HWooldridge

The pH of your local soil can have quite an impact on whether tools will last outside. For example, I live in an area with very alkaline soil, which you might think would not attack ferrous items, but I have seen things rust away to almost nothing in just a few short years if in contact with the ground. Cedar fence posts will commonly outlast steel t-posts in the Texas Hill Country - especially if the ground is slightly damp. That being said, your anvil may not have laid out very long at all to receive that amount of pitting. With regard to repair, you have already received some great answers - grind/sand the minimal amount to remove most of the dings and forge on...I used to have a Haybudden with an almost perfect face but there was a quarter sized divot near the pritchel hole that was about 3/16" deep. I left well enough alone because to eliminate it would have meant grinding away a good portion of the face - something that was simply not required for general use.

Just make sure they do get heat treated - when I first received my dies the machine shop had neglected to HT so I set them into the hammer and promptly beat a bunch of divots into the surfaces. Had to send back for cleanup and HT; no problems since then.

I have 4x7 dies on my #4 Beaudry, which are made from H13 - but that's only because the shop that made them for me had a lot of it laying around and they were able to HT it properly. I would have probably gone with 4140 or something similar if I had to do it on my own. With that said, the H13 has held up to 20 years of use on both hot forging and closed die work.

They are house jacks - I'd keep 'em but that's just me.

If you work in a mold shop, get some of the old ejector pins. Most are H13 and make great hot-work tools.

Sharpen on one side only - single edged bevel like the Indian trade knives were sharpened.

I got the dreaded "forbidden" response so will comment in a new thread... That is a good design - lots of squeeze - and as you noted, fast and smooth. I also agree with the C-frame for easy access - there is nothing fun about trying to punch a hole in the center of a 10 foot bar and having to run in and out of an H-frame. Only thing I might want to see is a couple inches more daylight, if not prohibitive to make. More headroom is usually always better than less.

This is simply an observation on the economics side - but a 20 ton, electric log splitter can be had for about $2000 new. Obviously, converting to a forging press would require some extra effort and cost but my instinct is that you would have to keep it around $3000 to have widespread appeal. I'm not suggesting you build it for that and lose money, only that the price point may be lower than $4500. I have found in the past that people will say, "Oh yes, I would absolutely pay that!" until you bring it out - then they disappear like the morning dew...I've done some small runs of different items and it's surprising how many folks suddenly have money problems when the product is finished and ready to sell. I'm not trying to discourage your endeavor but I think it's going to be difficult to create a business plan without actually building some and seeing whether they move quickly.

I built a naturally aspirated forge that was 3" tall x 4" wide x 4" deep (inside dimensions). My wife nicknamed it "The Pocket Rocket"... I designed it expressly for a large production job that involved putting points on 1/4" to 3/8" stock, where it excelled. I would stack 15-20 pieces in the front, let the outer ones get to temperature, then start pulling them out and forging with a hand hammer. The stock was then bent on a jig into a small shepherd's crook, all this was accomplished in one heat. However, I had three other larger forges at the time for other work and this one had a specific purpose. So to answer your question, a forge is too small only when it won't hold the work or get to the proper heat.

I'd be perfectly satisfied carrying and using it - no need for extra embellishment. The KISS principle at work...

Lap your sections, drill at least two to four holes through the lapped areas; more may be needed if you have a large rail. Countersink each side of the holes (what can be seen, not the hidden surfaces) then place copper rivets in place and squeeze them cold to upset into the countersinks. File or sand away anything that stands proud. This can also make a nice accent color to the iron.

I used to work in the injection molding business and had ready access to both S7 and H13. I came to like H13 for hot work because it rarely cracks and holds up well to impact. S7 is great material for tools but H13 is often easier to obtain.

Copper rivets. They upset easily when cold.

As Frosty said, leaded steels don't like to be forged or hot-worked (or welded). Does it only fail when worked or does it come to pieces if just heated and allowed to cool?

Holsters and scabbards are notorious for causing rust. I have heard claims that the old method of brain tanning a hide will not cause corrosion but I suspect it is more delay than prevention. I own a small holster made well before 1900 that will cause surface rust if a revolver is left there for a long time. I don't store anything in leather - it is simply there for carry purposes when necessary. Another factor is the environment - Arizona has less far problems with rust than southern Louisiana. You are probably fighting an ongoing battle in Arkansas...

I guess we can assume it is magnetic? That would tell you quickly whether ferrous based or not. There are not many iron/steel products that fail at such low temp - although cast iron will come apart if struck when hot.

You can buy more tools. There's only one Mona Lisa but plenty of copies to go around... Have fun on your travels and learn a lot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishnu_Shrestha It's size of the fight in the dog...

I have read that nobody really knows anymore as the answer is lost in antiquity. Some believe the notches symbolize a cow's udder (sacred Hindu symbol), others say it symbolizes the lower nether regions of Shiva. Still others say it is a shock absorbing feature - this because very few traditional kukri have full tangs. I like the last explanation because every old kukri I have examined has a rat-tail tang that is riveted over the pommel and it stands to reason that some give on a large blade might be a good engineering detail.

Brushing the head with a brass brush while hot is also a nice touch.

I agree that 4 bar on the secondary side is very high but so is 25 bar on the primary side (at least for fuel gases)...the numbers may be failure points, i.e., a "not to exceed number". A big rosebud can pull a lot of fuel - maybe they want to make sure the user doesn't push the regulator to failure. I also agree that contacting the manufacturer is the correct way to know for sure...

I'm speculating here but believe 4 bar is the safe working limit of the secondary side and the 25 bar is the limit for the primary. In other words, your fuel tank pressure should not exceed 25 bar and you should not try to achieve more than 4 bar on the torch side. The decimal settings in the instructions are where you should set the torch pressure (and a side note is that you should never exceed about 1 bar for free acetylene)

No idea what happened. I have not received anything.

As Thomas wrote, you are in a good area to pick up a press. I have a C-frame that generates about 6 tons and it's fine for almost anything I do in the shop (up to about 1 inch). The nice thing about a C type is the open side that allows you to enter without obstruction. Obviously, H-types are stronger but limited to the opening size. A larger one might occasionally be nice but I also have a 50 ton Dake hydraulic available if I really need to go bigger. I'd recommend watching Craigslist and you might find one for scrap price.

IIRC, one of Otto Schmirler's books shows the angled side of the face used to start and tuck scrolls. Easier to see and employ for that purpose instead of the typical square corner.