Ridgewayforge

Those are pristine. How do they work for you?

I would recommend using a bought pair of tongs first. That way you get to feel what a tong does, and you can then judge your made tong off of it.

Hello, I am looking at a Fisher #5 on the Craigs list, which is not listed with a price. It is pretty beat up, the horn is chewed up pretty bad and it is overall kinda dinged up from the picture I have. Is this a good buy? I have only a 30# railroad track as an anvil now, and if I can get this Fisher, I would like to. I my area (Maryland) anvils are not rare, but often are listed for 1.5-2 USD/lb. Would I be justified in seeing if I can score this Fisher for less than 1$/lb? Thanks, Patrick

You're off to a good start, it would appear. If you're trying to get hammer control down, and just starting out, I would save yourself some trouble and buy some straight A36 or the like from a industrial product supplier or a steelyard (depending on what you have nearby) and forge that before moving on to scrap. It will save you some troubles. Keep it up!

One problem that I can see with a header is that spikes are normally straight shanked, with no taper. This may cause problems, as all headers I have seen have been tapered to accept the nail.

If you're unhappy with the twist, try welding it together!

http://www.iforgeiron.com/page/index.html/_/blueprints/original-series/bp0002-junk-yard-rail-road-steel That is the material list you will want to study http://www.iforgeiron.com/page/index.html/_/pages/bpx-rr-track-plate-box-copy-r1089 There is a neat thing you can do with the plates. Pay it forwards, as always!

#7 is another medium carbon hook used to keep the track in place. If there is a dumping ground of them, then they still belong to the railroad and I would seek the necessary permission before taking any more. It is easier to get new high carbon stock than get out of jail, and the railroad can be pretty strict. I am not sure on the others, but check out the blueprint. It will give you some good idea of the content of these. The pandrol clips are mysteriously hard to unbend. I spent several minutes at a bright yellow trying to unbend them to no avail. Coil springs will work best for you at the current moment, as will buying some 1045 and other new stock like it. That might be best. It is money, but it is also a good way to shorten the learning curve, as you have new stock of known carbon content to judge heat color and forging toughness off of. HC does not mean high carbon as WE blacksmiths see it. they are about 20-30 points carbon. Enough for some tools, but not for chisels and the like. I would make some steak turners and other neat items out of them and sell them, to buy some good 1 inch square 1080 or some other tool steel. That will work best for you. Spikes ought to be used for decoration, not tools, basically. That's my .02

Jeff- 1) the plate can be used as an anvil in case yours, which reminds me of cast iron, fails. Keep it around, especially if you need to wail on something. It can also hold hardies. Flip it upside down on a stump andnail is down. 2) You could flatten this out and use it as tool steel flat. Read the Blueprint about Junk Steel and their compositons. 6) This is a pandrol clip. Its very hard to straighten, and hard to forge. But it is medium carbon steel, and would make good steel. However, go for coil springs first. 7) This is good steel to use. I think its 1060 or thereabouts. 9) It can be made into a small hardy tool, but its close to mild steel, so you'd need to weld a tool steel plate into it for cutting tools. But you could make perhaps a swage or fuller from it. Lots of upsetting, though. Been there, tried that, don't want to do it again....

I suppose, do you need this? It sounds as if you already have an anvil. Perhaps you ought to weigh the benefits of a second anvil based on your space and abilities.

CO is not the same as smoke. Carbon Monoxide is colorless, flavorless, and deadly. Get a CO monitor to put inside the igloo with you when you decide to do this, and make sure to have some sort of pipe to let in the fresh air.

That design is incredible! It looks very professional!

That's a good attitude to have! One day you might end up teaching someone else to smith, and might very well be passing along the small track anvil to them! Good on ya for having the gumption to want to use the stuff you've got. Let us know how it turns out, we'd love to see what you make out of your prize.

Yep, it never hurts to educate the general public. If they are willing to believe some of those things, then if you can convince them that you're not using black magic, they'll probably latch on to what you tell them just as much as their insistance on the fact that meat does not come from animals.....

Those are simple and elegant! Very nice work. I like how you managed to get it to look like pine bark, a little bit. I may have to steal such a simple design for my own use!

My vise set up!

Hm, you're right Thomas! my math is horrible. Allow me to appologize for my ignorance, and blame it heartily on the lack of coffee in my diet today.

Horizontal rail is okay, it just takes more effort. It is what I use, and I have regularly beaten down 3/4" stock. It just takes a little hard-headedness, in my opinion, as I just go at it with determination. For small stock such as beginners would be using, it is not a problem at all. (Granted, I also have mine securely fashioned to a railroad baseplate and held down with four rr spikes.) Gromgor, the question is, is it worth it to go through that much effort? You could probably scrap that rail for several hundred dollars, buy a london pattern anvil and some known stock and make tools from it, for less than you would if you used the discs and time to cut it up. Just a thought to consider.

Looks good. What are you going to inaugurate it with?

An additional point, before cutting it up, learn how high carbon forges. I attempted using rail, and got it too hot, and ruined it. I would advise chopping a 2" section off, and try it and see for yourself the skill and hard work it takes. Also, read up on the forging temperatures of steel. If you truly are a starting out, I would advise that you stick with some low carbon or hot rolled steel. That will give you the skills you need to later on make stuff out of it. Also, spring steel is easier and a little more forgiving to forge into tools, and you won't start making anything bigger than coil spring will provide you with.

Glenn, its hard to keep the mindset that any steel or iron block can be used when there is such a stigma on RR track anvils like this one. A great many posts are made on here deprecating anvils such as this. I have found these quite useful. I have a 30 pound piece of track, and with a disadvantage like the lack of mass only requires an increase in determination, elbow grease and a stubborn will. Any good smith will hammer hot iron when he can, with the tools he has, be it campfire, railroad track anvil, propane forge etc.

Thank you all for the advice and recommendations; I will sit down and do some more research and figure out how I want to proceed from here. Nevertheless, this has been an informative read for me. Thank you all!

I understand that this method is not going to be strictly practical, but as it is a hobby for me, I don't mind experimenting with non-practical methods. I want to use steel, and would like to forge it. However, it will be either plated or enameled after forging. (in those areas I have no experience. I assume it can be done). There are, in my mind, two different ways of doing this. I could take the pipe, like I said, fuller down and weld shut the center of it and flare both ends to make a very small, shot-glass sized chailce. Or, if I were looking to make a bigger cup, in my mind I could dish out a cup shape (inverted bell shape more accurately), rivet or weld to a stem (perhaps a basket twist as a decorative element) and then forge a sheet metal base and rivet or weld to it. Besides this all being highly impractical and not often if at all done, is it possible? I certainly could take up casting, but prefer working in steel. I suppose food-grade copper would also be an option, after I try once or twice.

Not a bad score, if you got a vice out of the deal!

I want to forge a chalice, for a traveling religious service. I have a few ideas, I would like expert opinions! My first thought is to take a piece of pipe, of 1" or larger ID, and flare the edge, fuller the middle for a stem and weld it shut. Then I would flare the base of it. Is this a good way to go about this? My research has proven to be fruitless. Has anyone tried this previously?