steveh

you could just backfill the floor area with dirt and bury your anvil stump at the same time.my forging area has a dirt floor,i find it easy on the legs and it doesnt burn.probably a cheap way to go.

coal is going up in price everywhere due to china importing to be able to keep up to the demand of their huge growing economy.look what happened to the scrap metal prices.lazzari coal up here is 41.95 a bag plus 13% in taxes and shipping.if i go to pick it up i have a $100 ferry ride.i bought a ton of coal from thak the armourer in ontario.it comes in 70lb bags and worked out to just over $40 each.its awesome coal.we have coalmines in bc but its hard to find good coal.

the hardest part for me is trying to figure out what i think will sell ,then how many can i make in an hour.i have a predetermined minimum rate per hour that i wont go below,so that gives me a starting point.if you can find something you love to do and make some money all the better.during the day i run my shoe repair business and i base my prices on a fixed hourly shop rate plus any materials.my goal is to repair shoes in the morning and blacksmith in the afternoon.im getting close to that,my shoe repair shop is on my property next to my blacksmith shop,im totally homebased.the wosrt part of it is the commute.

my blacksmithing adventure started 2.5yrs. ago when my wifes friend asked me if i would like the anvil in her yard,it turned out to be a 333lb peter wright in very good shape ,also it had been painted to look better in her garden for almost 20yrs.

if the colors run out ,nothing lost,just reheat the tip and start again.when i do jackhammer chisels for concrete i quench at blue,for granite at straw .just an example.

i have had good success listing a blacksmith tools wanted ad in our local buy,sell and trade paper,you never know who will phone.

last year i forged and tempered not enough jackhammer chisels but it counted for approx 25%.i just received my 2cwt. double bick vaughan thanks to the tool rental outfits i do work for.

jerry darnells mixture of beeswax,linseed oil and turpentine made into a soft paste has worked well for me