Marc1

Steve, what brand is the blower? Is it new? The pressure seems a bit on the low side for a coal/coke forge of that size. Do a search for Dayton Blowers. They have a long list of very well priced blowers. When you can run a forge on a vacuum cleaner, a hair or clothes dryer or blowing in a pipe as others will remind me ... ..., if you are going to buy a blower, better err on the side of too big than too small. Volume measured in CFM is not so much the problem but pressure to blow air through the mass of coal. The fan pressure is measured in PSI, Pa, inches of water or mm of water. You can convert the units using google to compare products.

Wow ... that is such a nice intricate pattern Care to explain how you did it?

6 pounds in on the heavy side. Make sure you swing it right. I stay away from more than 4 lb for one hand. Do you have a rounding hammer? I use to muck around with 5 kg sledge one handed ( don't even try) until I discovered rounding hammers. A 4# moves more steel with the rounding face than a much bigger sledge ever will.

Ha ha, the last thing on my mind was that you would actually do it. Very nice carving.

Nee, given the current market, I would post it on e-bay with plenty of photos, the history of tinsmithing with original black and white photos and quotes, and ask $500 for it.

You have to carve the name on the handle "The Convincer"

A few things can happen. It is not sitting flat, the center is a different size, it's supposed to be a flat disk yet you bought a recessed one or vice versa, and it can be a dud one. Das is right. never work with a cutting disk that is not running true and smooth. I only use 1mm cutting disk in the 5" grinder and 2mm in the 9" grinder. Would never consider an abrasive chop saw because of the noise, the mess and the flimsy vice. if a cold saw is outside the budget, the Makita cold saw is a good compromise. I have a cold saw but I think the ideal saw is a medium size band saw.

Das ... that is a zoo not a workshop

Find your local freight forwarder. He will organise pick up and shipping and paperwork for surprisingly little money. I bought a gearbox from UK and a Chainsaw from Germany and the shipping was reasonable. It should be cheaper for you since you are closer and have more frequent services.

Talk about being helpful Das. Good for you. As for the customer ... really? Don't you guys have twist tops?

On line sells a 6" post vice for $500

Anvil prices vary according to location and of course country. Places like UK and eastern Europe are anvil rich and prices are low. Some areas in the US have high prices and others lower. Australia is probably the country with the highest prices followed closely by that other country you got there, the SRC or Socialist Republic of California The biggest con in the second hand anvil market, is to say that older anvils are better than new anvils. The second biggest con in the old anvil market is the innuendo that they have "antique" value, ergo the constant request for a valuation from new buyers to check if they have struck a Picasso or a Monet If you read a few of the comments on facebook, you will see what I mean. Not that is worth reading, mind you. There are good old anvils and there are average old anvils in different stages and mostly all usable and then also beaten up useless old anvils. Then you have horrible new anvils, average new anvils and excellent new anvils far superior to any old anvils of any description. Take your pick. The new anvil prices are no secret, and yes, they are not cheap, but many have bought old beaten up anvils for near new or even more than new prices. Go figure. It is what it is. Offer and demand, and the demand is illinformed and anxious.

i never had use for calculus in everyday life, but I used to love trigonometry and it has always been very useful particularly for fabrication. Life without string is chaos ... Rudolf Smuntz In case you run out of string, try multiplying the diameter by 3.14 and then divide by 4 or 3 or whatever you need

You could cut a vent hole in the back. If I am stick welding I have a fan going all the time. With MIG unfortunately that's not possible unless I am using gasless

That is a nice welding jacket. I can see it covers you chest and neck and arms very well. Not so much your legs though. Look what I found! and only 52 pesos

Yes, I use a cheap leather welding apron for welding only, the sort you buy on ebay for $40 or so. I googled a lot of leather pants suppliers and 99% are fascion stuff, that is thin and soft and wouldn't last a day in the workshop. The exception is probably the German lederhosen that are made with very good quality leather and they have the option of long pants but they cost a bomb, starting at 400 euros. One thing I did like from the lederhosen cut is that some are high rise and are meant to be worn with braces or suspenders if you prefer. So now I am elaborating that perhaps for me, the ideal 'apron' would be long pants with bib and braces all in leather. Failing that, pants with a high rise, braces and no belt, and a short apron. I have to say that I never liked the feeling of the apron in front of my legs. It feels awkward like walking with long gumboots. The "Y" strap puts the weight of your apron more on the hips and less on your shoulders, and is less restrictive in turning, or so I think. You can come and visit anytime and try my apron Or you can improvise a temporary strap for your apron with a Y configuration and see how it feels. PS If you live in cold country you need an apron for your Jeep to keep it running warm.

For a lot of my blacksmithing time I did not need any tools at all since i worked in a commercial smithy. Could work on a different anvil every day. And honestly the last thing on my mind was blacksmithing tools after working 8 hours in a blacksmithing shop. When eventually I decided to tool up, I couldn't be bothered with the beaten up stuff on offer and so bought 2 new farrier anvils from a foundry in Queensland weighting in at 90 lb or so. That foundry has since closed down but they must have sold the molds because I can see the same pattern showing up in on line ads. Later they started to show up when I least expected it, and so I bought 3 more anvils one smaller and 2 bigger. I no longer use the first two farrier anvils I bought new. The small Kolsva that occasionally comes handy to do some small silhouette has an easy life. I hardly ever use, the largest PW at 480 lb ... she had a hard life and is now having a well deserved rest. The middle sized PW at 240 lb does all the real work. I like the story of the anvil in the VW bus ... was it for ballast?

This is my apron, the "Y" straps are better for me (don't ask me y ) and the split front allows for holding stuff between my legs. Paid $200 including a few litle extras. Leather is supplied by Weaver Leather, is Chrome tanned and 6 oz weight. Stitching is done with Kevlar and the quick release on the strap is top quality Didn't want to add the leg straps, seems it would be too limiting particulalry if you want to crouch down. I am now considering full leather long trousers and a short apron. Must find someone that makes leather pants first. I have my short lederhosen but I think they would be a bit too minimalist ... I have to say that all forging apron are not adequate for welding, particularly if you are a serious welder and need to go into position. Unless you are only doing little bench work, they are all way too low under the chin. My welding apron is all the way up and the helmet stops any sparks from getting over the edge and stops welding flash to your chest and neck.

We are playing a bit of a guessing game here. To replace a motor on a machine, you need to replace it with the same power and the same RPM. What power is the old 3 phase motor? What is the capacity of your electricity supply? You can buy single phase motors 240v 50Hz up to 5.5 HP and they draw about 22 amps. That means you need a supply cable that is 4 mm2. Not much of a muchness for any electricity worth his salt. you will need to work out the pulley size to make it run at the RPm you want. 22 amps is not much at all for any ordinary house supply.

Is it possible to get 3 phase installed?

So true Reeltree. Must be an age thing. I used to have a fanatic interest in mechanic when I was a teen and up to may be 30 or so. Then it become dull and boring very quickly. Today I can't be bothered not even to change the oil and filter and take car or boat for service every time.

When I use coke I let the blower on all the time. It uses more coke but it makes forging that bit easier than needing to tend to the fire all the time. And ... one that is not restricted to blacksmithing is rehearsing your strategy in your mind before getting started. When I am planning for something I have never done before, my mind seems to go to work by itself and a few days before starting I seem to go through all the necessary steps and try different ways to do the most challenging parts in my mind. It usually works and I find solutions that avoid costly mistakes rather than diving in the project without a plan. Reminds me of that movie of Sherlock Holmes when he is in a fist fight and thinks ahead all he moves in slow motion ... love it

This is my other little mate

Plenty of experts in dating an anvil around here. i am not one of them I am however an expert in aging. Worked for over a decade making antique reproductions for an antique shop.

Nice anvil. It seems that a previous attempt at welding the edge has came off in part. Don't worry about it, it is in perfect nick for forging on it. As for trying to age it, I wouldn't do it. It looks old as it is, no need to do anything to it to make it look older.