Mende

[quote name='Kallsme

Oh ... I thought of that . But one's reclusive. .one's arrogant and the other is kind of a retard . ..plus .. they are interested more in fixing farming tools and the like. ..beating scythes and hoes ( yeah beat that ho!:cool:) I want to make swords and knives. ..and the occasional decoration/candle holder/fireplace set etc. And I'm doing it as a hobby . .although I have the best equipment. . as they did not have the advantage of the internet . .or you guys I learned how to obtain stuff online. . I used the TPAAAT before i knew it existed. . .It got me 2 anvils. .

Thx! . .it means a lot to me, specially now that I just took some English tests and I's stressing over what my results are going to be. I live in Romania. .and although it's been a "free" country for like 17 years, the old party members and commies still have a lot of power. There are still a lot of products and buildings left over. . everything being very square and rough. .especially the metal stuff. . Factories made medium quality ( as I dare not call it good) for exports, and downright barely functional stuff for internal use. China should be no different ..although they have SOME upgraded facilities . .because export standards demand them.

Across an ocean and a several thousand miles?. .worth a try :D

Very existential question ! I know that humans are though.:p

I guess your are right .. Although they do look rather improvised. . .probably a limited order placed at some factory somewhere. .. And btw. . I used to live in a Communist country.. and EVERYTHING that is not for export is more or less improvised or rough. It usually does not take a whole lot of licensing to have that sort of business and the employees are a group of semi skilled craftsmen from some remote village that rarely gets attention from the authorities. . The best word to describe almost everything in a communist country, including the exports in many cases ( Made in China ), is "shoddy".

When I'm at the country side. .and I can spend 2-3 months at a time there. .I don't miss TV or the internet or my PC as long as I have electricity for my grinders and drills The country side in Romania is medieval ..except for the electricity. It is interesting though ..that the resident blacksmith in our village died 2 years ago ..and his son in law took over .. altho he isn't that good. . he only uses an improvised welder and grinds off the excess . . Then I built my forge. . .while I was building it .. I found out that some other "handyman" was building his. ..and now a boy in his 20 s is gathering tools and intends to build one too. He has a 100 kilo anvil with no horn ( broken off) bellows and some tongs and hammers. ..

I think they are old wrought iron anvils that were made individually a long time ago. ..and passed on .. .they do not appear to be production anvils.

I remember seeing that before. . by following some random links from anvilfire

Always glad to be of so much help .. .hope I cleared it out for you guys:p!

Orlando bloom redeems himself a bit in Kingdom of Heaven, altho he keeps beating on the anvil supposedly to keep the tempo ... the main thing I hate is that he is introduced as a full time smith that's done nothing but beat iron all his life at the beginning of both movies. ..but he is small and skinny .. and you would expect a lot more muscles on someone with such a profession. Also. .If you have the chance ... check out that episode of MythBusters in which they test the myth of exploding hammers. The case hardening procedure they attempted sucked .. and they used a sucky Harbor Freight anvil that had CHINA written on it with raised lettering=>cast iron.

Welcome Mark! You have nothing to be ashamed of . .It is honorable that you want to learn. It would be rather shameful if you started saying you were a blacksmith and made up lies and stuff. .. All of us here learn everyday and try to help each other as best we can. I cannot call myself a blacksmith either as I just finished the first trials on my forge that's situated 25 miles away from where i live ..and I'm currently attending school. .so no time. But in the time I have I also like to learn new things about this. Welcome on board :D

Looks like a bending/scrolling/tinsmithing/anchor/mini anvil/swage/thingamabob/whachamacallit.

IF I only use charcoal. .do I need a clinker breaker? .. and if I use bituminous coal ..can;t I just periodically fish the clinker out with a poker?

We should send this over to Myth Busters or Brainiac. ..although I didn't like how they tested that exploding hammer myth. .. one of you senior guys should go there and supervise them while they redo it

COOL! ..I wanted to make a quick hardie to keep me going till i find the time to make or buy an old fashion one. . great idea!.

Has anyone managed to get a burning piece of coal between their toes?. . I did . .:D

I can go as far as to say it's sexy good work!. ..I used up a whole lot of grinding discs on mine as well. . .I smelled like steel for a weeks. ..when I got sweaty I rusted ..

Thx jimbob . .that really cleared it up for me. . .now I hope I can find or make one here. ..as blades are pretty much the only thing that interest me.. .

I was curious to know how do bladesmithing/ Japanese hammers differ from normal hammer? Are they easier to control? Why did the have to be shaped like they are?:confused:

Mine is 4 feet by 6-7 feet. .

I wonder how many hardhats he ruined before learning to do that ..

same here :cool: i get em between my index and my thumb and squeeze with the other hand ..

You could get wine from your neighbors from under you ( if u live in an apartment building. .) Nicely done:D ..

work time/ energy/ anvils/ blacksmith friends/appreciation for his work/ beer/ beer/ beer/ hammers/ scrap metal