Candidquality

Bronze expands at about twice the rate of steel so be careful of how you decide to mount it and allow a bit of room for expansion if heating. It melts from 930c to 1000c depending on the blend, but unless you are casting it, a lower temperature would work to anneal it(copper gets hard when you hit it, so periodically you would need to heat it up again to soften it up). There are well over 400 different copper alloys. 1/4 of those are bronze. Could be a phosphor or aluminium or silicon Bronze and be wrought. If it's cast it might be a manganese, or tin. I'm not sure what they originally used. But a little searching on google should give you a better idea. If you want original a decent amount of research is needed.

My advice is to find out how they did it originally and make a period piece with period tools, barring that:
If you are using a cnc though you might simply want to go with the cheapest that will properly machine. You should be able to chase the tooling without really applying heat. As long as you don't get too complicated it should work like any other repousse(look it up). It can be done, obviously they did it 2000 years ago. So don't get frustrated, be prepared to learn a lot, and good luck. I probably raised more questions than I answered. But it's just not a simple thing to answer. make sure you search on google books, and your local library. Spend the time and do it right, everyone will be impressed, including you.

edit: Btw, I have done none of the above. Just hoping to point you in the right direction.

Has he got any other daughters? Just kidding. Very nice anvil. Saw one this weekend that had never been finished(factory reject).

Anyone ever use Everlube 620c? it's a MoS2 solid (after drying). Only drawback I can see is that it's an organic binder. Seems I've got a quart handy. Kinda nice being in aerospace at times.

edit: appears to have some antimony in it as well. Second drawback is it's flammable(24f flash point). might be a bit more friendly if I could separate the solids from the vapors.

Any idea on the actual life span. I know that any coating that's used now is going to wear off. The old lead based paints were great for wear, just a bit unfriendly to the environment. Do you instruct your customers that they will need some upkeep? do you do that work yourself? How much of your design takes into account the fact that you don't want a place for water to gather, or do you worry about that?

Nice find. Thanks for sharing it.

I can understand. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Looks like quite a project. You might want to simply take the design and re-create it with new materials. by the tie you are done with that piece it might be more new than old anyway. I'd keep it for sentimental reasons, but not restore it. Just my opinion. And welcome to the group. Many fun days ahead indeed.

Welcome to the group. Don't forget to share a few pictures of the forge you built. New designs are always interesting. Used to read a bit myself, but I've been too busy working lately to stop and smell the roses. Good luck with the engineering.

You've probably already read this but, Don't even think about picking up a torch without a lot of instruction from a professional. I can not stress that this is not something you just buy and start using. Please if at all possible take a class at the local college as it will give you some great information that could save your life, and the lives of those around you. I believe there is even a blueprint or two here that go into more detail and give you some of the safety tips.

As far as tank size, the larger the better as the smaller ones won't even properly run a rosebud for long(safely) and that's one of the most common things you will use it for(isolated heat). The smallest portables are only good for jewelry as far as i've seen. I've used them and they are a great tool that definitely has it's uses. That said, I wouldn't have one at my home. If my shop were a separate building from my house it might be a thought. Please weight the risks and spend enough time to learn what you need to be safe. Good luck and let us know what you've decided to do. And be sure to show us some of your work when you get the chance.

A very usable hand brush is the butcher block style, which has fairly large, flat wire blades set into a big block, usually with a handle on top. These are sold in butcher supply stores to clean wooden cutting boards.

I'm so glad you mentioned this. I have been hunting for this kind of brush for several months now and no one seemed to know what I was talking about. I used these as a kid and really prefer them. Now I know where to start looking.

And as far as power wire brushing. I don't use it, ever. Did a few times as a kid on bodywork for my '53 merc. I think I'm still picking out needles from my arm occasionally. With lots of PPE it might be doable, but I prefer to leave that kind of work to someone else. Don't have it in my shop and don't plan to. But that's just my opinion. Like any tool it can be extremely dangerous in the right hands and worse in the wrong ones.

Something else that might help you is to put in one inch of the end stock you are going to attach to the basket. Then you've got the four rounds (possibly squared) with a fifth piece in the center. This gives you a larger mass to weld and that always seems easier to me at least. Combine that with Leah's method above and you've got a simple way to hold the pieces together without a wire wrap.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/blueprints-000-100/bp0034-advice-to-new-blacksmiths.html
good place to start. Then read the other 500 blueprints to get a pretty good idea of some of the things you can accomplish. Feel free to ask for any advice or clarification along the way. Great group we've got here from professionals to those just starting out.

Don't forget to join us tonight for the blueprints and live discussion.

Might do a search for this one as it's discussed fairly frequently. Charcoal is the oldest (and responsible for the deforestation of some areas), then coal, then gas. Gas can be used easily in the city as it produces no smoke to attract the neighbors. All can be used efficiently if you take the time to learn how. Boils down to personal preference. Though at lunch time you can easily cook a nice steak on hardwood charcoal. properly insulated gas forges can easily obtain welding heat. When propane explodes it occupies 270 times the volume of the liquid. propane tanks can freeze when running some forges wide open, so you might have to put 2 or more together. coal is the easiest to use in my opinion. can leave it alone for 20 minutes without it going out. propane on the other hand, is a set it and forget it. easily maintains an even heat and you cna see your part at all times. Best to try them all and see where you fit in.

Welcome to the group. Lots of great information to be had here. Check out the blueprints at the top of the main page, and don't forget to join us on Tuesday night for the new live blueprints. Good luck.

On the very top of the main page there is a link that says "blueprints". It's right under the "IFORGEIRON.COM" and right next to "Home". you'll be amazed at the amount of knowledge you can gain from them.

Glad to have you aboard. Looks as if you've got yourself a part time job with the union army. I'll try not to hold that again' ya. Looks like some nice work. Always good to see anything period being properly re-created, especially when it will actually be put back to work. The deeper you dig the more you will find out that we've lost knowledge about. welcome to the site, and please keep us updated when you've the time. Pictures are always most welcome.

For some reason reading that I am thinking 12" at a minimum. Can you tell me the weight of the hammer itself? I'm sure someone here will know for sure. Can depend on the soil compaction in your area as well.

Btw, this is for the area immediately under the hammer only. The entire shop does not need to be that. Just make sure of where you really want it. pour it under and 6" to the outside and then put in a break yourself. should really cut down on the vibration to the shop.

Found these at an auction recently along with some other goodies, but can't seem to locate the pictures of the rest.
$15 for the lot

Also spent $15 for a box of old files 45-50 of them. Good for a hot file or just stock.

had the tool collector/smith that used to work in my location give me 5 or 6 hand grinding machines.

spent $15 for 5 coolers of various sizes, using one for holding my vinegar, another for keeping the moisture out of my borax and washing soda. one to keep some drinks at the job, one for my lunch.

another $15 for 2 hacksaws, 15 new blades, 4 wood chisels, 2 brace drills and 3 adjustable bits to go with them.

You can always get and old sledge and grind away the edge to make a peen like this.

But it does take a rather large grinder to make it quickly, forging can be an option. Just know that if you decide to, that it might not look the greatest as you as still learning. And think carefully how you are going to handle a large block of hot steel as well. But unless you totally burn it up you'll always be able to try it again later when you think you can do better. as far as i am concerned the bigger the piece of metal is you are working with the easier it is to work, but that's just my opinion. It's really best to start with a 2 pound hammer at most until you can get your arm built up. I use a 3 1/2 pound, but i'm a big guy. I know others that start with a heavier hammer and go to lighter at the end of the day. Just find what works for you.

Thanks JR for suggesting the simpler route. I do tend to over complicate things. Still a project that I want to do, but the lamp will tide me over until I can get enough information to do what i need. might I ask why parrafin instead of kerosene? aren't both of these petroleum products?

Dan, do us a favor and take some snapshots as you go. or make some diagrams with dimensions. Would be great to build one when time permits.

Sounds great, don't forget the pictures when you've the chance. sounds like a perfect time to teach your daughter about some plumbing .

Figure if i'm buying coal by the ton(@$100) it can't be that expensive to run it. And it's another nice oddity to attract the crowds. Thinking about the glass enclosed variety to help shield the UV. Automatic is a must(and fairly simple once you see the patent plates). Just appears to be another side road to travel down in my journey. Trying to get a bit more information from one of the inventor's(brush's) grandsons currently. It appears that you can buy the spotlights currently for under $300. So materials for what I want should cost in that same ballpark. We'll see where it goes. Glad to know someone here has at least seen one in operation.

Thinking about setting up a carbon arc light for demo's and such that run a bit past daylight. Also thinking about a sterling engine to run it, but that's another topic. Is anyone here a fan of the technology? Seems as if 1870 is a good a time period as any to settle on. I know I can get carbon's from theatre supply shops (as some projectors are still run off carbon arc lamps). Still quite a bit of research to do, but seems to fit in with my current plans. So anyone here have any ideas? Anyone into lamp(lantern) design? anyone actually seen one of these in use?

Something you've probably already thought of, but. Might want to consider a screw as it's quiet, or build a separate area just for the compressor if it's not. The sound can be deafening at times. Especially in a new building that you've not put up insulation in yet. Screw's are more expensive, but should last relatively longer as well. Get some quotes and see if you can work them against each other to get a better deal. Think about how long the compressor is supposed to last and think about what you might want to add to your shop that runs on air during that time.