Dale Peters

Gobbler Forge, congratulations on your tire hammer! I don't mean to upstage anyone, but I

T-Gold -- I tried again last night and got it started so I could drive it home. Just had to play with the carburetor a bit. But, the filters would have been next, followed by the fuel pump if that didn't work. It stalled a couple of times when I first got it on the road, but for the next 10 miles to the house, it ran fine. Good luck with your truck!

Nice find, looks like it will hold quite a bit of stuff. I just bought a project truck myself. It's a 1980 Ford DL. It started out life as an ambulance. It still has some of the orginal electronics in it. The body's in excellent shape. It's got a 460ci (we think) engine with 119,000 miles on it. With the heavy duty suspension and dual wheels, it should haul a lot also. It's a good thing the price of gas is going down... at least for now. It's been sitting for a year, and I'm having a problem getting it started. I put fresh gas in it, but no luck. I don't think the gas is getting to the carb because it will fire when using starting fluid. Oh well, we'll get it figured out. I bought it cheap, so it won't hurt too bad to put a little money in it.

I second the motion for more pictures and details! I burn charcoal and was thinking about building a side blast forge in the near future.

I would try the ad route, but like some have said, be wary of the BS. I obtained my latest anvil by placing an ad in a rural shopper and got a good deal on it. Sometimes you can get a good deal at a farm or estate auction, but often the collectors show up and run the price up. (I've had good luck finding post vises at auctions.) The trouble with buying from other blacksmiths is that they know what an anvil is worth... and it may be more than you have to spend. They also become emotionally attached to their anvils. Sometimes, though, they'll give you a break. I have yet to be fortunate enough to have someone give me blacksmithing equipment of any kind because they wanted it to go to someone who could use it. I guess I just don't know the right people.

I use two anvils. The one on the three-legged stand is a 160lb Trenton and the one on the wood stand is a 132lb Trenton. I built the wood stand with 4x4 oak from pallets used to ship steel to a local sign making company. The steel stand was made from scrap from a local salvage yard. They both work well.

Thomas is right. A few months ago I advertised in a weekly shopper that I was looking for an anvil. After about two weeks and after I was about to give up on that route, I got a call from an old gent who said he had a 100lb anvil that he wanted a $100 for. He just happened to live only a couple miles away, so I hotfooted it over there. The guy said he used to be an auctioneer and stated "we always started anvils at a $1 a pound and that's what I want for it." I didn't argue with him and payed him. After we visited for awhile, I took the anvil home and did some further checking up on it. Turns out it's a 132 lb Trenton in pretty nice condition. So the deals are out there, you just have keep your eyes open and be patient.

Son of Bluegrass, welcome to this forum, it's a good one and I've learned a lot here. If you're interested in joining a blacksmithing group, the Great Plains Blacksmith Association is based in Haysville. They're a good group. They meet the first Saturday of the month. If you need more info, let me know, or you can find their website at http://GPBA.ABANA-chapter.com. I live north of Hutchinson.

Irnsrgn, thanks for the advice.

I recently acquired an anvil (a Trenton, I believe) in really decent shape except for a deep gouge in the horn near the tip. The gouge is about a 1/2 inch deep by 3/4 of inch across. I'd like to fill it in by welding, then grinding to shape. One site recommended using 6010 rod. Can I use 7018AC, which I have plenty of, or should I get some 6010? I also have a wire welder. Do I need to preheat? I'm thinking (and hoping) this should be a pretty basic fix, since I'm not dealing with the face of the anvil. Am I right? Any suggestions and cautions would be greatly appreciated.

Thomas, thanks for checking it out. He's asking $225 for it so I'll probably pass on it. For that kind of money, I think I can do better at an auction. Fortunately around here, anvils show up at farm auctions fairly often. There are auctions coming up this weekend and next that have anvils on the sale bill. I just have to be patient about these things... that's the hard part. And I might be sorry I passed it up.

Thomas, I'd appreciate it very much if you could check it out. There's no hurry. I tried to research it on the internet, but there seems to be very little information on it, or either I don't know where to look. Thanks.

Has anyone here had any experience or know anything about a vanadium steel anvil? I've got a line on one that I haven't seen yet. It's about a 4-hour drive from me and I'd like to find out a little about it before I spend the time, energy and money on it. The guy who owns it says the word "vanadium" is on the side and the numbers "100" is on the front of the base. We're assuming it's a 100-pounder. Thanks in advance for any comments, advice, etc.

Sandpile and Meco3hp, thanks for the welcome. Sandpile, yes we are dry. We're under a burn ban at the moment, but so far we've had few problems with grass fires. Hopefully it will stay that way. We live in the country and we're surrounded by pasture. Lots of grass. I haven't seen any coyotes lately, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one carrying a canteen! Meco3hp, the GPBA is a good group. If you want some contact information, let me know.

Thanks.

Hello, I

Here's one of a night firing.

Here's a photo of the finished charcoal.

Here is a photo of the raw material.

I make charcoal in a retort, which is basically a 15-17 gallon drum inside a 55-gallon drum. I cut draft air openings at the bottom of the drum for air flow and to help in getting the fire started. I drilled 3/8 inch holes around the base of the smaller barrel to allow gases and volatiles to escape (also providing more heat as it burns). I used a piece of round plate metal for a lid. It bolts on. The plate has metal loops welded to the top so I can suspend it within the drum. I tried using two pieces of heavy rod to support the smaller barrel at the bottom, but they got too hot and bent into a nice arc. I also place metal pieces over the top to help keep the heat in, while allowing smoke to exit. I used what I had on hand. (I make frequent trips to the salvage yard, so I had plenty on hand.) For the charcoal and fuel for the fire, I use oak pallet material which I collect from a local company. The pallets are usually made of 3x3 inch runners approximately 11 feet in length with 1x 6 inch boards as cross pieces. I use a tool I made to disassemble the pallets, remove the nails, then I use a miter saw to cut the wood into chunks. With the 3x3 runners, I use a hatchet to split the chunks into smaller pieces. Some of the cross pieces are sawn into longer lengths (12-18 inches generally) to be used as the heat source. I put the soon-to-be-charcoal chunks in the 15-gallon barrel, bolt the lid to the top and suspend it in the 55-gallon drum. I pile wood under the small barrel and along the sides (inside the 55-gallon drum) and start a fire. It takes about an hour or more for a complete burn. I add additional fuel as needed to keep it going. There will be lots of smoke, at least initially, and it will make a roaring sound. I usually do it in the evening and let it cool overnight. When I

I think I should have probably prefaced my earlier post with the observation that sometimes it's not creativity that keeps you from starting a project, or knowing what you want to next, it's deciding what you want to do to begin with. Most of my project ideas or designs come to me away from the forge. If I have the time, I'll stop right where I am and jot it down, 'cause if I don't I'll forget it.

Something I've done just recently to overcome the "what do I want to do now?" syndrome was to make a project list of everything I want to make and post it on a corkboard in my shop. That way, when I'm at the forge and I am wondering what to do, I just study the list and pick a project. I actually have several lists posted now: Blacksmithing, woodworking and general metal fabricating projects. Since I'm also into rendezvousing, my blacksmithing is primarily focused in that area. That list contains more than 20 items and is still growing. I develop the lists on my computer and save them so I can easily update them and reprint new lists as needed. Unfortunately, they can also serve as a reminder of what should have been done already and how little I get accomplished!