BorisTheSpider

Very interested to see this thread progress as my poor broken Fulton could use some love. However, as I don't have any experience with welding, I have no notion about cost - any estimates on these processes? (ETA - just read the article linked by David. Awesome info) Of course, having no experience, I would undertake the adventure with a welder acquaintance....or learn real quick.

After reading almost all of the posts in thiz thread, I feel compelled to share my last grab: 3 big chain hoists (2 YALE and 1 unknown) 2 or 3 ball peins of various weights and conditions (Plumb and ???) 5 or 6 files, almost all Nicholson, various sizes A box full of wheels - some casters, some fixed A handful of glass cutters of varying sizes 3 "pipe wrenches," all marked Ford 3 or 4 sets of slip-joint pliers, at least one is Channel lock brand Some random electric motor (will research further), spins freely A couple 14" diameter, 1" thick steel disks (probably going to be bases for tool stands) One small set of nippers One Fulton anvil with a broken heel, painted thick One crazy long set of tongs (probably 3-4 feet long, with nondescript jaws) The anvil is rough. I took a wire wheel to it today and it helped a little, but I have a lot of work to do on it yet. The face is flat but the whole thing is rough. Some welding spatter and some pits. Also, one edge is pretty chipped. Still beats the steel plate I was using before. Weighs in at 113 lbs. I am gladly accepting any tips for getting it in shape. It's not all blacksmith-related (like glass-cutters) but I figured I'd share all I can recall. All told, I gave the guy $100 for everything. I'm sure I missed some other things I got too. Also, he called me the other day to tell me he came across a post vise. I'm on the fence about it because it's missing the spring. I'll probably see if he can hold them and collect a few more things before I head back down. Took some pictures but am currently unable to get them from camera to computer. (edited to fix some typographical errors and add a few more details)

I tend to slack on taking pictures of anything. I'll try to rectify that. Been meaning to make a light box for my wife anyhow. Could be some good practice using one for my own "junk."

Regarding wrought iron - hightemptools.com sells sections of chain either as-is or straightened-out for stock. They're out-of-office for now, and I think a lot of their stock is sold out, so you may want to be on-the-ball about catching them when they come back if you want it.

Hey folks, It has recently occurred to me that I've been hanging about, reading up on everything I can, asking questions, and stirring up trouble, without ever introducing myself here first. The VERY first thing I should mention is that I have trouble typing a short post. So here I am. I'm still a little weird about giving out my real name on the open internet (more habit than anything these days I suppose), but even some of my closest friends call me Boris so that works. For the past couple of years, I have been living in Carroll County, Ohio. It's a series of small towns now beginning to burgeon thanks to the newest oil rush. It's quiet, peaceful, and in almost every other way, perfect. Except for the weather. I still hate Ohio winters. Anyhow, I've been "trying" to get into smithing for a long time now - about a decade and a half, give or take a few years. I put "trying" in quotes because sometimes I was actively trying, while other times I was just reading bunch, or not even that. After all that time, I have learned something: I know nothing. I've finally stumbled my way into a position in life where getting started not only seems easy, but destined. I know that sounds cheesy, but really, everything seems to be falling into place. Yes, I have put out a good bit of hard work the last couple years to make this happen. I'm still somewhat surprised to actually see it come to fruition. So where am I, right this minute? I am somewhat regularly attending a weekly open forge night with WRABA. It's quite a drive, and I intend to try out another group sometime as well (PAABA) but I'm happy to get some time at the forge. I have made a few contacts who are more local, but they are currently too busy with other stuff to be much help to me. That will probably change in the coming weeks. I am working on getting my forge built. I'm building a gasser, and the plans are somewhat less than concrete right now. I have a pretty good idea where I'm going with it, and still taking input from a bunch of people more knowledgeable than I. That should be done relatively soon, hopefully in just a couple weeks. I have been beating steel at home, on an 83 lb., 2" thick steel disk set on a stump. It works to a degree but it's far from ideal. So I've been on the lookout. A couple days ago, I expanded what I consider my "local area" and yesterday drove about 2.5 hours to pick up an anvil for $50. It has a broken heel, but a pretty flat face. I have yet to clean it up - it has a layer of paint on it. Pretty stoked about the deal overall. Even grabbed some other stuff from the seller since I was out that way. A few ball piens, some wrenches, some files, and random things - either tools or stock mostly. I've made a small handful of things - letter opener-type things, S-hooks, etc. Working on my tapers, squaring a round, rounding a square, twisting, and other basic type stuff. Also working on using power tools like grinders to greater effect. I think my next project will be a set of tongs. They may necessarily be pretty rough, but you gotta have tools to make tools. Speaking of tools - I'm still looking for a few more things. I'll need a better anvil stand, a table or few to work on, a post vise or two, and as many hammers as I can find. I'm keeping my eyes open and if recent history is any indicator, I'll have a full shop before too long. If you've read this far, I think you deserve a medal. I've found a ton of help on this site and many others, as well as personalized help from a few smiths here and there. I appreciate it all and hope to be able to contribute as much before too long. So, to everyone out there, I want to send out a sincere THANK YOU!

So...I don't know if it's going to make things better or worse, but I have a hard time passing up a heavy piece of steel at the scrapyard. I waded through the mud today to find a 200lb. piece. It's a tube, with walls about 2 inches thick and a flange on one end. My first thought was that I could get my first piece welded to the top of the second, and have a ~280lb. chunk with a flat face, but then I started thinking aboout all the dead space underneath the center and I think I may have made a mistake. There were some other very interesting pieces there, but they all had hollows of some kind. I was ultimately hoping to find something solid, maybe 6 inches thick or so, with a face of at least 4 inches but this is the best I got. So now I have a disk 13.5" in diameter and 2" thick, and a tube about 11" OD, with about a 2" thick wall. So...have I made an error in judgement? Should I hold out for something more ideal? Or is there something I can do with what I now have that would make a decent anvil? Any tips, suggestions, pointers...or anything would be helpful. I don't know what I should be doing and I'm hoping you all can help me out. Thanks for looking.

OK, so I'm just getting [back] into getting started with everything. I have most of my forge built (Mr. Larry Zoeller's "simple gas forge") aside from a few parts, but I have that figured out so it's not what I want to discuss. I've been looking around for an inexpensive anvil for some time and come up pretty shy. It's not a shortage of them here in Amish country; it's just that people know what they're worth and they sell high and quick. What I have been doing is foraging the salvage yard down the road. I've seen some neat stuff there but nothing blew up my skirt until I stumbled onto a big steel disk. I had the boy there take it over to weigh it so I could buy it. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't put it on a cart or something, but he hauled it on his back back to the scales. It weighed-in at a reasonable 83 lbs. I picked it up for about $17. Seemed fair to me. So now I've go this thing, but I'm not sure how best to utilize it. It's a disk, 13.5 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick. I considered putting it up on its side, but 2 inches isn't much to swing at. I'm considering laying it down flat, but it seems like it would be a challenge to keep it held down. I really thought it would be a chance to get creative. I'm still looking for other big bits like it, or shaped differently and/or heavier. In the meantime, I'd like to have some kind of plan, and you guys seem like the best bunch to have a go at it. So my first (and I do mean first) concern is money. I really can't afford much right now. But that doesn't mean I want to hammer iron on a big rock. My budget can be a little flexible, especially if I can do little bits at a time. But.. My other concerns are time and functionality. I've waited years for the opportunity I have now and I just don't want to wait any longer to get going. As much as I want to get started now, I want to be sure I end up with sommething I can use for a while. I would like something with different shapes and surfaces for different purposes. Sure, I probably won't grind a horn in it (and can't weld one on), but I can probably add some interesting angles and curves. I don't weld (probably because of a lack of equipment). While I have some friends (and local shops) which do, their involvement in the project will likely be nil, or at least limited to a single job of the proper import. I do have a few hand tools - grinders, drill, vises, files, etc. I am not opposed to doing the work, I just don't want it to be a 6-month project and the only thing stopping me from shaping iron at home. So does anyone have any suggestions for how best to utilize this thing? Maybe other pieces to look for to add to it later (or that one-time welder visit)? And how will I attach it to some kind of base?