Jerry W.

I use 20% vinegar purchased at the garden center. I will let my piece soak overnight. A quick dry and dust off with the wire brush on the grinder and it looks great. It will rust after this process amazingly fast. I have been very pleased with the results.

My wife got me a TFS for Christmas a couple of years ago. I sure like it. She got it from Pieh tool. They drop shipped it to our local feed store and she managed to get it freight free. If you mean under 400 dollars, good luck with that. Jerry

We had really great working weather here today. It is down to 34 degrees right now. I was out working on putting a new top on an old beat up MouseHole Anvil and was good as long as I kept moving. We are expecting a hard freeze tonight so I finally broke down and we turned on the heater. Temps should be back into the 70s later in the week.

I got started on my Mousehole Anvil repair. I rebuilt the step today. I have a piece of 3/4 inch leaf spring for the top. I had the hardy cut with a waterjet and have it framed with 3/8 inch square. I will drill the pritchel tomorrow and frame it with a piece of 3/8 inch plate. I have 3/8 inch round down the center and will add a little more to keep the top from pulling as it is welded on. It is a lot of work but, I am sure looking forward to the finished product. Thanks for the help.

I know that Texas Knifemaker Supply in Houston, Texas used to do it. I don't know if they still do.

There is another farm in the Austin area that I have been to with the group but don't think it was in Pflugerville. We are pretty good about getting someone out if the requests come in early enough. A lot of people will make their request the weekend before when, it really should be months before. When we can't be somewhere as a group a lot of times individual members will volunteer to take on the task. Lately, our schedule has stayed pretty full (which is a good thing).

It is great that y'all had a good time. It was good to see that you were able to get the bag of coke that you were needing. We will have volunteers from the group working the forge at Pioneer Museum in Fredericksburg through the week of Spring Break. If you can, February in Bryan, TX at Steephollow Forgeworks is another good one. Well worth the trip. The Bluebonnet Demo will be Mark Aspery. All great opportunities to learn.

I will be heading up to Abilene Kansas in a few days. Are there any blacksmiths in that neck of the woods? If the weather is not too bad, I may have some time to get out and about. Jerry

If I were to buy a ready made forge, I would get a Chile forge http://www.chileforge.com/. I have seen several of these in action and they are very impressive. Everyone that I know that has one is pleased with its performance. Jerry

If you find out who, please let me know and I will spread the word. ChiefcodeX, this one is in your back yard....

Consider joining Balcones Forge. They will be meeting in Hunt, Texas on the 23rd. There will be a demonstration where Gary Hilton will be forging a Viking Axe. I am very disappointed that I won't be able to attend this one. We have several members that are exceptional knifemakers. Joe Travieso has built a hydraulic forging press out of a log splitter and has demonstrated for us twice in the past two years his methods of making damascus steel. At the last demo, he finished a couple of blades. Tim Tellander and Aaron Tilton both produce some very nice work and both are in your neighborhood. Johnny Stout has weekend hammer-ins at his place just out of New Braunfels a couple of times of year. Take a look at his website, you will be amazed with his work. It is a great group that is very willing to share their knowledge and skill. It would be great to see you there. Jerry

I haven't hurt myself with the wire brush and angle grinder but, I must say that there have been some close calls. I bought me 3 feet of 3 inch pvc pipe. I glued a cap on one end and have a cap for the other to slide on. I bought some 20% vinegar at the garden center. I use heavy fishing line tied to my items for retrieval later. It is not a fast process as I usually leave them in there for a day or two. When done it only takes some light buffing to remove the residue. Jerry

Those of us from South Texas are a very caring bunch. Just to show you, at absolutely no cost to you, I would be happy to house your anvil in a climate where it would stay very comfortable. There would be an occasional day below freezing just to keep it from getting home-sick and we would be happy to let you have an occasional visit. If I could be of assistance, please let me know. I would even be willing to help with some of the travel expenses. Jerry

How far west are you? Balcones Forge is having an all day get together in Devine, Texas this weekend.

We have a member of our group that has demonstrated his method of making Damascus steel. He converted a 24 ton log splitter and it works very well. I do not know how it would work for forging a hammer. I don't know that it would be very precise. With the way that the ram is supported, there is some movement between the dies as it comes up to pressure.

I have always used an electric blower on my coke forge. It needs a more constant air supply to keep a good fire. I know a couple of smiths that use a 50/50 mix of coal and coke and this may help.

I just got a call from Buffalo, New York. He found my name and number on the Balcones Forge website. He wanted to get information on an anvil. He described it as a double horn, over 100 years old and over 100 lbs. It is stamped with a C & P with the numbers 1333 underneath the logo. He does not have pics yet. If I get one, I will post it. Any help that you can offer is greatly appreciated. Jerry

Rich, Hollis is not too terribly far from me. To save the shipping, I would be happy to deliver it to you. I will pick it up at no charge and store it here until I get a chance to make the delivery. If there is anything else that I can do to be of assistance, please feel free to ask.

The plan is to document the process with pictures and videos. I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

Well Hollis, I am going to give it a shot. I have a Mousehole that has been very abused. Jerry A. has repaired a few this way and it has worked very well for him. He has a piece of leaf spring that we will use. Hopefully, it will go as well as those in the past. Thanks for sharing.