chyancarrek

What a great range of shapes that has!

I have a cobbler's insert anvil that has the "last" shapes on both ends with an hourglass neck in between.

The neck fits perfectly in my vice and I use it as a texturing/light shaping anvil for light steel sheet and copper work.

Thanks Dan!

She's been a good ol' girl that I can always count on.

You have a fork lift too! I got all excited about the engine hoist I found yesterday and now I have lift envy.

Hey Frosty - yeah, it's handy - it's another piece of old iron. 1962 hyster 3 wheel with an' 80's era mast on it. Being as lazy as I am, it makes for a perfect way to get things from the upstairs sliding door you see in the pic without having to haul everything up and down the stairs!

I keep all of my stock and building supplies on pallets so I can move it right up to the roll-ups and pick what I need.

Those ol' engine hoists are invaluable tho - I still use mine for the tight space short picks I need to do!

He EV,

I've been doing something similar using my Foredom ( higher powered Dremel type tool) and have had really good results - I bought my bits from a surplus seller also and they're remarkable handy for lots o stuff!

Key's right - keep those ol' glasses ( or shield) on because the bits do break (it's happened a couple times) and it's a zinger when the pieces come off!

Mine's a 30 x 40 two story

Working area on the first floor is 30 x 30 - split equally into blacksmith/wood shop with the other 10 feet on one side for compressor, hardware storage and assorted " what's that?"

Second story is an unfinished apartment space being used for storage but will eventually become my office, product photography area, inventory and graphics studio.

The lean-to area in the pic will be torn down, then I'll build an extension so I can move my wood shop and turn the main space into just blacksmithing and foundry.

If you think your going to get rich smithing you might be right but it will be inside yourself not your wallet

John's sentiment here hits the mark. But maybe getting rich isn't what we should be shooting for - go for making a reasonable living doing what you love.

For me, it came down to finding a way to make my wallet less hungry so my soul can feast.

I've found a mid-point market between trinkets and architectural work.
I specialize in creative functional accessories for the home - serving dishes, small furniture etc. This work carries a much higher price point than the nick-knack market but not the involvement or overhead (and risks) associated with architectural work.

The key for me was being honest up front that smithing isn't exactly a high margin craft . . . I countered that by following a model where I bought everything I needed outright - My home and shop are paid for as is all of my equipment. I don't incur new debt (except emergencies) and only buy when I have the money available.

I work almost exclusively with re-claimed materials so my upfront overhead is mostly confined to shop consumables and specialty items when it makes more sense to buy them then make them.

Is it perfect? Will this approach work for everyone? Definitely not, but I'm making a comfortable living and absolutely thrilled to walk out the door every morning - That's an exchange I can live with!

I got that invite too - I'm out of town that weekend, I hate to miss it.

You're right Larry - the house is amazing!

I bought my first real anvil from him - a 200 lb Trenton.
Showed up at his shop just as he was pulling the doors closed - we were going to leave but he just waved us in.

My wife and I spent about 4hrs with Jerry and Ina shooting the breeze about smithing and BSing. Really great folks!

He used to be the auctioneer at the NWBA conference dinners ( he handed the gavel over last year) - What a show, he always led an item off with
"C'mon, fire it up! . . . What'll ya gimme for it? . . . then get people to bid against themselves.

Happy Birthday Jerry!

Nice Work Adrian!

Got a great whimsical look to it!

Welcome Alex,

This is a really great site - the folks are great with lots o' info to share!

I know a lot of the blueprints were not available due to the work Glenn and his team are doing on the site upgrade - maybe that's why you can't get to them yet.

Steve's got it . . .

I do mine by using a piece of black iron pipe - I fuller it completely closed
(taper to suit your design) leaving about a half inch neck - I then file the neck flat on both sides and curved on the top.

I forge my handles leaving (or upsetting) a mass at the end - saw a split and open it up to accommodate the neck - file the split to fit the neck then drill through both for a pin. I like the look of this assembly but you can also do the handle tip as a one sided pivot then rivet the two together.

Hope this helps!

Let us know how it goes!

My first wasn't a piece of forged iron it was a copper dip cup. It still hangs on the wall of my shop - It's ugly . . . very very ugly . . . but I'll never get rid of it.

My first forged iron was horseshoes hammered into spikes to hold the piece of I-beam I was going to use as an anvil

oh man, I haven't see that in ages!

Thanks Valentin!

I think that's my horse . . .

Really nicely done John! - post some pics after they're mounted at the customer's place if you can - it'd be great to see them in their new home!

Have a great trip Matt!

Make sure to update us when you get settled in your new digs!

Enjoy!

Thanks Don!

I've had it for about 12 years - didn't have to do much - freshened up the brakes and a 12v conversion - after that, just regular maintenance stuff.

The pic is over-flattering - she's got plenty o' scars and warts but overall really solid.

Later in the day the pic was taken we pulled the rest of our hay from the field.
I put it in granny - fastened a bungie from the steering wheel to the clutch pedal, hopped out and walked beside her loading bales as she chugged along. The kids who were helping us load got quite a kick out of it!

Thomas . .

Working for a living. That's what I love about old iron . . . just a little attention and they keep on running.

Put a ton of rock in her a few months ago - settled down on the springs and it drove better than when she's empty.

Here's my ol 1950 3/4 ton Chevy doing what she does best . . .

Planning on doing a bunch of woodwork and forge work elements to it and turn it into my "go to market" ride.

Hey Dodge,

Yeah, Led Zep took bunches of inspiration from Tolkien.

Misty Mountain Hop - References to Gollum - Queen of Light (Galadriel) etc.

Battle of Evermore is all about the lead up to the battle of Pellenor (sp?) Fields at the base of Minas Tirith (my Tolkien geek side is showing here . . .)

Great tune!

Very cool, once again I open my mouth only to exchange feet!

Naww Larry - I had NO idea what it was either so I had to Google it!

WuHu? I always thought that was something Homer Simpson said . . .

Oh wait . . . that's WooHoo . . .

I just learn something new every day . . .

news.tootoo.com/China_Window/Folk_Culture/Folk_Arts/20080317/78297.html

Hang em' high . . . Clint Eastwood arrests the blacksmith ( The smith was played by Alan Hale Jr - Skipper from Gilligan's Island).

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court - Danny Kaye starts up a BS shop and goes by the name "Sir Boss" - forges himself a pretty good looking Saturday Night Special . . .

Aww shoot, nobody ever calls me Sir Boss :(

Hey Dave,

I'm a sole proprietor and just carry liability - much simpler on the bookeeping end. If a sharp lawyer wants to get to you even behind an LLC, they'll find a way of doing it

B. Norris is right - corps involve a whole other level of organization (at least here in Washington) and you should definitely seek out profession advice before doing it.

Hey all,

Is going under with the load legal? I'm pretty sure in Washington you're not allowed to secure a load beneath your rig. (wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong tho . . . nor the last )

While the bars won't act like air-launched missiles, wouldn't it be way more susceptible to getting hung up in something if it's slung underneath?

Nicely done - Really elegant design!

Ditto to the above posters.

Go with the barn - if it's structurally sound, you're way ahead of the game then if you started from scratch - all of the things you listed it lacked can be put in as you go.

Moose Ridge is right, plan ahead - check out the floor plans of other shops then come up with your own - give a lot of thought to the kind of smithing you may want to do in the future.

Good luck! Keep us up to date as to the progress!