's cap when in my shop, especially when using power tools. It keeps stuff out of my hair, which from reading the previous postings, sounds like a good idea.

Molten metal is pretty dangerous. Spatter is a bad thing. Using a mold helps keep things contained and safe. Hopefully, someone with more expertise on casting can explain it better.

My drawing ability is pretty bad. Can one submit pictures with explanations of how it was made, or must it be a set of drawings? I find the implications of the term blueprint a bit intimidating. Maybe others would also find themselves less reluctant to post how-to stuff if the label was changed to something like "Projects - How to make them".

For your safety, no cookie sheets. Molten metal can be a safety concern. I recommend sand-casting with a two-part upper and lower mold using foundry sand, and not taking any shortcuts on safety.

It depends on the amount of rust, what you are forging, and whether the rust is uneven. My humble observation is that the more refined the finished surface you are aiming for, the more concerned you will likely be about rust on your iron, scale on the anvil, as well as blemishes on the anvil or hammer surfaces. If you are hammering a tent stake such concerns are minimal. If you are aiming to have a knife with a mirror or etched finish, then such concerns increase dramatically.

New Edge of the Anvil: A Resource Book for the Blacksmith (Paperback) Author: Jack Andrews Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: SkipJack Press; 1st edition (September 1994) ISBN-10: 1879535092 ISBN-13: 978-1879535091 This book is an excellent introduction to blacksmithing and is the book that I recommend to anyone interested in starting out in smithing. It is an excellent addition to any smith

Early American Wrought Iron: 3 Books in One (Hardcover) Author: Albert H. Sonn Reprinted 2007 Hardcover: 750 pages Publisher: Blue Moon (2007) ISBN-10: 0970766467 This book is an extremely detailed and comprehensive book documenting sketches of early American wrought ironwork and has been used by at least one smith as his catalog. I consider this a must-have for anyone serious about understanding, reproducing or drawing inspiration from colonial era ironwork. The author thoroughly covered the complete range of functional and decorative ironwork from hinges, kitchen ware, and just about every forge iron object one could imagine wanting information about.

Title: The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the Confederate States Army Author: Prepared Under the Direction of Col. J Gordas, Chief of Ordnance Originally Published 1863 Reprinted by Morningside Press, in 1995 ISBN: 0-89029-033-4 The book is approximately 600 pages. This manual is an update of the 1850 United States Ordnance Manual. It includes updates to equipment that occurred between 1850 and American War Between the States (Civil War). The history of smithing technology tends to reflect the history of military technology. This book was written during the mid-1800s to provide information for the smith/artisan to be able to build and maintain military equipment of that time period. Included in this book is valuable information on a variety of subjects that include but not limited to formulas for a blacksmith

Thank you again for the input. Sadly one local smith has bought into this myth of civilian traveling smiths. Apparently he has taken a 20th century farm wagon with iron hub wheels, thrown a bellows and fireplace in it and is telling everyone that it is a true representation of mid-1800s civilian blacksmithing. It seems that he has also told a local newspaper as well as various locals, that he is finishing up a book on the construction of this wonderment.

Please keep in mind that Thermite is 23.7% aluminium and 76.3% iron oxide, not a good combination for safety in one's shop.

Very very nice work. If you ever get tired of it, I'm sure a line will form to offer to take it off your hands. Congratulations.