Jim Coke

Yes I did taper all the way. I also formed a v grove pocket for the penny. Indeed a challenge.

Greetings JLP, I too had not made a half penny scroll in years . A friend of mine just finished a very large railing project that included well over 200 scrolls. Our blacksmith group had a meeting at his shop to celebrate the competition of the job.i got the bright idea to make him a trophy to crown him king of the half penny scroll . I made it with a true penny insert and of coarse I had to do something different. Notice the diagonal stock and the transition to round . It was fun to make . Try one on the diagonal it’s a challenge. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Steven, All the chemistry is correct. When you wire brush don’t use a steel brush only a stainless brush . Steel will transfer into the metal and will later rust and leave black marks. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings JHCC. A new rivet would look better. While your at it re-forge your reigns to round than to oval. I make all my tongs with oval reigns . So much easier on the hands. Just this ol boys suggestion. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Looks like a blade from a commercial paper cutter.

Greetings Pr3ssure, Keep it simple ... Start with some 1/2 in square stock . Fold over approximately 1 in not tight .AKA fagot weld .. Heat to bright red.. hard wire brush .. Flux.. . Heat to bright white... flip off the flux .. than to the anvil quickly for only one smack.. return to the forge and a white heat to finish.. As you progress you will be able to complete the weld on the first heat.. Other welds will come with practice. FORGE ON AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS Jim

Greetings Wyatt, Now your cookin. It would be best if you put a piece of cement board behind your forge so to cover the wood shelf . A chunk of hot coal on the shelf could be a big problem. Glad you are making progress and havin fun to boot. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Tnbshr. I hate it when someone answers a question with a question but here it comes. Have you ever had experience working a power hammer? How are you making your billets now? Is your interest in only making knives and swords? Have you ever tried a hydraulic press ? As pictured the hammer does not have a power source Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Wyatt, I would rethink your hood design. Some of your pictures the fire pot is positioned too close to your hood. Do some research on the correct size of the draft entrance. For sure get the 10 inch stack . Lots of info here on IFI . Just this ol boys suggestions. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

I will ring my anvil in respect ... Condolences to his family. The true father of the power hammer ..I learned much from his videos and instructions. Jim

Greetings P3ssure, As others have stated you must consider weight , rust, and cost. A container even made from 11g or 1/8 would be heavy . You can do the calculations by finding the steel weight per foot on the internet. My suggestion if you want steel is to visit your local farm store and look for a suitable container. You will find most have ribs for strength and are galvanized plated to prevent rusting. You will find cost is a big factor if you calculate the steel cost because you must buy full sheets from most suppliers. Just this ol boys suggestions. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

When I found you your dream anvil I thought for sure you would have much more time to make beautiful things. REST IN PEACE Jim

Greetings Mark, IFI is like a good book on blacksmithing. You put it on the shelf for a while but your curiosity will get the best of you and you will revisit it in the future. You will do well. As I always say. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Heelerau, Did you know that that model has a two speed feature. You can remove the handle and hub and install it on the smaller gear hub for slow speed operation. They are fun and functional too. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Dave, You might consider a caulking foot vise . I have 3 and use them all the time. They work well for brushing hot stock and for repositioning stock and tools for the treadle hammer. They are also very useful for upsetting. Just a thought. FORGE ON AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS JIM

Greetings Steamboat, I have 3 caulking vises simulator to yours. The original upsetting block was cast and bolt through the base. Reproductions at one time were available by an east cost casting company which I bought 2 . Sorry they are no longer in business.. They sold them on line and at the SOFA tail gate sales. Originally they came with replaceable movable jaws that had cut outs for round stock. Most were lost. One improvement I made was to add a 1/8 shim to the fixed jaw which will allow the vise to close tight. This will also raise the pedal height to a more comfortable position. Have fun and a great restoration. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings JHCC, That set up is a typical drive system for a method of updating a drill press with flat belt drive to a motorized unit. It also applies to various other small machines . Great find if you have a use for it. Belt grinder not so much. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Deguy, I have many post drills . 5 very functional in different shops . Others just to look at. . Most of the ones I restore I leave natural cleaned and oiled with tung oil. I have one that I painted and detailed just for fun . Enclosed a picture of a rear flywheel Columbia . A rare find. Have fun with your new hobby. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Zeke, I have several , Two different .. Just make up one of my style anvil hold downs it will hold sheet ,round bar long stock etc. Notice the off set for longer stock. Now ya got some projects. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Zeke, The sheet metal vice grips can be made into a very useful tool. I’ve made several for my students . Simply weld them to an angle iron about a foot long as pictured. What it does is converts your holding stock in the vice vertically to horizontal. ATTENTION BLADE SMITHS. They work super for working on a blade horizontally. I use the them all the time to cut flat stock with the portaban. Nice haul for not much bucks. HAVE FUN Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Tim is not the Vice President any more and Kathleen is no longer secretary. Go to the MABA WEB SIGHT FOR CORRECT INFO. And they have not made anvils in years. Jim

Greetings Pr3ssure, An ol blacksmiths trick, Start with a longer piece of stock . (About 18in) Measure and mark the stock at the bends and twist area. Complete one end than all you have to finish is the hook end . Cut the stock to the desired length at your mark than hold with vise grips to finish. I hope this helps you along the way. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Just keep it under the angles .Shazammm

Greetings Pr3ssure, Lookin good for your first piece. Try working a little hotter not so hot on thin stock. Take your time . What I tell my students. ( PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE YOUR SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONATE TO YOUR SCRAP PILE ) Forge on and make beautiful things Jim

Greetings Voodoo, The wheels will stick out and would be a trip hazard. The pallet jack would be easier to move and position the hammer. You could also use a simple floor jack on the angle iron than a block shim so the pallet jack would slide under the hammer. Or if you could find a pallet jack wide enough it could slide under the angle iron. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim