anvil

can't beat a traditional hot oil finish. 50/50 linseed oil and turpentine and beeswax applied hot. clean with denatured alcohol then at a low temp, rub and buff in beeswax.

excellent

absolutely awesome!

nice. I am not good at art like this, and have a lot of respect for those who do. Lol, I can do a gate, but dont ask me to do a "piece in the park".

nice snakes. To get the whole snake belly on the ground is not easy

lol, I think we all have a huge case of cabin fever!!

if you use a watering can it shouldn't be a problem. drill a few holes on each side of the can. Then you can control the amount of water.

I can't believe I watched the whole thing!

I think someone squared all your roots!

Actually, what you are attempting is redundant and not necessary. All that you are attempting can be done in one forge with proper fire control. Using water to control the spread of the fire, you can pull your green coal in to make your fire as narrow as you need, and move it out to make it as wide as your firepot will allow. Learning Fire control is the first step and the key to your problem. Hope this helps

Frosty, a large part of my new direction will be doing just that. I've already started in a small way. Alas, with no shop and a major drought, no actual forgework, just a few get to gethers and a lot of B. S. Sessions. I've a psych, an advocate, and just a few good folks working with disabled vets, .mostly PTSD disabled, sending them my way. I'm doing this non-gratis and basically supplying an "open forge" setting with classes. And, best of all, no ties with any organization,, just word of mouth, me and these Vets. When the shops up, it should really kick in. It's the first time since moving to the mountains, after the service that I've had anything like cabin fever, awaiting spring.

perfect! Sorry, Jen, your pics and all are still confusing to me. I think mudmans pic in blue above describes what I think you are describing. An edge to edge blow done either with the full face of the hammer, or tilted a bit like in his drawing, lol, but dont quote me.

Jen, what is a 4 shouldered boss?

Its given me the greatest life's journey that exceeded all my expectations. As a traditional smith its taken me from the "oldest and largest" estate in Beverly Hills(so they said...), to Prague Czech. Ive met, worked with, and call many friend, some of the finest smiths of this era. Its brought me to where I am now, building a new shop with a new set of goals as a traditional smith. And this journey is not over yet. How can it get any better than that?

It actually sounds like you have it under control as far as which steel to use, mild vs tool. For your farm/gardening g tools mentioned, mild steel or even wrought. As for dividers, I'm sure you know "back in the day" most tools were made from wrought with high carbon steel used for the working edge. This was due to the expense of carbon steels. Cost is not the issue today, so how you do your tools is your choice.

Nice. What's your shop floor made of?

yup, good for hammers

To make a living as a traditional smith, you must move iron, common sense. If you dont want to do commission work or crafts fairs, heres a couple of avenues that might work. check for a specialty local hardware outlet, one who deals in top notch commercial hardware, and ask to become their Hand forged hardware source. As for crafts fairs, Instead of hitting up different fairs, seek out "Wholesale" crafts fairs. These are the ones where buyers go to buy large quantities of crafts goods and supply many galleries and boutiques with their wears. Have just a few hand made items that you can make money on. Be prepared for large orders that will keep you busy enough to make a decent wage.

I was in my first shop for 30 some years. Moved 6 times over the last 10. Final move was complete last December just before winter set in. Moving a shop is a real test of your metal(mettle

Go for the coke. I have no clue as to why they are doing this. Think of the difference in a pound of feathers and a pound of iron. The volume of coke is far greater, and will go a lot further. The difference in setup can be overcome. I burned Wyoming coke for a few years because I was given a large amount once upon a time. It was industrial coke. I used my Centaur Forge rectangular firepot with the addition of a couple of fireclay bricks. The bricks were stood on edge, and could be easily moved in or out to make a larger or smaller fire. If the opportunity came again, Id jump on it in a minute

Nice Hammer! And if you cant find Thomas, lost in the great Sonoran Dessert, send it my way,,, just east of the land of enchantment.

I'll add mag chloride to Frosty's calcium chloride suggestion. That's what the county road crews use around here to wet the roads and for dust control.

I too like coal over propane. And as was said above, its often quicker to start forging than gas. The better your fire control, the less smoke when starting up. And sparks and the like are pretty non existant. That occasional pop is from shale or something similar in your coal when it heats up. It rarely leaves your fire area.

Nice leaf!

Heres the Gunther method. Thomas is right. It's a good way. http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/anvilres.htm