Ridgewayforge

Go for it! Haggle a bit.. go for the "I just spent XXX dollars on my trip up here" or something. Seldom will a nice vice just crop up wihout maybe a cousin anvil or some item of interest.

Harley, That is a sweet shop! I love the organized chaos on the outside. Looks rustic and splendid. WofShield, you sure are lucky to be told to go build the shop! Most of the time its more of a begging and pleading case.

WolfShield, That is a PERFECT small shop! All it needs is a handforged bracket holding a sign!

those brave men have given up their freedom, either temporarily or permanently, so that we might have ours preserved.

I am familiar with what precisely enamal is made of.. But it will probably chip and crack off the iron if heat is exposed to it. Otherwise, refractory cement and fire bricks might just make it usable. I like the idea!

I've seen someone use a double sink made out of stainless as a forge. One issue might be depth of the sink though. You'd have to make some cuts in the sink to get long pieces through, but a double sink could be used as a quench tub as well as forge, two in one! I forget the link, but I think popular mechanics featured a guy a while back who did this with the stainless.

Those are crisp, cleen and really well done. Good work! That must be a satisfying project to have done right before quittin' time.

The part two was posted a while back, sure is a neat video! I like to see that he can to a good forging video and have it done well. It makes it interesting, while still keeping the flavor of what's going on. ~Ridge

That's a flux he puts on. It reduces and eliminates the scale formation when welding, allowing for a clean, solid weld. He first split the (presumably) mild steel head, and forge welded a high carbon wedge in with it, to give it durability. A flux is usually something like sand, borax or the like. My question is how does he have ANY arm hair if he always tests his tools like that? :blink: Silly me! I did not think to welcome you! Hello and welcome to IFI! If you put your location on your profile, you may find that there are a few smiths in the area who would be more than happy to show you around, if you ask politely. The search function is invaluable on IFI, so be sure to make use of it! Anyways, welcome aboard, you seem to be off to a good start by taking a class! Thanks for posting the video!

What size bar did you begin with? They look fantastic, though I am curious: Did you weld on the adjustable part so that it sits 90 deg from the reins?

Is this pretty much the same stuff that you can buy at Lowes?

I think, IMHO, that you would do it pretty much the same as coal, though charcoal burns quicker. A deeper fire might be a little better for this reason.

Is it just me, or does it look like the Climax's handle was fixed, only on the wrong side of the blower? It looks like it would hit against the air pipe coming from the blower's exhaust.

That's a beauty! Nice DIY Anvil stand!

I like the sob story! :D I'll go ahead. Is there anything I can do to get it to coast freely if it is a little bit stiff?

I know what you mean about them being too hard to find... I wish there was a company that still made hand-cranked blowers-there's enough of a market for it. I might be able to get the blower for $125, but no lower than that. I'll have to check on the condition. Here are two photos: From the pictures it looks fair, the man says it blows really well, but I'll have to check on the free-turning of it. I'm just worried that the gears are worn out.

So, are these middle of the road blowers? I won't be able to get one under $100, so is it a good deal? In MD there is a shortage of forges and blowers, and I'm getting to the end of my rope with resources.

Does anyone know a good price for a Buffalo Forge 200 "silient" model blower? I've been looking for a forge blower for a while, and I'm wondering what a fair price would be for one of these.

That's a nice aquisition!

If those are your "wall of shame" tongs, I'd hate to see the good ones! :) Good work!

I'll have to try that sometime! Wonderful texture on all the pieces, truly a great few pieces of handiwork.

Those are some nice twists! How'd you do each of them? Excellent work on all four items!

Brian, that is a neat video! Really explains a lot about forge welding and the techniques. That and TechnicusJoe's video on welding are some of the most helpful I've seen.

Getting suspended is generally bad... I laud you for doing it for the right reason! (though I feel obliged to say there could've been a better alternative.. I dunno, its very case-specific) Nah, most of my friends think its cool, neat or something like that. I'm sure one day I'll get one "that's so dumb" or something thereabouts. I'm glad to hear you're okay.

Frank, I looked it up and you are right: It appears to be a Buffalo Forge. I'll let everyone know if I score this gem! Thanks for your help!