arftist

Is it magnetic? Ifso, likely 17-4. Nonmagnetic; likely 18-8. Foodservice, could be 316 17-4 *can* be welded but must be properly normalized after. 18-8 is the general purpose grades and goes something like this; 304 for general anti-corrosive work, corrosion resistance in sea-water above the waterline 316 corrosion resistant in seawater below the waterline. Very hard to move by hand hammer. Should be worked at near white heat. To restore anti corrosion property, quench in clean freah water from an orange heat or passivate with acid or polish with new clean consumables or electropolish. If you can cut a small sample off and you have a high end junk yard near you, they can analyze it for you, probably for free.

And you are entitled to it but consider that we are all different! My interest in blacksmithing is primarily to preserve the technology....that it not become a lost art. Is my interest somehow destroying the art? Your interest is seemingly in making useful widgets...in a Smithy. To each his own.

Tumbler is pretty much the go to.

Not an anvil. Good bookstop.

Agree with McPherson; you can't hurt junk. Torch or gouge out the cracks, weld with 70 series MIG of at least 250 amps. Use CO2 to help deal with the silica inclusions. Way faster than grinding, stick welding.

I have two stakes that size, neither of which will ever be for sale.

Weld the face if you want considerably less rebound. I wouldn't touch a thing on that beauty.

What Thomas said. Fisher anvils are available in England too. Also lots of flypresses which are virtually silent. Blower noise should not be an issue unless the bearings are shot, suggest a new blower.

I have a double seam mandrell. Often wondered it was originally mounted. This picture is fascinating to me. I wish this fellow had returned.

I would venture that they wouldn't make a law against it if it never occurred. Eric Sloane could be wrong I suppose but the real value wasn't even the nails themselves but the iron they were made from.

Yup, all made by blacksmiths, in a sense, though they may have been just nail makers,perhaps different ones. Regardless they used 3 blacksmith treatments, Drawing, upsetting and hot cutting. F.Y.I machine made (cut) nails had four sides at that time too. At the time those nails were made, the onwner would have burned the house down to keep the nails

Do #6 right after #2

If you insist upon the Traditional look, which is really only good for sheet metal shaping at best, then see if you can find a couple solid hunks which can be welded alongside the web on each side. Be sure to weld them at the top (to the bottom of the rail) and at the bottom to the mounting flange. This will give you an essentially homogeneous mass to work over. This is the only way you will be able to move metal other than the highly recommended vertical mount.

I couldn't find it either, but I remember it.

Actually this project has been done before by an IFI member. The thread should still exist...a.lucky search may find the thread.

think of the iron as as a lump of dough and the hammer as a rolling pin. The metal will move perpendicular to the pien. so, to make stock wider the pien must be inline with the stock.

Definitely taje them both but start with the general course. You can take them both, maybe not in the same year. I returned to my first blacksmith school four or five times over a twenty year period, culminating in a powerhammer class. Each time I found the time and money to take a class my skill and income level advanced...

A good adjustable twisting wrench is made from an old fashioned adjustable wrench which has jaws perpendicular to the handle. Weld a piece of stock similar in dimension to the tool handle and long enough to make a two handed wrench with the jaws in the center. These wrenchs can be small or large and very large set can be very handy.

The simple way is with vee grooves cut into dies. The difficult way would be to firmly jam or weld the stock to a mandrel ( the size of the bend) Then heat (with torch) and wrap around the mandrel being very careful to keep the stock in alignment ( with a twisting wrench)

My big table is 6.5'x 8' x 1" thick. It has a frame made of 6" chanel, 6 legs made of 3"pipe. It was the smallest table in a blacksmith shop I worked in in Boston which closed after a 97 year run. There are goesintos at each corner, I use 2" trailer hitvh receivers. My hossfeld fits in as well as many different vises, shears and othe tools. Under the bench is storage for steel, clamp racks on 3 sides and roon for about 12 5 gallon buckets full of tools etc. I made two bolt on fences of 2x2x3/8" angle

I had a cast iron fence 6"tall by 5' long which was very handy. It was pretty much a huge machinist's 90 degree block. It was lost in a move. Other than that, a bunch of goose neck hold downs and a few pegs fill most of my needs.

Nice work on the hammer. The only solution I can see is to pour the proper block where it needs to be. Build a partial shed roof over it for now. In the meantime stop running it over the heated slab, you are courting great expence and difficulty. By the way, you will want a larger block.

This is exactly how I was taught to cut. It is so much easier.

Or if you have ever seen an anvil with the heel broken off. A good shoulder protects the heel.

Have ye never had too many irons in the fire?