Max Mulholland - Tetnum

I will be there for some part of the event.

i would encourage you to go up a bit in size to 12x16 but build what you want. here is a link to an instructable i made while building my shop http://www.instructables.com/id/Backyard-Blacksmith-Shop-Shed/ a video tour of my shop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYnNYClF8Cs&feature=plcp and the full size pictures of my shop https://picasaweb.google.com/107762353672146371378/January32012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLW03bDdtOrhFQ&feat=directlink

I have a 4" Sheffield vice which looks identical to yours and it has no 4 stamped where your no 5 is stamped. it has Sheffield stamped into the front leg twice.

the blower is easily workable i usually soak them in kerosene than wire brush off the buildup. for the pan if you can cut and weld plate make something like this as the pan and chimney. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A2eJtP7gz8&feature=g-all-u . for the firepot i do not really like his design so let others comment and see if we can find a better design that will last.

I plan to be there on Friday and Saturday.

That is a real Vulcan Pete.

CO detector! you are in a closed building it is often forgotten but in a small space it is requirement, also some type of fire extinguisher is needed. A 5 gallon bucket of water works better than a commercial extinguisher in many forging related problems but you should have a ABC extinguisher around t deal with unexpected.

isnt this your website? http://www.twinoaksforge.com/

while cars, trucks, loaders, and such are built to last when something is being replaced there is a reason for it all of the tool steel parts are subject to cyclic fatigue keep in mind many parts coming off machinery have been put through millions of cycles over their lifetime. many pieces like this will will have cracks open up when you start forging it down to shape. resulting in a dangerous tool which is likely to break chip or crack. as a word of warning while the tools can be great and functional only use new steel for tools for others to use or for tools to be used in public. remember people have lawyers and use them irresponsibly this is why many scrap yards are shut down to the public.

anvil http://urbanremainschicago.com/item.aspx?itemID=5426 little beat up may be an understatement

campfire old muffler pipe moms shopvac some 1/2" rebar a claw hammer and a rock and it was a really good excuse to play with fire 5 years ago

i run blooms often and find the process fun but tedious with one person if any one is interested at my hammerin next year i will run a huge bloom on the order of 200#+ because the resources take time to accumelate if there is enough interest i will start tracking them down

so how was WI produced on an industrial scale the small bloomery furnace's we run are too small to make tons of the stuff it it a scaled up bloomery or something entirely different

you can forge cast at a dull red but it is slow and prone to failure i have done this but the end result is not worth while very little work can be done in a heat cast iron can be forged when laminated in an iron or steel billet like low layer Damascus old safes were made this way out of many alternating layers of CI and Wrought additionally Wootz steel is an insanely high carbon content metal that is forged (it has to be homogenized first)