David Gaddis

NOT TOO LATE..seems you are right on time. Put legs on it and enjoy. The great thing about a striking anvil is you can really whale away at it or the piece of steel aimed at and not destroy a valuable tool. In the end you pull out the grinder and remove whatever evidence you want to. ENJOY Carry on

All of you are wrong! For the first time ever I can see a nice size crawdad cooker for the work site! Cook em' up...use that thing on the end to hold your plate or brew...throw the residue out the door...enjoy until the boss comes in. Put all the salt and stuff you want into the mix and never have it rust our in your lifetime....Jealous of you friend. All us poor guys where I life have to use those shinny aluminum tanks to cook our bugs in. Maybe when I grow up I can have a multi-tasking counterweight like that! Carry on

Look at some post like "square peg into round hole". I watched and helped Brian Brazeal and Lyle Wynn put a 1 inch square hole into a heated 3 inch thich piece of steel a few weeks ago. YOU could do it too. 1)Started out with a 7/8 in diameter hole 2)Indexed the square drift into the cold hole so that it would line up easily when heated. That means the round hole is bruised with the drift so that 4 upsets are set up on the circle...front side then coordinated on the reverse side too 3)weld on the ends an appropriate handle to safely manipulate the piece when heated 4)heat appropriately...the whole piece may not need to be so very hot as the hole location 5)move the piece safely to a striking location with good support...to remove any warpage tendencies 6)insert drift and make 2 good hits, returning drift to cooling solution 7)insert drift to finish the hole 8)drive from reverse side too 9)cool and remove handles as necessary 10)post cooling may reveal a "too tight" situation for the drift to pass through easily 11)re-drift cold! 12)enjoy a beverage while you photograph your new project...while expressing WOW with larg grin 13) Exclaim "I DID IT!" carry on

Sorry for the double post...maybe an administrator can remove one

It does not take a big experiment to understand what the sand and oils can do to this project. Get your recorder out to capture the noise before and after installing the sand. The noise is reduced a lot. FOR an easy answer take a piece of tubing from around the shop and bang on it with the hammer..not while you are holding it..but propped up somewhere. The report of noise is loud. Now fill that tube with sand and beat on it. Go back to you recorder (iphone, etc) and compare. WOW! Better reduction than 10 feet of chain wrapped around the anvil in some cases.

It does not take a big experiment to understand what the sand and oils can do to this project. Get your recorder out to capture the noise before and after installing the sand. The noise is reduced a lot. FOR an easy answer take a piece of tubing from around the shop and bang on it with the hammer..not while you are holding it..but propped up somewhere. The report of noise is loud. Now fill that tube with sand and beat on it. Go back to you recorder (iphone, etc) and compare. WOW! Better reduction than 10 feet of chain wrapped around the anvil in some cases.

You may want to find a piece a little wider. Sometimes when striking items like a hammer, the hot piece would / may be positioned across the anvil while being supported by bolsters. Even the widest dimension mentioned seems to be a bit dangerously narrow. From being around the striking anvil I have seen a whole lot of energy is being passed to the anvil. If there is a shortage of width to support the pieces receiving the hit could go flying in all sorts of directions. The best part about this topic is showing others that a good stiking anvil is all about the individual and the various items that can be used. Some people are using things previously just though of a large chunks of metal now converted into a well deserved anvil object. How big does it need to be? As big as you can desire or less. If you put economics into the mix compare the cost of what Brian's new striking anvil as compared to a "real" anvil. Readily "the well abused" stiking anvil will become an economical choice. It does not require the extra expense of high grade metal. Also: If it is thick enough and has too many dings...get the grinder out and re-surface to you heart's desire. As Brian stated before do consider the height for top of anvil PLUS the material PLUS the top tools. For some items that brings the proper stiking height up another 7 or 8 inches...maybe more. And consider what happens to your expensive anvil when you mis the striking tools! There are many folks that have taken large chunks off the sides of their prized anvils for such an occurance. I put several dings in one of Brian's striking anvil myself. Something about these bifocal glasses and striking. Others may have the same situation. Carry on

That is a very nice clean stand. I even like the wooden blocks since you have decided in NOT bolting it down to the concrete. On this forum therre are many "I have the best idea" persons. In the future after using some others' setup you too may find out that your dream design could be improved upon. But here your design is clean and functional. Besides , with this setup you can get your feet really close up under your work if you want too. Congrats Carry on

driving a few hours is NOTHING comparred to the remainder of your new career. call Brian...drive a few hours...i promise you the experience is a great beginning. besides...the tools and hammer along with instructions is waaaayyy more than the dollar cost To veryfy just google or ifi search his name then ask Lyle to help you strike your hammer if he is busy give me a call...be glad to help. There is so much to learn here in Mississippi in short amount od time. Yes there are other good instructors...so not meaning to not put them down carry on

If you save that motor for another project you would do yourself a favor. Purchase another used motor of better design and save yourself a lot of problems. Any belt that has a 2" diameter shaft that is spinning at 7500 rpm is gonna be toast in short time. The surface feet per minute that is required for the belt to acquire tractive force and remain in contact is a problem. In short the sheave will be throwing the belt away from contact. Very few operations have power belts in excess of 3600 rpms for that reason. Yes there are a few...like specialized grinder operations...and they have expensive belt following tension-izers. Even the automotive industry realized this phenomenon after a gozillion years and went to the serpentine belt..which is designed to travel at very high feet per minute. Those grinder kit designering guys have pretty much perfected the system...so consider using their information. in my life I too have re-invented the wheel because it was not round enough...and yes...I ended up at the wheel store to make a good purchase. Just saying.... Now for proof one can look at my junk pile and see many mistakes. The good stuff is on a piece of machinery being used. Carry on

In years ago we used hydrated lime. Get yourself a metal bucket and a bag of hydrated lime (it is a very fine powder), when reaching the right temp plunge the metal into the lime. A slight dust bloom will occur so try not to breath in. Most likely will not hurt you anyway. Go to the movie or something lengthy like returning the next morming to dig out the piece. We used to make drawbar pins for dozers and tractors so the material was used that way. Same bag lasted more than 5 years. We used a tall metal trashcan with a lid to keep the critters from falling in. Vermiculite can be used the same way. But do use a metal container in a safe location. Good luck and Carry on

impossible to explain it any better

Same stand Although not finished , as in holders for tools mounted around the edges or ends, this stand works. Top deck is 3/4 drop from steel company with 2x2x1/4 legs. Legs are filled with sand and oil, that is installed through sunken flush plugs under the anvil. Only two bolts hold the anvil steadily when tightened on the angle-iron clamps. Noise: on the nose and body...very little : on the heel...a bit loud but acceptable Vibration: yes because it is not yet mounted into concrete there is NO cushioning between anvil base and mounting unit Anvil: Kohlswa 125ish, a little low for some, 28 inch tall to top Future: hooks for the bicycle chain strap, top tools storage under the tail Feature: You can stand right up close to this mounting with your feet underneath if you need to. One leg under the horn allows you to stand with eye sight right down the edge of the anvil for keen alignment purposes. Wishes: Yeah..I wished I had this a while ago Carry on

Most spring shops I ever had any dealing with rolled the metal through a three-wheel device that was powered. As one wheel closed into the specified position the new radius was formed. Variable radius were formed by computer controlling the third wheel roller. Sometime you see people bending tubing the same way but with specific dies to elimate tubing collapse.

Looking forward to putting this info into the shop and then to the metal. Thanks for info Carry on

Beau I just last week got a 2x72 Grizzly belt sander. Now I wished I had purchased it years ago. Not that it replaces any of the 7 small grinders I have plugged in at all time, but it certainly will sharpen a slitter, hot cut, and fingernail very effeciently. I have not used one of those expensive 2x72 bladesmithing devices to compare quality. My Grizzly is satisfactory with a purpose built stand. Carry on

In the past we used some heavy I beams and H beams with similar measurements...but they were incredibly stronger, as they were made to T1 specs. Many times T1 is used as a thinner cross sectional value to give the same strength however much lighter. Our usage of the T1 was for heavy hauling trailer rails to move cranes, dozers, large structures. Their unique design made a trailer that was not nearly as tall as it would be if made from A36, etc, yet a tremendous weight savings. One trailer was almost twice the capacity of the A36 type stuff. Not sure if it was A36 back then...30 years ago. Things change Carry on

Something to think about...if there is a selection that can be made from: some shapes of anvils are more suited for differing operations. Look at the example you have posted. Notice the top is very long, making it nice to straighten out long shapes. The middle or the waist of the anvil is quite thin compared to the top length, making the top very thin and not as strong. Some may call the a ferrier's anvil as those smiths are generally not hitting very thick heavy material. Now to consider the "structural smith" or blacksmith, he may want to have an anvil with a waist that is comparatively thick leaving that end with more support. There are terms for all those places but since you are just starting to look for anvils I am leaving all that out for the sake of easy description. Also some anvils are less wide on the top (face). Many smiths like that so that they can work the metal better when drawing so that to cross the top would not require such a long piece. Of course there is lots to learn. I have purchased an anvil in the past that was a mistake..did it twice. The anvil you are looking at is okay for many and not for some. When you go to get "your" anvil be preparred to make a longtime investment. It will be expensive, so don't waist your hard earned money on the wrong thing. Do not spend good money after bad tools. I did. If I had saved all that money I could have purchase a new one or a very good used one. There are people on this site that sell anvils and you can get a good idea of the quality before you purchase. Those people are in an area that anvils are plentiful, unlike where you and I reside. Try to use some anvils from others' shops to find out the shape you desire. carry on

If you were to build a tool box for blacksmithing, what size would you make the box, what would be a suggested weight of the box, and what tools or other objects would you include in the box? I spoke with David and have made changes to the original post to make it more generic.

When I grew up, and my kids too, there were many times the "jacks" were left on the floor. For those that are unaware of their shape, jacks are little 3 deminsional metal stars, that play havoc on any barefooted grandpa's trip to the toilet! I can still feel them now. But that swage block...maybe it is a different kind of hurting sensation. I would chose the swage block over the jacks any time. Carry on

When making tools one of the qualities that is required is heat treatment techniques. As an experiment with son in law we took 5160 spring steel and worked it several ways ...in oil...in water...in air....for the quenching. Now this was a 15/16 rod with a slight crook on the end like a prybar. The water quenched snap broke, the oil stayed true and could lift a bulldozer track, the air cooled was about like the prybar you get at Hoover Freight. Quite usable in most situations though. We then took each and re-heated to way-red hot...above magnetic and cooled them in the gas forge with the doorsclosed and other bricks placed around the openings. Thenext morning you could easily drill the metal and witha shop hammer leave markes all over the metal. Maybe it was softer than the A36 I use most times. Point being...since you are learning all this new stuff try to include some shop heat treatment techniques so that you can build the tools you will be using. You family and you yourself will appreciate it. Heat treating tools that are to be used hot need not be heat treated. Carry on

It looks right for the purpose. Not many times does it work out like that. So..I do not think if you had all month the project would have ended up any more appropriate. Lovely Carry on

Please give a brief description on your technique...coloring...material...welding...weight And of course: Did you use worms or crickets?

Sure has always been a lot of talk about a stump stand. Unfortunately for me I have used few stump mounted anvils. If my anvil was mounted in a stump and at the right height to me I most likely would be as happy as anyone could be. Then if I went over to cusin Joe's place and his anvil felt better...then that is what I would want. I have a sand filled trapezoid stand that I liked rather well...very heavy to move and quiet. Then I went to wide angled three legged things that can dance like a 4 year old. Since then I have learned about the steep angled three legged things from Brian Brazeal and am well impressed. I do not think it is the answer for everyone. With the three-legged stand you can get really close if you need too...unlike my sand filled trapezoid. My sand filled trapezoid is still smaller than many folks wooden stumps..from those pictures that I have seen. Many people here on this forum will consider the situation a Ford vs Chev comparison...so what is your favorite? Perhaps Glenn will post an inquirey like the hammer handle question. That would be interesting information for all of us to see. Carry on

ANVILFOLK...I like the angle of the legs you put under your stand. When I built my first open stand I made the legs about 30 degrees off vertical...which in turn made them way too springy. Yes they were stronger for other operations but that really made them too wide in the stance. Strange how much closer you can place your feet to the anvil if need arises. Good to see you using the thing afterso much decisions to be made. Enjoy! Carry on