Chris P

Yeah, I know it was big, I was more or less hoping to take up some of the space with either clay or fire brick, and maybe section it off so that I'm not using the entire thing. I really don't need that much, but its sitting in my back yard and drum brakes just seem too small. I've been thinking about a charcoal forge that was posted on here not too long ago, but I'm not sure if thats going to give enough heat and I'm a little concerned about the galvanized container the instructions call for. Anyway, thanks for the feed back. And TASMITH, you are probably right about the toxins.

Heres a couple of pics. The lighting isn't that good, and it almost impossible to make out the lettering, but you'll get the idea.

I did a search but didn't find anything. Has anyone ever used an old cast iron claw foot bathtub for a forge? I don't know if the coating on the metal would need to be removed, or if it could just be covered with clay/firebrick. If anyone has ever done it or has reasons why it shouldn't be done I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

Ok, I'll have a pic up tomorrow. Just have to get new batteries for my camera. Thanks guys for your input :)

So, I got my first anvil today. Its in pretty rough shape as far as pitting is concern, but other than that its not too bad. I'm a bit curious as to who made it tho. All I can really make out of what is lift of the name is two LLs in about the middle of the side. On the other side its marked 1 2 16, which, If I'm reading that right makes it about a 184lbs+-... Does anyone have any guesses as to the maker. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow if it will make it easier. Thanks all.

Thanks again for the replies. 6011s are definitely the way to go. Tonight I actually put down some beads that look like something. So, I'm progressing, slowly, but surely . One thing I can say, I am really enjoying it. While I'm welding I'm so focused on what I'm doing that I actually relax. Well, except when I'm having trouble striking the arc, but that usually pass.

Thanks everyone for your advice and encouragement. I am going to stay with the stick welder. I am thinking of getting a bigger outlet so that I can upgrade my machine when I get better. I figure its worth it even if I expand to MIG eventually. But, for now, I'll be sticking with my little buzz box. I also picked up some 6011s in 1/8 and 3/32. Thanks again.

I know what your saying about the slag inclusion.. It is one of the main reasons I have been considering MIG. I've been working with 1/8th 6013s for the most part. The real trouble I'm encountering is trying to weld a 1/8th piece of flat steel to a 1/16th tube. The bead seems to land on either one or the other and when it does connect them the slag is usually between them causing an awkward tunnel under the weld. The buzz box I have only goes to 100amps and does not seem to penetrate very easily. Although a lot of that could be due to my lack of skill. I wish I could get something a bit bigger, but I am confined by only having 120 outlets at my disposal. Another issue I've run into is that I can't really strike an arc at low amps. Being that I'm going to be welding sheet as well this will be a problem. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I'm having a hell of a time striking and arc and that in itself is frustrating. Thanks for the replies, any suggestions are welcome.

I've been playing around with an arc welder for a while now and its not going very smoothly. What I'm wondering is just how much easier a MIG is compared to an arc? The issue is that I'm working with metal that is thicker than the little buzz box is meant for. So, I'm kind of in the market for another welder anyway. With things being a little tight I'm hesitant to spend that 500+ on a new MIG. Yet with the quality of my welds to begin with, and the fact that the welder isn't supposed to be welding metal this thick I'm not really comfortable welding anything structural... So, should I bite the bullet and buy a MIG, in the hopes that I can welder better with it. Or should I stick it out with the buzz box and desperately hope I eventually get better?

here is the link to the Anvil 104 lb anvil/R2 - eBay (item 300223529933 end time Sep-06-08 08:13:30 PDT) And yes, the seller is 69Chuck.. I'm guessing by the "real proud of them" your saying he wants too much $? I did see the 203lbs one, however, 5 days is long enough for that to jump to $300, actually the prices usually spike in the last few hours. Thanks for you help all, if you want to see the other anvils he is selling I'll post the links. I just try to avoid flooding sites with ebay links if I can help it. He has a decent Peter Wright and a 169lbs anvil as well, but the one linked above seems to be in the best shape.. judging with my untrained eye and all.

Has anyone heard of this kind of anvil? Is it a quality type, or more cheap/generic? I've been looking around for kind of a while and now found someone one Ebay with several anvils for sale in Mass. Life has been pretty busy but I might finally be able to set up a makeshift shop until I'm done with my "shed." Thanks all for the help.

here are a few pics of my two scouts. The yellow one is getting new floors and rockers. Actually I probably could have riveted in patches for the floors, or even left them alone for a while. But, the rockers are completely shot, so I figured I might as well do both. I'll snap some pics of the actual job tomorrow hopefully. Been raining so much here I can't do much of anything with them .

Hi all, I'm finally getting around to doing a little body work on my truck and I'm very very new to welding. Not knowing that much about it, I'm a little concerned about different safety issues. I was wondering if it is necessary to remove the gas tank when welding the body of a vehicle? Any other tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated, but mostly I'm just concerned about 1) electrocuting myself and 2) blowing up the Scout. If it matters, I'm running a cheap generic 120 stick welder I got from Sears. Thanks a lot.

thanks for the suggestions and advice . I'll probably hold off on the natural gas as I'm thinking of building a shop and it wouldn't be equipped. just out of curiosity, would coal be a better choice in a basement... or are basements just a bad idea to begin with? oh, and as for the type of basement, its just an old fieldstone basement with basically dirt floors and 8' high ceilings.

Hi all, I guess this post will serve as an introduction too. I'm just getting into blacksmithing and I want to set up a small shop in my basement. I've taken a class, and will be taking a few more after Christmas, unfortunately, the school is over an hour away from my house.. so, I really need something at home to work with. Originally I was thinking a coal forge, but because of the cramped area and less than favorable ventilation I'm leaning towards gas now. Could someone tell me if it would be better to hook the forge up to the natural gas line in my house or to just get some canisters of propane? I'm not really sure which would be cheaper, kinda on a budget, but hoping to make more out of this than just a hobby. Thanks everyone, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.