Everything Mac

I was just eyeing that up myself. It looks gorgeous to me but yeah as said it is quite uneven for some reason. I can't decide if its a crack or just a mark in the middle of the face in the first picture. I'd say go for it. Then it means I know it will go to a good home and I won't have to bid on it! ;) Cheers Andy

It looks ok but that crack appears to extend right across the face and some way into the body too. In which case $345 is way too much IMO.

Any pics of progress on this hammer? I altered a ball pein a while back and I'm working on a larger rounding hammer at the moment. I can never quite tell if its a ball or just flat with very curved edges. Andy

Apologies for the rant in advance but I'm having a slow day. The most general type of hammer would be as said a cross pein hammer. A typical smiths hammer would weigh about 3lbs. This is often a lot of weight for a beginner to swing around so a 2lb version is usually recommended. The other option is a ball pein hammer. Which is absolutely fine for forging, don't get bogged down looking for a specific hammer. Tongs are the next thing. Or indeed the most important tool, though if you start by using long stock you can hold the end with your hand. I'd suggest buying your first couple of sets if you can afford it. I was skint when I started, and I'm reluctant to pay any more than I have to, so I strongly suggest looking on eBay or gumtree or Craigslist (US version of gumtree?) to find your first tongs. I'd go for a set of flat jaw tongs and a set as suggested above for holding square stock, which will also hold round. That will get you going and you can make any more tongs with those. I started off with some flat jaw tongs and made most of my other sets. Check out wolf jaw tongs as well, they are pretty handy. As for your forge and an anvil, just be patient and you will find what you are after. They crop up all over the place. All the best Andy

They are a hell of a lot better than my first several attempts. It wasn't until my third or fourth go I got a decent working pair of tongs. Those look pretty good mate. All the best Andy

Missing a handle definitely means you should knock off as much as you can. £100 would be my very top price. It does look in pretty good condition though so I'd not let it get away. Andy

6lbs wow. Hats off to you mate, I'm not a small guy, I know I couldn't swing that for very long. Cheers Andy

Great thread. I rather like the idea of using chainsaw chain to hold stuff down. I've got an old chainsaw chain somewhere..... Cheers Andy

Great video, thanks for posting. I have to ask, what weight is that rounding hammer as it looks massive! Much bigger than my 3lb forging hammer at least. Cheers Andy

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum. can you get any pictures of the anvil? A hairline crack may not be a problem if it is only a surface crack but if it runs deep then it could cause issues. Are you able to hit the anvil with a hammer to check its ring and rebound? I'm not very knowledgable about anvil brands. Let alone ones in the states. I'm sure one of the more seasoned members will post shortly. The price is just over $2 per pound which isn't too bad. Though there's no harm in trying to haggle it down a bit, especially if you pay cash. - try the old "call it $xxx for cash and you've got a deal" Best of luck with it. Andy

Cheers Thomas.

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice or pointers regarding caged arrow heads and swallow arrow heads. I've made a few bodkin style arrows before and they are relatively easy with a bit pod practice. But I've just been chatting to a customer who wants a selection of medieval arrow heads, including a caged arrowhead. Oven ever made one. And frankly I don't even know where to begin? I'm thinking of using square bar and cutting through with a cutting disc on a grinder then going from there. Or perhaps chiseling. Any ideas? These swallow style heads look a bit more tricky too. I was going to start with 1" flat stock and cut both sides, bend the middle out so I can form the socket then bend it back in. I'll probably make a couple of dozen so I'll have to make up some specific tongs for the job too. Does anyone have a pair of tongs for arrows they could show me? I tried attaching my sketch of the tongs I was going to make but it hasn't worked. Cheers

Cheers Phil, I rubbed it over with oil before I left, as it's stored at my folks place. All the best Andy

Hi guys, managed to get some pictures of the anvil. As you can see these "dings" are numerous and deep. As far as I can tell these aren't your average hammer dings. I can cope with those. The best way to describe them would be mini craters on the surface of the anvil. They cover the entire sweet spot in the anvil. As I said earlier I have no idea what caused these. I couldn't dent the surface of the anvil when I tried with my hammer. Is the best cause of action still to take a flap disc to it? There is a lot of material to remove... any advice would be appreciated. Outside of these craters the anvil seems to be in pretty good nick. There is one chip on the egde but other than that the edges are in pretty good condition and the ring/ rebound are very good. It is stamped Peter Wright patent - wrought (circular) 2-1-10 near the bottom there is a stamp 35 34 and a "U" - is this a code to the year of manufacture or something else? Cheers guys Andy

Looks like I'm going to end up going round in circles trying to identify it. Maybe I should just be happy she's mine and has earned her way! All the best Andy

Very cool pic Timothy! And excellent work.

I'm not a fan of fibreglass handles personally but don't let that put you off. A 2.5lb hammer is a good weight to start off with. 4lb is a bit too heavy for me personally. No reason why you shouldn't get the hammer and add a wooden handle at a later date, if the eye is a good size. Cheers?

Fair enough. I suppose the plot thickens. It has clearly had an interesting history, I know the guy who had it before me was a farrier in the highlands of Scotland but beyond that I don't know. Cheers guys

Hold on. A female anvil? Should I be checking out girl names? Some one must know why there is an additional hole? It could be that it has been filled in, there is one on eBay that has a hole where this one looks to be filled in though I always thought Pritchett holes near the bick came out of the side of the anvil? Cheers guys Andy

Yeah, it could be. It would make sense, but it is very odd. Andy

I'm sure my Peter wright has the same square holes in the base. The larger holes in the body are handling holes as said. As for the round holes in the feet I have no idea. Andy

There doesn't appear to be no. I wondered if the additional hole by the horn might be a give away?

Been busy today but I managed to take a rubbing of the side of the anvil. I'm convinced they are letters but they are very worn. What I can see might be a word or just part of a word. Might even just be a coincidence but it looks like either Oeask Jeask The "o" or "j" could be a G. The "s" could be another "O" or perhaps even an"&" symbol. Equally the "k" could be an "X" I'd be intrigued to know if those letters or something similar means something to one of our members. It is a shame they are so worn as I would love to know a bit about the anvils history. But as said it has served me very well for a number of years now so it's ultimately no big deal. Cheers for your patience guys Andy

And yet I still haven't met John Smith... It appears bill and I both had issues posting last night.

Well it's taken a bit of a beating over the 4 years I've had it so I'm happy enough. Would just be nice to know where it was made.