HWooldridge

Good for you!  Now the work starts...

I also have a very tolerant wife, who got me to thinking about a few more:

1. Honey, I called someone to haul off that dirty black stuff in those barrels.  He also took all of that rusty metal behind your shop.  You're welcome...

2. The grandbabies wanted something to play with so I gave them your new files.

3. Everything you make looks like a horseshoe.

4.  Why are you crying?  The tornado left the anvil and power hammer.

5. Next time, take off your shirt beforehand so it doesn't get all torn and bloody.

6. Have you lost another tooth?

7. What was that big boom I heard?

Maybe try grinding a bit more on the spine to see if it is a surface crack.  At this point, you don't have much to lose.

I respectfully disagree with the drop hammer theory because the bracket holding the ram would prevent it attaining any reasonable height.  I think it reciprocates using the yoke between the springs - but I'm stumped on the purpose of the rope.

Ok, looked like rubber from the pics but no argument from me if they are springs.  However, they appear to have taken a set since neither side is spread much, although the top may have a bit more length.  The rope looks like it affects a setting - maybe stroke height?

Some years ago, I got some coal from eastern Oklahoma that made a lot of clinker.  It was mostly fines with a few big pieces about fist-sized.  A friend of mine and I drove up to the mine and loaded it bulk into bags; was cheap and burned real hot but very dirty.  Didn't know what it was like until I made a fire but by that time I was already home with several tons in the trailer so had to figure out how to use it.  Best thing I found was to put several shovelfuls in a five gallon bucket then pour in enough water to make a thick slurry.  I would then light the fire with some left over coke and pack the wet coal in around the sides and leave a slit down the middle for the fire to burn through.  This would allow it to coke up and minimized the clinker - although I still had to stop every 20-30 minutes and clean out a few pieces.

Good coal that makes little or no clinker is hard to find - about the best stuff I ever saw came out of somewhere in Alabama.  One of the local guys in our forge group brought some back from a mine and it was all stoker size.  Had a lot of volatiles and made large flames above the forge but I could work for several hours and only pull out a small clinker or two.

That anvil is in very good shape - don't attempt to repair it - just leave well enough alone and start hammering.

It's essentially a guided helve with rubber cushions that help reduce the shock where the lift arm throws the ram up and down.  I don't recognize the make but an interesting design - wonder if it would work with two coil springs in place of the bumpers?

I saw your post about this on FB - I would definitely recommend you grab it if at all possible.  This is one of those things you have to catch at the opportunity or you'll never see another one.  Looks too good to pass up...

Reefer should be nice and dry - probably a good thing on the ocean.

Why do you want to anneal - do you plan to machine all of the stock?

And S7 is great chisel and punch steel - so learn to use it.

Or "manteca" - a word used in Texas for lard.  I used to keep vegetable shortening (Cisco) in a can for the same purpose - worked well for general hand tapping.

I'm guessing here but I think the OP is asking about a straight peen that varies in radius from one side to the other - so you get more spread across the larger radius.

Most agricultural 3 points are rated 1000 to 1500 lbs.  4000 lbs is an overload on common tractors.

I worked with a guy who did the final wire edge strop on a piece of corrugated carton paper.  The surface is really abrasive and will wear out an edge quickly so he reasoned it would be good to use for a strop.  I've tried it a few times and works pretty well - especially on softer blades like kitchen knives.

Black Sharpie pen also works pretty well for layout and fitting...if you don't happen to have any blue.

Functionally, your method is similar to someone who tacks weld joints on ornamental work with a MIG and then completes them with forge welding technique.  I personally see nothing wrong with either - whatever constitutes the best means to the end should take precedence.

Another creative solution with great results.  There are many ways to skin a cat...

I knew a guy who had a tall shop and a big HVLS wall fan (the type used in greenhouses) was mounted in one end gable. He had several forges throughout the shop and simply turned on the fan when he lit a fire.  The smoke would then spiral up and out through the opening; one of the cleanest shops I'd ever seen with regard to soot not accumulating on every horizontal surface.  Of course, this was in Central Texas where winters are mild - might not want to do this in the cold white north...

Should work now - let us know...

Without turning it on, can you freely rotate the flywheel without binding on the spider?  You should be able to cycle everything by hand with little effort - especially on a 25.  I have seen clutch blocks that were not properly sized so they make contact when at rest but there may be something else binding.

If you can't determine the problem, remove both clutch blocks and see if it still binds.

Looks like the remnants of surface rust from here.  Maybe build a big fire under it then start spraying and wiping with cooking oil.  It needs to be seasoned anyway so might as well git'r done...

We raised four sons and they all did stupid stuff - one had to do some jail time as a juvenile.  However, they all grew up to be solid men who now have families and good jobs.  About all you can do is be there for support - a person has to want to turn around.  Best wishes and prayers to you, Charles.

If the lower die stays put during use, why do anything to it?  Have you done any forging on the current setup?

I own a wide selection of stones, both natural and synthetic - but I went over to diamond plates a few years ago and that's all I use now for general knife and axe sharpening.  However, razor sharpening is a different animal from knife work.  Strop is important but it takes quite a bit of foundation work to get to the point where the strop finishes the edge.