Urthman

Thanks Timothy. I could always use some good advice. The first stake I want to make will have a simple 1/4" wide 'working' edge, for folding a 1/4" lip on 18G sheet. I have some mild 1" mild square stock. I'm thinking maybe forge-weld a strip of tool steel (drill bit or chisel?) onto the tip and call it good. I also want to make an 'extension' stake that will hold the various '949' type Pexto stakes. For that, I'm thinking use the same 1" square, and weld a square socket of 1/2" plate to the top. This stake would be used in the upright position, not laying over as the picture would suggest. Also wondering if I should try to upset the bottom of the 1" square stock, so I could forge a beefier taper to fit the larger Pexto holes. Not sure if I'd be able to upset stock that large...? Pics below- advice welcomed. Thanks! -Jeremy

Thanks all! I fired it up tonight with some charcoal. Worked great, but after reading comments here I think lining it is a good idea. I'll look for some refractory cement to do so. Anyone have a good line on where to buy soft coal in Northern Virginia? I'd like to give that a shot (after trying charcoal tonight) Thanks! -Jeremy

Thanks Thomas. I joined armourarchive recently under the name jeremy.g You can have look at the cuirass I'm currently muddling through. :)

Correct! No holes drilled for mounting yet. Was debating whether to do holes at top and bottom (exposed) or under the knocker itself to hide them. Leaning towards the latter...

A nice little champion. A craigslist pit stop on a business trip yesterday. Seems complete, and in good shape. This is my first coal forge- I've been using a gasser that I built. Is there any maintenance I should do before firing it up? Maybe drain/add oil? Knowing me, I'm sure I'll end up tearing it down, stripping it, and painting it all purdy. But I kind of want to fire it up and try it first. :)

I made this for my wife for Christmas. Not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it. :)

TP- You nailed it, I've been making medieval armor (in addition to blacksmith stuff), so that's the intention with these stakes. NJ- Very generous of you! I certainly appreciate the offer, and may take you up on it if I get impatient scrounging locally. :) I've called all the local scrapyards with no luck. They will all accept scrap, but none of them will allow you to wander/scrounge/purchase. Bummer. It also seems that all the 'good' flea markets are far away. But I have to drive for work sometimes, and have scrounged flea/antique shops and craigslist on those trips with some good success. I'm piling up some hammer heads, breaker chisels, etc. Just yesterday I came home with a champion rivet forge (score!) so I'm definitely in tooling-up mode. :) Sounds like I need to check into the local blacksmith meetings and make a few friends. I wanted to hit the Gichner memorial last weekend but couldn't make the 4 hour round trip. Thanks guys...

Thank you ALL for the helpful comments. These stakes will indeed be for cold forming sheet metal. You've given me some good ideas. I'm fairly new to metalworking, so don't have any contacts to scrounge from in the Northern Virginia area. I have a feeling that I'll be buying most of my materials new. (unfortunately) But hey, even if I buy a couple of digging bars and sledge hammers (new), chop 'em up, forge them, and weld them together I think I'd still come out ahead investment-wise. Thanks all! I'll be watching this space for any more helpful advice. :D

So, I want to make some stake tools for my Pexto plate. The collectibility of 'actual' Pexto stakes makes them fairly cost prohibitive, and hard to come by. I've made one so far, using a piece of 1" square bar of mild steel. I forged the taper, and shaped the business end. It works 'ok', but deforms a bit after a some use (sheetmetal forming) I think I need a tougher steel and some heat treatment on the Business end. Any advice on type of steel to use? And possibly where to find economically? Creative solutions welcomed. :) Thanks for your ideas! -Jeremy

Thanks Frosty! And yes- I built a propane forge. Burner design I used is similar to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxzdqcPzXj8 ...except I used a compression fitting to hold the mig tip, which is a .030, I believe. I didn't use a flare on the end, and I think the hole cut in forge is a bit large. Also, I put the burner at an angle to 'swirl' the flame, but doesn't seem to do the trick, so I may cut the welds and have the flame jet more straight to the floor to create one nice hot spot. Anyhoo- it 'worked' well enough to get my Christmas projects done, but I think it's time to dismantle and 'tweak' the burner a bit. I want to add a flare and get the burner running well outside the forge, and then re-install. What do you think? I started making a flare yesterday, but the pipe was too thin and cracked, so I'll have to try again with larger/thicker pipe... Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Best of luck in the search, TP!

Got my first project done last week, and my first tool completed today! I made 16 of these for Christmas presents. Wine bottle Tiki Torch holders from 5/16 round: Today, finished my first tool! Tongs made to hold 3/8 Square. Made from 1/4" x 3/4" stock, and 1/4" round for the rivet: Not the prettiest tool in the shed, but they work! Hm, what to make next... =)

Just learned something. "Boiled Linseed Oil" contains solvents/chemicals, where "Raw Linseed Oil" does not. How about that.

Thanks all! I'm definitely excited. ThomasP- I totally respect that. Linseed Oil seemed a safe bet, since it's pretty much a pure vegatable product. But perhaps I should wipe down the business surfaces with soap/water before I go at it to be safe. Routed out the top of my stump to match the anvil foot, and dropped 'er in this afternoon. (looks GOOD!) Picked up my propane tank and burner. Waiting on my refractory brick/blanket to build the forge this weekend. Coming together!

Of Course! Here are some before/after: Not perfect... but it's mine! :)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Amazing amount of family history in that old piece of metal.

After your suggestion I picked up a wire brush cup for my angle grinder and some linseed oil. I did one side as a test. Good call! WOW is that pretty. Instantly transformed from rusty chunk to serious tool. Can't wait to use it!

Thanks guys! Macbruce- I appreciate the assessment, which makes me feel better about the purchase. I've read a few posts about amazingly cheap lucky anvil purchases, and this was definitely not one of those. I think I pretty much paid what it's worth (in my area). Cant wait to clean it up, and pound some hot steel! Speaking of- any advice on anvil cleaning/maintenance? I heard wire brush and oil/wax work pretty well...

Hi folks! Very excited- I bought by first anvil today. Not as heavy as I initially wanted (weighs in at 87 pounds) and not perfect, but it was in my price range and I think I'll be happy with it starting out. I went for a drive today and looked at 4 anvils at antique dealers and private sellers. Three of them were dead and lifeless. (no ring, no rebound). This one rings like a bell. And if I drop a steel pinball on it, it practically throws it back into my hand. I couldn't find any markings on it when purchased, but found a few once I wiped it down. Side of anvil shows a faint "M" and maybe "A". (maybe ACME?) Foot shows an 85 on left (weight?) and then a serial number that looks like A137618. Quick search says perhaps this was an ACME anvil made by Trenton for Sears? Any thoughts? Thanks for the help! (pics below)

Thanks guys- I really appreciate both your efforts to point me in the right direction. While I can make do with the sledge/stump anvil while I search for a real one, I immediately realized the open MAPP torch was not going to cut it. So, I started another project today: =)

... and Hello from Northern Virginia. :) I've always been fascinated by blacksmithing, but never had the chance/tools to try it. On a whim, I broke out my MAPP plumbing torch, stuck a small sledgehammer head into a stump, and grabbed my grandad's big old Ball Pein hammer. It's nothing special, but for my first whack (haha) at hammer and fire, I was both suprised and pleased. :) Needless today, I now have the bug and need tools! Any active Blacksmithing Groups in Northern VA? Anyone near Virginia have advice on obtaining an actual anvil? Seems hard to find... Thanks! Jeremy