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How in the heck does an anvil fail at that point? If anvils could talk. I wonder if it might be a good candidate for a bolt on base. Seems it might be easy to bore through an anvil base shaped mass of iron (maybe even cast iron) and tap into the remaining portion of anvil. There would be little or no heat involved so you would not affect the hardness of temper of the face. Just an idea.

You're right, wife says he said he isn't doing it this year. I don't listen well anymore. Interesting, to say the least, spending time around Best and his circle of artists. This was the period where he was doing some crazy automobile sculptures and drove a classic old Citro

Check out # 41 Photographs of the Fuller swage guillotine tool are found at the bottom of the page. iForge Blacksmith Projects

I have never managed to get out there, and this year will be no exception. Keep an eye peeled for David Best. I just heard him talking on NPR about Burning Man, and learned he will be building this years Burning Man Temple. I met him back in the seventies when we had adjoining shops. He's not a blacksmith, but has an extensive background in foundry work; a most interesting person to talk to. Back when I first met him, he was famous for casting crazy mummified animal sculptures from road kills we collected for him. I guess you really had to have a morbid sense of humor to truly enjoy his work. Have a great time

I have several sizes of bolt tongs that work real nice and are very predictable. I've never seen or used Uri Hofi's Woop

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/missouri-bow-spike-6949/ OzarksWatch

Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary has a ton of stuff that I consider real interesting, and even important. The 1881 edition is now online. Poke around and see what you can see. Enjoy. Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary 1881 Edition This site requires the DjVu plugin in order to work

I would order the screw and nut, too. Especially if I intended to process any apples this season. There is plenty of work involved in making the rest of the press to keep oneself busy; I see no point in bogging down on the first task.

What stone would they be splitting in order to have a special club? I have seen granite split with feathers and wedges using the same drill hammer used to bore the holes. Now, I understand splitting sandstone, the holes can be bored by hand with a drilling buck. Would that mason's club be used for splitting sandstone because a drill hammer wasn't needed anymore? machine eliminating the hammer and drill operation.

Make one from rod stock. It's not that hard to make one rivet. 3/8's stock is a good size for medium tongs. The length needed for upsetting the head is one and a half times the thickness of the stock.

Ancient machine shop task. No big secrets, just diligent work that takes time to do it right. A mill is the tool for the task, but it can be done on a drill press if you apply yourself.

Engine Turning or jeweling like this? or this?

Thanks, Valentin, I always enjoys your posts. Keaton had his own studio which later became MGM, but here is some music from competitor Hal Roach studio composed by Leroy Shield to give the film some dimension. It adds just the right feel to old films. Interesting, Shield's music was never published or promoted in any venue except the studio films so the Beau Hunks had to transcribe the music directly from the films because no Shield sheet music survives today. YouTube - Beau Hunks - The Moon And You YouTube - The Beau Hunks in Concert -- part 1: "Streamline Susie" YouTube - The Beau Hunks in Concert -- part 2: "You Are the One I Love"

Bright red? Is that like blood red (1075

Fisher anvils have cast iron bodies and have those holes.

Funny, some of us invest a lot of time grinding and polishing our hammers to create a 'dome' or crown on the face. If you must to remove it, I would suggest you simply grind the 'dome' flat, and do it slowly so you don't heat it to much and lose the temper. Go slow or get used to the dome.

Iron oxide. It's still magnetic so it's easy to collect and is the same material they used the Fuzzy Face

All the TSC catalog iron is all 'mild steel'. Big choice, though; plated or non-plated.

No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people - H.L. Menken This operation, Phoenix State University

They are sometimes called the Friedrich's cross or a Celtic cross, too. cross

Do a spark test on them when you get home. I've never seen or even heard of a cast iron ball pein hammer. If you offer a quarter for them you won't be out much dough if they do turn out to be cast iron. Are you sure your head was cast iron? If it was cast iron it would not just crack, it would break apart into pieces. That has been my experience. It is possible the hammer head was worked at to low a temperature?

A 16oz. ball pein hammer might make a fine throwing hawk. A 16oz. claw hammer could work, too, if you chop off the claws and reshape it, a 20oz. head would be even better. You can find tomahawk material at garage and tag sales if you look, especially if you dig to the bottom of boxes full of rusty junk. I never pass up a rusty hammer head for a quarter. Heck, I might even go as high as fifty cents or a dollar if it suits my fancy and is a fine design.

Oh, that reduction gearbox looks real smart. It is going to become indispensable as soon as you build the rest of the whatchamacallit.

The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers. This book will absolutely draw your son into the wonderful world on smithing, maybe you too. ;)

An exact value would be what someone is willing to pay for them. This post is worthless without pictures. Oh, what's the weight of the anvil....