Marc1

Ha ha, that's great.

Ha ha, I love how everyone is gone esoteric and metaphysical and the OP has gone walkabout with not one name suggestion. Oh well ... Just in case he is still within earshot. The best advice of the lot is to come up with something that can be sold. I say "Crush Hot Iron" by Brucellaneous and associates ... Also ... "Riveting heat" ... "Smashithot" ... It is true that a person's name can become a trademark and an asset to be sold, but only if you are Calvin Klein or Colonel Sanders

Nice work! You can give the flat bar a bit of texture if you make a "texturing mallet". Buy a cheap hammer at the hardware and grind a lot of holes in the face with a die grinder. Different sizes works best, the more the merrier. The more holes, the less face left and the more aggressive the texturing. (Goggles a must) Then before you start making the brackets, get a couple of flat bar length and work them cold on the anvil both sides and the edges. Use a thick glove on the left to stop the vibrations in the holding hand. Cover all the surfaces with steady blows. The end result will be a flat bar that will look like it has been exposed to the weather for a long time. PS Of course you could smear the flat bar with lard and hang it in the Ohio river for the sharks to maul and chew. Similar result but would take longer and be less reliable

I use molasses on old tools my plumber son in law disinters and brings to me. It is slow but works a treat. Here is one I had in the juice for a couple of weeks. SRANSW = State Rail Authority New South Wales.

Providing we are talking about a solid fuel forge ... you need a centrifugal fan not an axial one. Pressure to push air through the coals is more important than volume. My suggestion, bite the bullet and buy a Dayton blower.

Most likely bull sharks. Don't know of any other species going into fresh water. Oh my ...

Yes, it seems Tiger snakes take to the water more easily. A friend of mine who used to barefoot ski on the upper Hawkesbury and Colo area he used to see tiger snakes all the time. i suppose they only helped to hone his skills and stay steady on his feet as they were whizzing by

Oh my ... yes some old timers used to bring those along whilst diving, using a buck shot 12 gage. I swim in the river daily and have been doing so for decades. I have my kids and grandkids swimming and water skiing. The size bull sharks that swim around here are on our menu, not the other way around. 60 km down river is another matter entirely. Somehow I can not picture myself swimming with a bangstick strapped to my back

Ha ha, Dale, if you look at the comments on your youtube link you have your reply. Apple tree bay is in a creek that comes from the mouth of the Hawkesbury, a stone throw away from open ocean and where big bull shark and white pointers have their fun. Others have replied, no shark attacks on the Hawkesbury. The Facebook link shows a juvenile bull shark. Does not say where it was recorded.

Yes, I have other problems. Don't we all?

Yes, I come and go. Remembered this forum because I made a latch for my gate that I had been postponing for some time. And also because I am on moderation and being moderated for saying that you guys have 220V and not 240V. All in moderation I suppose Snakes swim ... sure. Caught a diamond python the other day. Lovely creature some 2 meters long yet harmless. Swims like a fish. Bull sharks can survive in freshwater. Yes! but don't tell the bull sharks around here because they apparently don't like it in this river. We have never had an accident with sharks on the Hawkesbury recorded. We do have white pointers and massive bull sharks in Brooklyn and around Dangar island and long island ( named by some NY bridge workers that built the railway bridge and the name stuck), a town at the mouth of the river that is just sea water. None up river. So far so good If you think you are on moderation only because of a 220/240 mix up then you have other problems

Centipedes belong up there and so do saltwater crocodiles. Those would make the landscape around here a tad different. I wonder if we'll ever shake the greenies off and start culling crocs. They have been out of control for decades and reaching as far as Brisbane, driven by hunger and uncontrolled multiplication. Maybe we should start spreading the rumor that crocodile sweat is bad for the environment, better still that it produces catastrophic climate change!

Mm ... red backs spiders, Sydney Funnel web spider, Red belly snakes, Brown snakes, Tiger snakes, Dead Adder ... are bat the few that can kill you around my shop. Well not the red back spider, a cousin of your black widow. But they can kill a kid. Funny thing come to think of it, you get used to the fact they are around. Even when swimming in the river, If you see a snake swimming you turn for the jetty and wait till they finish crossing. Those are usually Tiger snakes. Talking about the river, was talking to a mate who is anti-fouling my boat in his yard yesterday. He is a diver and does dome recovery, and was telling me how he got hit by a bull shark whilst checking some pilons. The thing just rammed him and broke two ribs, but did not bite him. We have juvenile bull sharks in the river but not adults fortunately, they are further down river where the water is saltier.

Looks like a hammer used to drive the drill into rock by early stonemasons. Seen a few of those used by convicts to cut into sandstone.

Considering that you guys don't have 230V but 220V at the best of times, I would go for 35 and up, See what's available in the electrical supplies shop. Contactors or starters like you call them are not expensive and are great for remote starting, that is when the switch is some distance from the motor.

Considering that harem refers to the women's quarters and not really a collective noun and only by extension, the same as hive is not a collective noun for bees ... yet swarm is .... mm perhaps the women in a harem would like to swarm rather than fester ... never mind ... harem seems like an inappropriate noun for a group of anvils. Maybe we should ask what is an appropriate collective noun for anvils? A bunch? An array? A stash? A tumult?

8 and one forge seems like a bit of a joke. Conceded there are some real monster gas forges out there, but normal size 2 burners it is for 2 people full stop. On a coal forge of a decent size you may get away with 3, but it all depends of what you do. If everyone is heating up a 3/8" rod to make a hook, you can have a dozen. If you are making scrolls, you will need the forge for yourself.

You need one rated at 30 amp or more. Pretty common in industrial electrical suppliers down here. You can also buy a contactor and have it in a box. The contactor can be operated with any ordinary switch located anywhere you want, and can be toggle, lever, etc.

Why do you think there is such a healthy supply of post vice and such a shortage of anvils? Did they made more vices than anvils? May be post vices are not cool? May be "Forged in fire" does not show a post vice? Yep .... that must be it

Most likely depending on location and method of search. Having said that even the most unlikely search methods like ebay and marketplace have some for sale. Just saw one on market place. "For sale is this one of a kind Gorgeous Antique, hand pinched, cast iron, fully operating, 1800s blacksmith post leg Vice/Vise.:

Conflicting hierarchies. What I create and see only concerns me. Your perceptions are your creation. As for the cost of setting yourself up for blacksmithing, it depends of so many variables that it is almost pointless to debate. Starting from what you intend to do. If you want to make small decorative objects, that is probably the cheapest set up. Large objects may need bigger tools and machinery. Knifemaking from what I hear, can be expensive too if you want to have the full set up yet I am sure it can also be done on the cheap. Someone living in a rural area may have it cheaper due to room available and no neighbours complaining of smoke and noise. Too many things to consider that is why ti is pointless to call something "expensive", unless someone needs an excuse to call it sour grapes and walk. When it comes to cost of set up I am always reminded of a guy living in Taiwan that makes hammers and other tools and sells them on the internet. He lives in an apartment and his set up is on a ground floor balcony or similar arrangement.

Everything you see is a holographic representation of your own creation ... or so I believe anyway

It's funny when you think of the prices just 7 years ago. All is relative. I disagree with the idea that blacksmithing is "expensive" Besides the fact that expensive or cheap is very subjective and relative to your wallet size and predisposition to spend, there is no need to start with a 500 lb Refflinghaus, 100 ton Anyang and 150 ton forging press natural gas forge with 3 phase blower and a forklift to move stuff around in an air conditioned 3000 sq feet shed with piped in ambient music. Considering how easy folks decide to fork out thousands in smart phones and laptops and notebooks, I think that blacksmithing taken as a hobby can be way cheaper than carpentry for example, cheaper than "gaming" on a rocket propelled computer with 3 screens, cheaper than boating, scuba diving, gliding and many more activities. Then again, if you want to have the lot yesterday ... you will probably need to spend a few bobs to stock up "everything". Still ... if you are determined, you can start with little money, and even with no money at all. Sure it will be a tad harder. Professional is a different story. It depends of what you do and if the investment will pay for itself and make a profit. No point starting a factory for stuff no one will buy. What was the question again?

How old do you think this anvils are?

Should have thought of using Google Italy. if you google "Incudine FEP" a few hits there.