LastRonin

I was just curious. I'm building one myself and am using a brake rotor from a house trailer. I didn't know if it is too big or shallow or whatnot. I've fired it up in a temporary state balanced on cinder blocks. Will be setting it into a metal table I have as soon as I can. I'll try to post a link to a picture of some of the components including the drum. I hope I'm not doing wrong posting this here... should I have started a new thread? I don't want to cause problems by hijacking someone else's thread.

Is that a brake drum or brake disc? (Gathering as much info and knowledge as I can while trying to piece together my own.)

All true. And I absolutely understand the suggestion to not make the knife my first project. I wasn't. Like I said, I wanted to try the knife after I learned more. And reading the responses has already taught me more than I started with. Please keep the knowledge flowing guys. My first actual project I intend to tackle once I get the forge built will be to make a set of tongs. I want to end up using as much personally made tools as I can. It just feels to me to make more of a connection to the work. And I have already purchased a couple pieces of cold rolled steel 1/4" x 1/2" x 3' to use for that. @ John McPherson: Thanks for the knowledge you dropped on me. I wasn't sure what kind of metal the peavy was made from so now i know. I do have a selection of rusty old files and a 32" diameter old sawmill blade that I was looking to one day use. So I guess I'll just set the hook aside and maybe in the future use it as a pattern to make a knife out of quality steel... most likely the far future. @ Vaughn T: Ok. I understand what you mean. I won't use it for a real knife. And I'll keep that statement in mind -" 'Free' metal isn't a savings in the long run." @Thomas Powers: Absolutelt true. I don't intend to start running before walking...LOL. I Don't plan to try making a knife for quite some time. I have a very particular (and talented) father who has instilled in me a very structured work ethic. I plan to start with basics and not move to advanced projects until I am ready. But I will keep that idea in mind once I get ready to start learning bladework. Thank you all for the advice, I am taking it seriously and to heart. Please don't think my statements here are arguments, I am just trying to clarify my intentions.

Thanks. For now, it is for my amusement and to learn how to move and shape the metal. I'd like to develop the necessary skill to make good servicable blades, but I do understand that it takes time and practice.

I have an idea for a knife i want to make once I learn more about smithing. I have an old Peavey Hook from a log roller, when i picked it up, it felt right to become a knife, with the spike at the end of the hook as the pommel. Does anyone know if the metal they tended to be made from would make a decent blade? i know I've seen all kind of knives made from railroad spikes, so I was hoping that this would work. Funny but this does not look like any anvil topic I have seen, so I will move this post.

I'm trying to build a forge. I am using stuff I have dug out of scrap in my own yard (My wife and I inherited her grandparent's house and land). There is a lot of junk around here, plus an old transit box like they ship stuff on cargo ships and trains. it's one of the smaller ones. We got it open and cleared out a bunch of rusted and rotted stuff that was just trash. But did find some interesting things. Firstly was a (sadly) rough condition Mousehole anvil from the 1830's era, It's about 160#. The other was a Champion spiral gear blower. I had been curious about forging and these really set the urge in gear. I looked up home-made forges online and saw several were made from truck brake drums. I didn't haave a truck brake drum handy, but remembered seeing a brake-drum from a house trailer out back. I dug it out... it was about 14" diameter. And the great thing... I didn't have to weld a plate onto the bottom. It has a built in hub. The hub opening... is a perfect fit for 2" black pipe... which I got free from the scraps at the Fire Protection company I work for. I haven't gotten it into the metal table that I have sitting out in the shed/shop yet. just have it set up on blocks. I'm using a small wet/dry vac for a blower and a pvc ballvalve with a 1/2" hole drilled into the side in-line with the vacuum hose for regulating air volume (the valve came from the pile of pipe and fittings out back... Papa used to have a plumbing/septic tank business). I have fired it up twice using coal given to me by one of the power plants I have worked on the fire protection systems at. So far my total monetary investment... $0.00. Oh... btw... the first time I fired it up... on about the third time I heated the piece of 1/2" bar stock i was beating on and playing with... I left it in a little longer than I had the first couple... burned/melted away three inches off the end of it... Lesson #1... keep an eye on your work. LOL PS. I'm gonna see if I can upload a couple pics I have of my forge components before I got them put together. http://i858.photobuc.../Forgebits1.jpg http://i858.photobuc.../Forgebits2.jpg Later when I get over my cold I will see about getting some pics of the temporary setup and the table I plan to use, as well as several pieces of railroad track I picked up.