Daniel.85

Borrow away, only because you're in Missouri too though :)

What would you need to run in continuously?

It was made special for me actually, I'll let you know where to send it so I can have it back. jk.... Cool find though, to bad the name is worn off, Im sure they could have had it stamped custom. Ive not seen one like that though.

Thanks! ya I thought it up when I was tinkering around, I guess the inspiration kinda came from the scrolls and twists I was doing with the hooks I had been making. It is a little springy, I will try to not draw down the stock so much, I was starting with 3/8 square. another angle

I felt I had made enough S hooks and wanted to try to make something else. My first attempt at a bottle opener did not look so great, so I got a pen and paper and drew out a little plan, then made a second one, here is what came out. I drew out the metal to about 9in long, scrolled one end and made a little flat tooth on the other, bent almost at the halfway point so that the tooth would be about half and inch from the end of the scroll. I then twisted the two together so that It would not be too springy and bend the bottom tooth upwards to get a little better grip on the cap.

Looks like your off to a great start, that thing is sweet!

Picked these up off Craigslist today, they cleaned up nice! The big one has a replaced leg but It works great, I didn't have any before today.

I like the tree idea, anything with a natural aspect to it is always really cool.

well then it would be taller than it is wide lol, Im not setting up a huge shop, just a little storage/work area. I will be moving in a couple years anyway, Ill make sure I have room for a bit shop then.

Im keeping my eye out for my first one, hoping to snatch one off craigs for a less than ebay price.

Seems sturdy, with anything anvil related its the thicker the better, cram as much mass as you can under the hammer. Sounds like it would be well suited for that size anvil if you want to put the time into it and you would still be able to use it if you get a little larger anvil. I would want some type of bracket to be able to lock the anvil down to the base plate as well so it wont wobble. Wood bases can be ok as well, lots of guys build them or use tree stumps for their anvils and they work great. I made one for my rail anvil.

For me, on craigslist stuff, if its $100 or less its a good deal... more than 250 it better be pretty darn nice or rare/cool. Not sure if this one has sold for that price. http://springfield.craigslist.org/tls/2848156534.html

I will talk to the guy about doing 12' Im thinking 10'minimum from the feedback Ive gotten so far.

Just keep at it and dont get frustrated, you'll improve as you go and figure out what tools you need. I would recommend a good pair of tongs from the get go. Start looking around swap meets and flea markets for rail road track pieces for an anvil. Have fun!

Maybe email the guys at http://www.littlegianthammer.com/ Similar hammers, they may have come across them in their work.

Now if you can get a tv spot at 3am to sell those and show how they cut cans and frozen stuff and pipes then still slice tomatoes you'll be rich enough you wont have to talk to us anymore! haha, jk, Very cool knife, does your anyang do well when you get down to that thin of work, or did you do more regular hammering?

Looks good!

Ramsberg I found it - http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/tcleft/top_index.htm I will have to try that!

Thanks for the encouraging words and ideas! To respond to some of you; Greenbeast - Yes by quarter turn each hit I meant more that I flip it back and forth, not in a circle as I'm going, although I did try it, it really is more awkward. Ramsberg - Thanks for the info on the bolts, I wasn't sure what sized I would use but I do want to do that for sure. That Treble Cleft Chime link just goes to the list of projects, I couldn't seem to find it in the list, is there another link? yea3114u - I have seen someones rail anvil with those parts shaped like you mentioned, I may do something like that and make a leather sheath for it to cover when I'm working. DanBrassaw- I got the non treated wood from lowes, I didnt want to breath that stuff in. I like the hardwood top idea though with the wooden mallet, that would make it look a bit nicer as well. The second day I was able to make a few more, they were all looking good like the one here, it was my first that day, much better than my first one the day before.

Good stuff, thanks for posting.

Thanks! great pictures, looks like a blast. There is nothing cooler than making a tool, then making something with that tool.

Remember the size of the round stock? https://picasaweb.google.com/106506050631612810521/DanDay1WithBrian?authuser=0&feat=directlink&gsessionid=hhPI-BVvF2AeY6fRjA42sA#5716583037604685522

Thanks, and ya the couple that I scrolled out were a little easier to hang stuff on.

This is my first big post, you guys, and this site are awesome, hope you enjoy my newbie stuff! Got my first full day of hammering in yesterday, going out again today. Up till now Ive been just reading/researching and getting things set up for as cheap as I can and now as I start working I will add the tools I need and buy what I need. In April I will have my workshop built at my house finally, but for now I have my stuff set up at my moms farm and I just make stuff for around there. I'm starting out practical, no magical ninja weapon crafting here, reading till I understand the basic terminology of blacksmithing, hamering out basic projects that involve drawing/tapering/twisting/cutting and as I get comfortable with those I can make them more elaborate or move on to more complex items. I am approaching it like playing guitar, starting with a cheap beginner one because the things I would play wont sound any better on a high end model. Then as I use it, get the feel of it, and start to be held back by it as my skill increases I can justify spending the money on a nicer one I can appreciate and benefit from. I'm working on a Rail anvil, its made from a 100lb piece of some type of crane railing I picked up for $20, sitting on a frame I built from 2x6 boards and a 1/2" steel plate. I will eventually cut the wood down so the rail is the tallest part and bolt it to the frame, but for now its working great. I know those straps will get burned eventually, but for $10 I'm not too worried. and a ball peen hammer I got from my dads stuff after he passed away last year, I shined it up good! So I grabbed my hammer and my 3/8 square A36 bar stock and here is what I was able to do yesterday, these are laying out in the order I made them, you can see how they got better as I went. The time consuming part is tapering 3/8 down to about 1/4 and keeping it square. It is good practice though so I don't mind for now, I got pretty good keeping my hammer blows in the same spot and just moving the work underneath it. I think Im going to straighten out that middle one when I go back today. Here you see the start of one, tapering and drawing out the larger bar, turning a quarter turn every hit to keep it square. When it is drawn out to where I want I do a scroll on one end. then cut and scroll the other then twist, quench, clean on a wire wheel, rub with vegetable oil and hang Couple others I made Thanks for reading! I hope I can keep doing this and sharing as I learn. Regards Daniel PS This is the workshop I drew up, got a few quotes and Its going to be built in April, I needed some type of storage/work area out here anyway, but now its definitely going to be set up with blacksmithing in mind as well.

Thats the best thing Ive seen in a long time. Thanks for your work.