David Einhorn

I would greatly appreciate finding out what "Alum" is. Also, if anyone else has information on fire-retardants for canvas, that information would also be greatly appreciated.

Crunch, please pay close attention to Frosty's comment about used-spring-steel failure. Because of the nature of a spring moving back and forth, they can develop stress lines and fractures. A number of smiths have said that they would make tools for themselves from used springs, but not make tools for other people because of the potential liability problems if a tools was to break during use. Please be careful.

Dodge, is that photo showing a "Tire Hammer" or did you use different plans?

Good job, congratulations.

Just keep in mind that the heavy metals in galvanization are extremely poisonous especially when heated.

Congratulations on the weld and the buy on coal. One key element of forge welding with coal is perfecting controlling the coal fire. Coke the coal as it moves in from the sides. Don't dump green coal on top of the fire. Use water to control the coking of the coal as it moves from the sides of the forge inwards towards the center.

Places like Centaur Forge used to sell replacement parts, you might try there.

I use different hammers for different things. Hofi hammers for most forge work, Swedish for some forge work such as getting into corners, ball peen hammers for banging on stuff that might damage the face of a good hammer, etc.

It doesn't look too bad. I would clean it up a bit on the horn with a hand-held grinder, if you are pretty good at using a hand-held grinder. The people above gave a lot of good advice.

You're welcome, glad to help. Whoever dies with the biggest toy wins.

Two ways come to mind: 1) Old way of carbonizing steel, soak iron warm/hot in ashes of carbon from paper, hoofs, etc. 2) Modern way is to purchase steel. I don't know anyone except perhaps purists in Japan that uses method one now-adays.

I see the house, fields and trees. Pennsylvania in the fall.

It classifies as a machinist's vise and not a "blacksmith's Vise". The only value is as a used modern machinist vise.

Before cutting I would humbly suggest comparing the size of your firepot to either a Champion firepot or a cast firepot offered by a vendor such as Centaur Forge. The danger is to decrease the depth of the firepot so much that you raise the over-oxygen rich area above the surface of the forge, in which case you are then blasting your iron with too much oxygen. If I remember correctly, the excess oxygen accelerates the conversion of the iron piece to scale. I don't remember what the excessive about of carbon does to the iron. Perhaps someone else here remembers. I'm a bit sleep-deprived. The Champion firepot is a very good size, in my opinion. ;-)

Well, the price of $26 I got was from their current online catalog found at: Antique Ordnance Publishers - Catalog Sheet . If anyone wants to see the current prices of the publications of Antique Ordnance Publishers, and the current shipping costs that is probably the place to look. Maybe someone is still selling copies at the older price. As far as a limber, yes a limber and limber chest would be nice, but I only know of two living history groups that have displayed both a Traveling Forge with a limber. Most smiths were happy just to be able to complete the forge part and use that. Yes that might not be authentic without the limber, but most people who attempt to construct a Traveling Forge burn-out before even the forge part could be completed. It is a big project. Many people and groups have planned and even started constructing one, but very very few actually have spent the massive amount of time and money completing even the forge part of the Traveling Forge. I applaud and respect anyone who can actually finish the Traveling Forge shown in book No. 61, super-especially respect anyone who has built one single-handed. I have a short stack of the various books of Captain Mortecai's plans that apply to the smith including the Traveling Forge, Limber, Artillery Implements, No. 1 Carriage, Tack for the horses pulling the Limbers, Battery Wagon..... which reminds me... to be really authentic you will need a Battery Wagon, two Limbers, two Limber chests just to carry all the tools. A Traveling Forge always traveled with a Battery-Wagon, and that battery wagon also had its Limber with its Limber Chest full of tools. ;-) The estimated costs of being an Authentic Civil War smith are posted at: http://wiki.bgcmonline.org/bin/view/BlacksmithInfo/CivilWarPeriodTravelingForge

The depth of the firepot is for the purpose of creating a neutral zone where a rod inserted into the coal would end up just above the firepot. The area of the length of the heated area will be determined by the length of the firepot. The purpose of the neutral zone is to have an area of the fire above the over oxygenated area, and below the over-carbon area of the fire. One way to have a long area in a coal fire is to run a pipe along the floor of the forge with air slits in it for the air to be distributed over a longer area. For a large iron tire/hoop, memory tells me someone built a large circular forge with an air pipe, with holes, circling the forge under where the round tire would sit in the coal. In most applications the smith heats and works on one area of the iron at a time, limiting the size of the heated area to the area he/she can practically work on before it cools to the point that it has to be returned to the fire.

In the past a Sears Craftsman metal tool box, painted black, and a bucket. Hopefully in the future, first in the coal box behind the Traveling Forge, and perhaps eventually in the tool box/Limber Chest if I ever get that built.

Very nice website, congratulations on both the website and the images of forged items on the site!

Very nice. Mistakes are how one learns. Without mistakes there can be no learning. Very nice work.

Then if I was in your position, I would run down and purchase it while I had the chance. My largest vise is only 6.25 inches across and weighs only 100 pounds. Some day I would like to have 7 inches or even 8.

Yes indeed, the plan old standard tip cleaner. And as was mentioned above be very careful not to use a cleaner-thingy too large and clean gently and as little as possible so as not to change the opening size. I just poked the cleaning tool through the opening once and that was enough.

Sears has one, but I greatly prefer Hofi's hammer.

Very interesting, thank you for posting photographs.

On that brand, most likely your forge's orifices need cleaning. Try the orifice cleaner tool that is used to clean the tips on Oxy-Acetylene equipment.

Size does matter, the stand doesn't as far as I am concerned for determining a price. The larger the vice or anvil, the larger the project that you can do on it. The price seems reasonable, if it is in good shape. I am a bit confused as to your description of a vise that was abused and cracked. Is the vise you are looking at abused and cracked? If it is abused and cracked then the price is way too high. If it is in good shape, then I would consider it a rare find.