Jim Coke

Greetings All, As if I need yet another power hammer BUTTTT I just could not pass up on this one .. It has not run in 45 years .. It has a few minor problems but by the look of the wear on the parts it has not been used much.. Things turn up when you least expect them... I answered an ad for a anvil for just an extra for the students and after I bought it the seller sent me an e-mail on his friend that had the hammer and wanted to sell... Fire up the truck and I'm off for yet another picker adventure.... Lucky Jim

Greetings H&H, A split cross works well.. Bring some extra samples of its progression.. Plain stock... saw cut... than partial open... Let you customers play with them while you are dooing your thing... You will do fine... Jim

Greetings newbie, If you have the original crank and auto feed lever I would consider going back to a manual operation... I have several and they work great just as they are.. And the best part they are cordless with no battery required... Crank on Jim

Greetings 25, Nice work.... I see that you have done some brass brushing... You have to consider this in your final finish... Gun blue or any oxide top will bleed of into your rubbings... It will be hard to blend in what you have done.... I suggest a natural finish with a Renaissance wax finish. It will last forever... Good luck Jim

Greetings, Words of wisdom... Don't drive up in moms Cadillac.... Wear you oldest grubby jeans..... Smile and tell the seller your a new smith just getting started and on a limited budget.... bring cash in small denominations.. 10s and 20s ..... Smile and make your best offer.... The truth is its worth what he is asking... Welcom to anvil pickers....

Greetings JRM, Thats a lot of SS iron on top . I think it would be best if you put some round 3 in pads on your legs. You will also find that you pile stuff on the surface and will need to go to outbound legs for more support on all 4 corners... Good luck on FIRST FIRE... and your new PW Jim

Greetings Fatfudd, I don't think Fisher drilled that anvil... I looks to me like it was drilled as locator holes and set on pins so it would not slide off rather than hold down.. Thats no way to treat a baby.... Jim

Greetings X, Most of the professional blacksmiths that I know could do the same work that the do on a daily basis on a old railroad track.... Granted they all have big anvils but that comes with time... I have several and just purchased an Wilkenson 138 lb for 125.00 Take your time and you will find a nice 100lber for reasonable money. Ask the good old boys on this forum before you purchase they are more than willing to help.. Jim PATIENCE...

Greetings H & H , Most events like this do not carry insurance so you must protect yourself by keeping the forge and anvil in the background... I put my post vice towards the front because a simple twist is allways fun to demo.... Be prepaired to answer all the stupid questions... Is that hot ... My grandpa was a blacksmith ect.ect. Keep your knives and wepons out of kids reach and your product out front... To impress some of the people that ask is that hot.. I take a 1/2 board put it in the vise .... Forge out a taper on a 1/2/x1/2 get it hot and pierce a hole through the board... smoke and a perfect square hole in the board is the results.. How did early settlers drill holes?? You will find that you will do more talking than forgeing. Nails and leaf hooks are fun but you will not have a lot of time. You can pre forge some products and than do the finish at the demo... Good Luck Jim

Greetings Andy, I'm with Cross Pien, NEVER NEVER LEAVE THE CUT OFF IN THE HARDIE HOLE WHEN FORGING... IT HURTS..... I suggest you fasten your anvil down better . You are trying to hit a moving target... I got quite a kick out of you ... I never seen a smith hold the stock with tongs and move the vise... You are doing just fine and will make progress very rapidly. Next time try to form the eye and wrap around on the anvil .. Its easer and good practice... You should be proud and keep a nockin Jim

Greetings FE, Your pulley is a common line shaft pulley design... I have a line shaft shop and have several but larger diameter.. Most of the time they have a split locking hub inside... I suggest you take it apart and look and measure.... You can try looking on ebay under line shaft or flat belt or hit and miss engine... Try your local early engine clubs for a sorce... Good luck Jim

Greetings Curley, Nice find... The Pexto sheet metal anvil alone is worth 150.00 American.. A man can never have too many vises... Jim

Greetings Wesley, Tit for Tat..... I made 2 of your pritchel hole nail headers today... They work super..... Thanx one square and one round Jim

Greetings Wes, I guess the best compliment I could make is .. I could work next to him... On the resizing jig I mentioned.... A fixed round on a plate.. with a hole drilled in the plate to match your chain link oval.... forge a taper round the same diameter.. put your link on the fixed round and use the taper as a lever to form your link... Works for me... Keep a knockin.... Jim

Ya got a whole lot of blacksmiths backing you up... You will do well... Prayers from Michigan.... Jim

Greetings Westley, You are indeed a skilled blacksmith... And you look good on camera.... I have done a few links myself on this scale... What I did was to simply scarf the ends of the straight stock... than turn into a circle on the horn.. ... forge weld on the horn easier to do with a larger ID... THAN ,, with a small lever jig that is just one fixed round bar and another used as a lever to make them oval.. You can make 3 oval in one heat.. It also test your welds... Good luck with the house and roadshow... Jim

Greetings, Take a close look and it looks like a casting seam... I feel if you try to reforge this it will crumble... Tap the head with a ball pien and if it sinks and pock marks it is probably cast.... You can also spark test the stem... You don't get much for 5 bucks.... Good luck Jim

Greetings Ox, If you look at the picture that John was nice enough to put up.. Your blower has a wishbone strap and the counterweight that returns the arm. I have the earlier model that the rachet is a grab and release on the outside hub... Jim

Greetings Pulse,, Keep them both... You never know when you shop grows and you want more than one location... Or you may want to swap one for that other piece of blacksmith stuff.... swedge blocks... flypress...ect.... Daaa I got 20 Jim

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck its a duck. Its a farriers anvil by Trenton.... Flip her over and look for a dish.... Jim

Greetings ,, Mo and Bog, I only have a few flics of my flypress available at this time.... I have alot of tooliing for special operations and it would take all day send pictures to you... All it would accomplish is questions on how I use them... Jim

Greetings Bog, Sure you can draw on your flypress... It depends on the weight and style... Flywheel ball weight..... First make some offset dies.. about 3in w 2in deep and 2 1/2 high.. with about a 4in radius top... Off set so you can get long stock through the throat... You can make combo dies with a flat... One trick is to limit your travel to about 2in above your dies.. If you have to spin the flywheel more than one foot it becomes work... Your arm will tell you . Keep it short.. You will find a less hard blow and more frequent will serve you better . I hope this helps A picture of your press would be nice... Jim

Too old for you... Ya better sell it to me... Jim

Greetings, Neat look.... I have made large handle pulls much like yours for refrigerator doors... I think if it was my commission I would consider a two point mount .. The leverage on a single point is greater than you think... Over time even if you square tennioned the base you will find they will loosen.. Jim

Greetings, Got a Syncrowave 250.. 250 wire welder.... and My wife just bought me a 211 .. All great preformers.... Its Miller time.. Jim Oh and a bobcat too..