Thomas Dean

Check out www.saltforkcraftsmen.org This is the Oklahoma group for ABANA. If you are a mind to you can make a meeting nearly every Sat. somewhere in OK! There is a meeting close to you on Dec.15 and I highly encourage you to make it. You will meet some great smiths and people....some of them are even in the same body ;) Contact some of the officers to get dates for Jan.

My deepest sympathies for your loss, Bart. I pray for you, your Mom, and the rest of the family during this time. Fantastic that you now have the anvil and know how to use it! I'm sure as you do use it you will think of your Dad, and others before him, with pride.

Praying for you, Brother

Pictures do help! Your location will also determine a lot on how much the anvil will bring. If My Dad was cleaning our to downsize and we 'found' an anvil you can bet your sweet bippy it would NOT go up for sale at an auction. Mainly because it is subject to end up in someone's yard with a pot plant on it or in a 'collection' gathering dust. I would sale it to someone that would put it back to use...and have done so with several anvils I've had in the past...all going to newbies just starting out in the trade/craft/art.

I use a Delta 16" bandsaw. nothing underneath...mainly because I haven't thot of it but I get clean cuts. You can cut any non-ferrous metal with a band saw with no problems. It's what I use to cut 16oz. copper for my roses. (and it doesn't hurt you blade either)

Have you tried "Iron Mountain" welding flux? You can stick a weld at a red heat with one blow and then finish the weld at a welding heat as normal. Amazing stuff. You can purchase it from Brian Brazeal in Miss. Can't remember where he gets it. Much easier than EZ flux, (I have both and much prefer "Iron Mountain") but it has iron powder in it so you don't want to use in an open pattern weld as Mr. Turley states. Brian Brazeal is a member here on IFI and may weigh in on this thread. You can contact him thru a PM.

Good score! and at a good price. The "squished" tip of the horn is very common, acutally, I've seen fewer anvils with the point intact. If you ever bump into on with a sharp point you will understand the 'why' a whole heck of a lot better! If you want it pointed that is a fairly easy fix as all the metal is still there just displaced a little. heat the tip and forge the point back on. This is wrought iron and will move with little problems. Congrats on a sweet find

Dave, you amaze me. Very nice and something that they will treasure for a long long time. Well done.

Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! You need to find Tsur Sada! he lives south of you, more in the southern district. He is a fantastic smith and often teaches here in the USA. I took a class under him several yrs ago, good teacher/instructor. Tell him Tommy Dean from East Texas sent you...and tell him also I say "Howdy" and Shalom

Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! Where are you from? This place has members from 50+ countries so if we knew where you are we could problem hook you up with a real live blacksmith type person. This IS the place for anything metal related for sure so enjoy your stay. Hope we can be of some help and look forward to seeing your work and learning from you as well.

Go to www.abana.org and check the list for affiliates near you. There is also something here on IFI to locate a group near you but you will have to go to the forum page to find it, sorry.

Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! First off Congrats on your marriage! I did that 38+yrs ago and have never regretted it...of course when you marry up like I did....Enjoy the site but make sure the little Lady knows where you are so she can send a rescue party in if need be. Post pictures of your work, we do like pictures. Again, welcome

THAT is cool!! What a blessing to have a son that is interested in doing something with his dad. He did a fantastic job! "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for Life." Teach a son how to make a fish is Priceless!! I'm with Harold, I will be using this in the future! Thanks for sharing.

That is not a bad looking anvil. The face is original and the body looks to be solid wrought. The bummed up edges of the hardie hole are due most likely to the farrier working cold shoe, pretty common now. I think you did good on it. Take a flapper wheel on your angle grinder and take the sharp edges off the chipped places on the face edge and you are good to go.

Hey Sam. Just exactly were you? I grew up in Central TEXAS and now live in the Longview area--2 hrs east of Big D. If'n you every make it down again you have another to visit, you're welcome anytime. Yes, James is a super guy to be around. Never hear anything negative out of him and is ready to share his knowledge with anyone.

Brian Brazeal has one on one classes and YOU decide what you want to learn. He's in Brandon, Miss. and he is a member here also. Also there is the Gunters, they are in Moriarty, NM about 45min. east of ALB. NM. You can contact them at www.g3blacksmithing.com

That's not a bad price for that anvil. No, you didn't steal it but you did get a good deal I think.

Very nice! and good for you! If ya don't mind, how much did you end up paying?

DON'T mill the top!! Give it a good wite wheel brushing and use it. When you grind or mill the surface you are taking years of use off the top.

Oil-sorb is the same as cheap kitty litter and will work. Look under forges-solid fuel under in the forums and there is a recipe for this type of liner. IIRC you need to use portland cement with the oil-sorb/kitty-litter.

Without a doubt THE BEST video I have seen in a while. 2 kids and their Dad working on something together and using the same tools that their forefathers used is simply fantastic! Me hat's off to ye.

Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! Yes, you should line this forge with clay or some sort of refratory. It is cast iron and needs that protection. Also, the crack on the top rim can be repaired by using a 1/4" x 1" x ?"long strap, drill holes about 3/4" from the edge of the crack on each side and hole to match on the strap and bolt the strap across the crack. I would also find the end of the crack and drill a small (1/8") at the end, this will keep the crack from traveling further down into the fire pan. I also have a forge like this that I have restored to good use and I found a nice piece of leather at a saddle shop. We used to have webbed belts in our plant and had the connectors so I was able to get ahold of some of this but you can use other methods to attach. Great that you were able to save these pieces from the scrappers!! If you update your profile and give your general location we can better help you by maybe putting you in contact with other like minded addics! Welcome aboard and look forward to seeing you progress.

Amen. And may GOD comfort the familes of those that gave the Supreme Sacrifice, for you too are heros.

I'm with Tim! when ya gonna build the extention? Seriously, looks good. and looks like you do have room to expand if you ever need to. Enjoy retirement!

Sounds to me that you need to keep your piece HOT, you may be working too cold. Cold metal doesn't move as easy and therefore can "act like a level and really wrench on my wrist pretty good...." Also sounds like you need better hammer control. this comes with time at the anvil swinging a hammer correctly. I agree with VaughnT, find someone close to take a few lessons from. If we knew where you were we could give you some names of people or schools close to you that would be willing to help. As far as we know you could be in Little Rabbit, Australia. Now don't get me wrong, there are some excellent smiths in Australia! ^_^ Just update your profile giving your location so we can possibly hook you up with another smith in your area. I would spend a lot more time learning HOW to forge before I started messing with that anvil....but that's just me....AND to do a repair correctly will cost a considerable amount of TIME and $$.