Jim Coke

Greetings Glenn,

Thanx for all the great info.. I will use this as a reference in the future..  As we all know there are many questions when we demo and your information makes it easy to answer questions...   I'll still keep my trees...

Jim  

Yo Chuck,

Michigan has two seasons winter and July..    Got any room in your  shop for me... 

Cold old Jim

Greetings,  AH

This vise was kind of a shopsmith vise normally sold as a kit with a forge and small anvil....  Old Sears Roebuck Catallog..  The hole in the front was for a mandrel that had a grinding wheel that could be installed...  It also came with a small cut off..

Nice find...   Jim      Closer to the 1900s

Greetings,

Neither snow or rain or dark of night will keep a blacksmith from his appointed rounds...    But Michigan can sure make it hard...

Smile...

Greetings, My friend...

First of all.  Blacksmiths are a different breed...  They are the most sharing ,  giving,  honarable people you will ever meet....   I suggest you get to know some of us first...    Ya can't just go out and expect one to fall off the old chestnut tree...

Good luck on your project..

Nowdays good anvils are harder to find than a wife....    I however have the best wife and 20 anvils....  You should have it so good..

Smile    Jim

Greetings,

I've done quite a few sclptures and found that if you give it a name it raises the value considerable...    Nice work... 

Keep bangin...    Jim

Greetings,

You could forge up a nice fireplace set that sits on top of the anvil...  Tell her that this is common practice and the anvil serves a heat sink that keeps the warmth in the room for longer....  After a while just take the fireplace set off and move it to the other side...   It's hard to out fox the fox but it can be done..

( put some flowers on the set)

Good luck  Jim

Greetings newbie,

This is the second in a week that I have identified this vise... Its a Cole made by the cole vice company in Chicago....  It came with a slickk drill press that mounted in the slot under the vise jaws... It was made for the construction industry for field work... The hole on the bottom is so you can mount on a stake driven in the ground or put the stake in it and pinch the  vise on plate or whatever to use as a lever...  Kind of a shopsmith vise...  You will find the jaws are very agressive but easy to remove and grind smooth...  I have 3 complete sets and use them daily..

Good luck and great find...

Jim

Looks like you are missing the base mount???

Greetings Philip,

It all depends on the thickness of you tag..  Normally I would use a sheet of 16g aluminum under the tag in on a treadle hammer .. A wood base would yeald a deeper impression but would distort the shape...

Good luck

Jim

Greetings Lucky,

A dirt base with some 4x4 on the underside will work just fine...   I know this hammer and I would expect to pay between 1000.00  and 1300.00

You cant find a better hammer for that kind of money..

Good Luck

Greetings,

Looks like a great door stop...   Wait to you can find a good  London pattern  at about the same price...  The face is tapered ????

Save your money    Jim

Greetings Pug,

From what I can see with the iron you have It would make a treadle hammer....  I don,t see much of a power hammer in your material... I have 3 treadle hammers and have worked with many designs... ABANA has some plans that I think would fit... Clay Spencer design..

Good luck on the build

Jim

Greetings ,

Sorry for the slam buuuttt ya had it comming..   If you log on to flat belt and hit and miss engines on ebay you will find a pulley to complete your project.

I have a complete line shaft driven shop and use this type of pulleys all the time..  Browning is one company

Good luck on you project

Daaaaa.

Serviceable anvil    I think thats a sin...   11 commandment...   Weld to cast ??????

I think you must have a lot of extra welding rods...

Greetings  J C

By what I can see it looks like the forge was built by a  plummer .. I think the fire pot is a sewer grate and the bricks are common bricks...  If  so you will have to rebuild it....The anvil looks good and should bring a good price...    I've bought tons of forges and anvils and will feel comfortable at about 400.00 to 500.00 for the pair...

Look close at the anvil to see if it has been in a fire..

JIm

Greetings Mr. D

Nice work... Gives a new meaning to being handy with metal.... 

Jim

Greetings Snake Creek,

5 horsepower ....I know complete large shops that the whole shop runs on less than that.  I'm sure you already know this but I will throw it out there..

Make a couple iron saw horses with a flat 8 in face for clamping... Get you a large angle gtinder  put a 6 in cup brush on it and clamp your work down..   Odd shapes a vise grip chain grip works well.   Have at it...(  all the fuzzies will now fly sideways  )   Best wear a leather apron.  

Good Luck    Jim

Thanx for sharing Tim,

I do think Clifton used one in the past but it sure refreshed on old boys mind.... Guess I'll get busy building one...

slick tool  Thanx

Jim

Greetings Jim,

Your blower can be used with about any firepot...  I guess it depends on how much forging you do...  Ya can by a super cast firepot from SOFA IN Ohio for about 250.00 ,,  They have been making them for years and every one that I know that has one loves it.  I too have wirlwind firepots and find that it takes alot of coal to feed them..  ( deep ) 

Good luck    Jim

I just finished a few punches AKA (schneckers)  for one of my studios..  My sugestion if you are on a  limited budget is to start with good tool steel round bars the are not that costly..  and a flap disc grinder with 60 to 120 grit ; forge to the basic shape and grind away..   Enclosed are some made with H13 for hot work and 4140 for cold treadle hammer work...   For eye punches , forge the bar to a taper with the tapered end with a small droop over of material...  Take a 6 in flat bar stock heat to forging temp and sink a old small ball bearing in it.. ( aprox 1/2 way)    After cooling set the plate on your anvil with the bearing in the hole than heat your punch end and drive it into the bearing..  It will form a nice eye punch.. File and grind to taste... 

 Take your time and your punches will last a very long  time.. Next read up on heat treat , draw tempering  ect... 

I hope this helps..    Jim

Greetings Brian,

Test weld ,  Test weld,   Test weld..  !/2 plate at that angle allready has a bevel....  I think you will be filling a  3/4 or better gap...    Check out the duty cycle of your machine...   It's only metal have at it...  reverse gear is a grinder...

Good luck

Jim

Greetings Brian,

Ya going to have a bigger welder .. Preheat and tack it .  You will find your welder is limited to about 5/16 stock...  You will need a 225 or bigger stick welder to do the job right..

Good luck

Jim

Greetings Ironsmith,

Yep the flex or slack side of a belt sander works the best..   Buuttt  if all you have to work with is angle grinders I suggest that you look at a new way..

     Mount your angle grinder in a wood vise with your flap disc (aprox 80 grit on a new disc) and take the hammer to the grind surface... You will find that you can see the work being done much better and less flat spots...  Keep in mind the radius of the disc.. The closer you get to center the less grind and on the outer radius you get more flex... I have done a bunch like this with great results...

Hammer hard and have fun

Jim