rfb343

I buillt my first forge out of an old gas water heater, angle iron for the legs, custom tin piping and a hair dryer. Since then I've built a new forge from shipping pallet with a fire brick fire pot supplied by 1" black pipe surrounded by red clay dug outta my yard. The new forge has been a HUGE improvement as I have about 3x4 ft working area around a nearly 12 inch fire pot.

Rick,
I have no particular experience in setting up museums, but I do take interest both in preservation of historic sites and blacksmithing. I am about 1.5 hours from Johnstown and make frequent trips to the Blair/Cambria county area. I would participate in association/friends group. I can be contacted via private message on this forum or email with my user name @ yahoo dot com

I suspected so, I've tried like the dickens to get Conservit to let me pick through their yard without success. I've been eyeing up that scrapyard on eastern blvd up too, I just havent gotten over there to check it out yet. And yeah, I dig MD Metals and Foltz, they used to have incredible prices on thier w1 drill rod. you're welcome any time, the old truck is in the driveway.

Thats some piece Joe, what yard let you trade scrap? Maryland Metals? BTW the I got the shop, bout 75% put together.

Thanks Mark! I hope you get your shop done soon. There's nothing like having a new space to set up in. That isn't the one going up on the road that runs past the fire station from Rt. 65 is it? Looks good if it is.

I got my acceptance letter for Boonsboro Days a few days ago. Don't know if I'll be demonstrating or just selling yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Thats the one, dont mind the high grass and other ruckus about the place, this shop has kinda been my white whale lately. I just started getting the metal on the roof yesterday. feel free to stop by and shoot the breeze, if im home Im usually outside somewhere.

Good Deal man! I wish I could have stopped by to see it, I was stuck at work all weekend, hopefully thats an in for Bboro days. I got my shop about 90% finished, so i'll have some work space again.

Mark

Mark,

If I hear you right, you are saying I could take foundation blocks to build up a box, fill it with soil and compact it. Saving on concrete cost and making it bigger. I think that I could wrap the supports in plastic or air gap to make the support box bigger.

Thanks!
Doug

Doug yes, you heard me right, another thought I had later was to use big timbers to build your box with the compacted dirt inside. If you have access to RR ties they'd probably be cheaper than block at least in my neck of the woods. and easier to work with. I figured you could frame out the hole you cut in the floor and throw some posts, jacks, piles of rocks, etc under the perimiter of the floor hole and you'd be good. One thing to remember, you're trying to bend hot metal between to hard objects, dont over complicate things.

What do you all think of sinking a pillar in one of those round cardboard tubes through the floor, down below the frost line. This would be my anvil stand also, maybe with about an inch of wood on top of the pillar? Think rebar would be needed in this?

Doug

First I dont want to discourage you in the least, but I think you may be looking for a way to use a saw as a hammer, if ya get my drift.... I had a simlare problem with my first shop... I tried a light weight construction of my own design(albeit over a dirt floor) and well it, blew down, so I am rebuilding with a standard pole barn construction. I tried something that didnt work, so I tried again... As far as the sonotube anvil base, you're looking for trouble(as far as the pounding would reduce even a big pillar to dust eventually , If I had to do it I would build a concrete block box up to the floor level that was several square feet in diameter and fill it with compacted dirt. That way you would solve some of your fire proofing problem, have a soild base to for your anvil and would be able to change your height fairly easily. I can post or email some scetches some sketches if you'd like

Here's the corker. I got the talking to! :mad: There's nothing like working for bureaucrat engineers! I told my boss to shut up or write me up and I'd see him in court. He dropped it of course. (A moron from the mollusk family)

Retirement means I can pick and choose who I allow to touch tools near me.

Frosty

ARENT THE ALL....(bosses that is)

How about a wine rack either hanging or freestanding that uses 2 shoes at base and at the neck for holding the bottles

Check your local junk/antique/swapmeet for a 2-4 pound engineer/minisledge they can be had I got one with a good handle for $1 the other day... it took some bargaining but I left with a hammer for a buck, 5-10 is a more common price and some times you get lucky and find a cross peen

Junksmith,
where is this in martinsburg? do you have any contact info

Gobae,
I got one of those projects going too, mine is complete just needs cleaned up, but the winter puts a damp on my projects(hence the hiatus from IFI, lol)I'll dig it out tommarow and post a few pics... and may be able to hook you up with some castings... it might be a day or two before i can get it doug out.

Mark

I'd just start hammering hot metal on it, it'll smooth out. You could probably hammer out a bickern for the hardy hole and save a lot of grinding time, forging instead of grinding, and youll come out with a tool and wont have wasted the $$$ on abrasives. just a thought. :o

belt lacer. Needs a little tender loving care, set of handles and a centerwire.

Nice score, whatsitdo?

What on earth do you do, as a blacksmith, with a 20# hammer?

lol, taking a hint from Frosty and apprentice man Im building an oliver, I scored 90 percent of what I need for my plans from that haul and most likely have the other junk laying around the house...

I was cleaning out my sis in laws garage(father inlaws old stuff) and I hit it big

It may not look like much but the thing on the weights is a 60:1 gear box the thing on the left is the frame of an electric scooter that is gonna be part of my powered wheel barrow,


and the post drill is a champion 108 but is missing a lotta parts, and here is a pic of my new hammer sitting on a 5 gallon bucket

Steffey and Findlay

177 South Burhans Boulevard
Hagerstown, MD 21740

301-733-1600

Steffey and Findlay

$10 and change for a 65 lb bag for pocohontas nut coal(you need to ask for this) and about $220 a ton those were the prices last month

Phil
ill start a collection, I only got bout 10 or 20 right now but I'd gladly support any endeavor of teaching kids to smith, I'll let ya know when I get a box full and for the contact info. cheers to you man, thats a great thing you're doin Keep up the good work

Make an oliver hammer out of it. I have a 18 lb straight pein I'm thinking of doing it to.

Frosty

That's what I was thinkin about doin, as I also got a mousehole that beat 90m percent to death, but I was hopin that Appreniceman would have the BP for the helve hammer he posted the sketch for a few months ago....

I got a 20 pound sledge from ollies junk store today sans handle, Im not sure what exactly to do with it now that I brought it home other that whittle down a utility pole for the handle, but I felt that I *NEEDED* to have a RFBBFH

despite my life long career of protecting person and property, I rarely use any type of safety equipment being for smithing, operating power equipment, shooting, etc not because I've tricked myself into thinking im above using it, but Im just dumb like that, and I havent come out the worse for wear YET, but on to my point... If I was gonna wear a glove for smithing I would use a structural firefighting glove with a knit cuff(nomex/kevlar usually) these gloves have vapor barrier(to prevent steam burns if wet) and have allowed me to hande handle steel handled tools in environments that were well over 600 deg F, and still retain a good bit of dexterity. One manufacturer used to have someone picking up a coin off a table with thier glove on, now I think that'd be a stretch, but you could easily pick up any smithing tool or stock, as I could tie my shoes while wearing them. Check at www . thefirestore . com or www . galls . com both have a good reputation. I prefer shelby brand but thats just what Im used to and they seem to be of good quality leather,fit well, and would usually last the better part of two years with regular use.

The vice/anvil combo is likely a Champion thats not particulairly useful as it valuable to, i shutter to mention the word, collectors for what I've seen them things go for at auction would make ya cry, you could buy a decent no name london pat and a post vice. And for upseting the hotter the metal the better(not quite welding heat but close)you be able to move a lot more metal per heat.

Hiya buddy,
Welcome to IFI you've come to the right place to get all the info you need, but first click on User CP at the top of the page and add your location so you can get hooked up with people that may have knowlege about your specific area(suppliers,groups,etc) check the blueprints and getting started sections, they have lotsa forge plans with the simplest being the 55 side draft. I built mine out of a old gas waterheater tank ,some vent pipe, clay and a hairdryer... check out my page below for the details

im from quite near hagerstown