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DesertDisciple

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  1. DesertDisciple
    Thanks all for your kindness. It's been a while since last reply, but little Adelaide is here as of the 26th. :D Thought I'd update you all. Believe me Thomas, she will be raised with a hammer. lol. I found a little 2oz ball peen hammer that I'd like to re-handle and engrave with her initials. Luckily mom is on board! Hope to be smithing soon. Possible trading a recurve bow for an oxy/gas kit so I'll finally be able to put together a forge. Best Regards, Andrew
  2. DesertDisciple
    And Frosty, thank you too for your well wishes. It means a lot that you guys would take time out of your day.
  3. DesertDisciple
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  5. DesertDisciple
    Mr Powers, I greatly appreciate your wisdom. My wife is very ambitious, with lots of interests (like me!) and one of my goals in life is to be able to give her the time to pursue those interests. I'm blessed to have her and her support in my eclectic hobbies. We hope to raise our children to do the same, and it means a lot that you take time out of your day and help us pursue that. I am deeply in thanks for you words. Can't wait till I'm waiting on grandchildren! And Chinobi, I'm glad to hear it was a good time. Hope to be there next year!
  6. DesertDisciple
    Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've responded. I've been quite busy the last few months and haven't even logged into the forum. I'v recently moved further into the middle of nowhere and have a new baby girl that could be born anytime. life is good, but hectic. Still haven't got a forge together but I dearly wish to soon. Chinobi, unfortunately I did not make it this year. It simply wasn't in the budget, though I was very sorry not to go. How was it? And Grey, I'm glad to not be alone in the green department. I actually ended up finding my anvil down in Escondido, so I know it's not too bad a drive. What do you hope to achieve with blacksmithing?
  7. DesertDisciple
    Thanks to everyone for the historical tid-bits. This thing means even more to me now that it's somewhat rare. And an antique at that! Can't wait to get forging! Just need to get a few more things and I'll be hammering away. Would it be safe to say that tongs would be a good first project?
  8. DesertDisciple
    Hey all, I finally found my first anvil! I wanted to share my new toy with all of you (visually B) ) and give you some before and after pics. It's a Mousehole, marked at 125# (1-0-13) but my bathroom scale measured a bit over 119#. I got it for $150 via C-list. Based on the ABANA forum it's from the early to mid 1800's. You can just barely read: "..........AGE ....USE HOLE" My wife and I have had many laughs over the implications of an 'age use hole.' Anyway, this is what it looked like when I bought it. As you can see, it was pretty ugly. It had about 5 different shades of spray paint on it, black, orange, silver... yuck. There was also some thick stuff glooped on the the horn which seemed impenetrable. You could barely see 'HOLE' through the orange. I had a National Guard drill this weekend, so I used the anvil as an excuse to buy an inexpensive battery charger and set up a simple electrolytic rust removal station If I'd had more time I would have found more materials and made a better setup, but this worked quite well. It zapped for 2 days and after a rinse and a scrub: I gave it a good massage with a generous helping of linseed oil, and it stands ready to be used. It has a slight sway back, but I've read from a lot of you that a sway can be beneficial, so I will leave it alone. Aside from that, the only real flaws are a very slight mushrooming on the edges and a good size chip on the step behind the horn. There's also no pritchel hole, but I'm assuming I can improvise something for punches. A friend of mine is going to give me a stump that I will set it into. I need to come up with a small forge set-up, so if anyone has ideas, feel free to shoot. Here's more pics!
  9. DesertDisciple
    LOL! Can't believe I didn't think of that. You know I hadn't occurred to me that mauls had round eyeholes. Hatchet it is then.
  10. DesertDisciple
    I found this in my moms garage. It was badly rusted so I soaked in vinegar for about a week. I had the intention of resetting the bevel and using it as a hatchet, but I notice the eye is shaped for a hammer handle and the hammer face is flat like a forging hammer. I wonder if it could be better used as a hot cutting tool? here's more pics. Let me know what you think. Not sure what type of steel it is.
  11. DesertDisciple
    Thanks Frosty. @Mudman - I like going down to that area every now and again. I'll let you know if I'm ever in the area. Do you have a shop setup?
  12. DesertDisciple
    brianc, I saw their website. What is strange is that the anvil reads 'Vancouver, WN' which makes no sense unless that was an archaic mailing abbreviation for Washington. I don't think I'll end up taking it either way. Seems like a cast ASO rather than something worth sweating about.
  13. DesertDisciple
    Frosty - Thanks much for the advice. I'll be very honest, I'm generally shy with making phone calls so this isn't my first instinct. I will definitely take the advice though, as I've found this week that people are generally very willing to take a break and talk on the phone for a bit. I'll let you all know what I find out. @John - I suspect the same. I'm definitely going for the PW if possible, and I'm hoping it's in as good condition as the guys says. Thanks again!
  14. DesertDisciple
    To all, Thank you for the warm welcome and the tips. I'll be sure to join CBA when funds allow. I hope to be at the conference in Vista, though it sure is pricey! I looked at the entry cost and may have some trouble convincing wifey. :) I also plan on taking the intro class at Adam's forge to get my feet wet. And, for what it matters, I hope I didn't come off as lazy when I professed myself a dreamer. Part of the allure of this craft for me is the sweat, burns, blood and practice it will take to be great at it. Thank you all for the wisdom, and don't worry about the heat. I absolutely love heat, especially the dry kind and I hydrate very well. I'm was born and raised a desert rat, though I can't brag when comparing any of you folks out in Arizona or the like. Great hearing from you! Keep the tips coming! Best regards, Andrew
  15. DesertDisciple
    Hello again folks, I've got a seller with an anvil, the markings read "Van 1&S FNDRY CO, Vancouver WN" I have never heard of an anvil from this company and I've done a few searches on this site, and using Google as well. I'm guessing that 'FNDRY' means 'Foundry', so I'm assuming it was a steel corporation that made a variety of tools. I can't find anything about any company with that name though. Does anyone know any history on these anvils or this company? It's a 70 lb anvil with a little surface rust and one noticeable chip, but he's only asking $125 for it, which I think is very fair. I'm looking for a first anvil, and it's between this one and a 140lb Peter Wright in good condition for $300. Obviously the PW is a better anvil (though I can't be sure, having never heard of the first one) but I won't overlook a lighter, less expensive anvil, especially if it is of historical significance or well built. Here's a picture if it helps. Sorry if it's huge, and any info helps. Thanks gang!
  16. DesertDisciple
    I've been posting a bit in other threads, so I thought it was about time to introduce myself. My name is Andrew, and I've wanted to start learning the fundamentals of blacksmithing for a few years now. To put my experience in perspective, I've never had the opportunity to touch or even see a forging hammer or anvil in person. I'm finally at a place in my life where I can start looking for equipment and getting my dream going. I live in the High Desert area in San Bernardino County, and am always up for meeting new people. I have big, unrealistic dreams and I'm most proud of that. I'm very blessed to have a wife who dreams as big as I do and supports me 100%. She is my dream come true. So far, I've found some excellent sources of information on this site, as well as some excellent folks who've given a very warm welcome. I can only see the experience getting better. What I am most hopeful for is to find some smiths in my locale whom I can chat with and get to know. I'm thrilled to see there are some folks who can still make a living from this craft, but even more so to see that there is still value in working with the hands God has given us, even when it isn't profitable. I hope to make all of your acquaintances, and on favorable terms! Happy Smithing! Andrew
  17. DesertDisciple
    @CrazyIvan - I can definitely see the fire damage, but I can't make out a truck in the image. Good eyes though! Looks like you're experienced with this sort of thing. @Chinobi - Thank you! I'll be sure to continue scanning and come up with a list of possible locations. Google provides coordinates, so I can probably do a lot with that. There's actually a preserve called 'Pioneertown' at the base of the mountain. The wash you see in the picture is actually a road that goes from up in the mountains down to Yucca Valley. I think I can call the folks at the preserve and ask if there are any historical sites/mills in the area. Thanks guys!
  18. DesertDisciple
    Does this look stamp-millish?
  19. DesertDisciple
    @ Chinobi - Great idea! I have considered that, the only obstacle being that we were looking at the map over a year ago and he was guessing. But I can still narrow it down to about 10m2 . I did not realize you could pull up ownership records from Google maps. Unless you're talking about getting the coordinates and using a different service? I will have to spend some time tonight scanning. There is also an organization called Big Bear Blacksmiths listed on the CBA website, and apparently they meet at a stamp mill. I would be a dummy not to call.
  20. DesertDisciple
    Glad to see general interest! Sorry you guys aren't closer. Goes to show though that homeless folks often have a lot better local information than even our libraries sometimes. I feel like it's often worth it to start there when asking for neat locations and local arcana. @ianinsa - I edited that last line out of the post, as it made me seem like a vagabond. LOL! I'm not looking to steel anything, but I'm still picturing finding some cool, century+ old tool. :)
  21. DesertDisciple
    Hello, I live in Southern California, in the High Desert area and would like some help with a mystery. I work for the County Library and a year ago I was a supervisor up in Running Springs. A gentleman came in one day hoping I could provide some info on an old abandoned stamp mill that he had found. He was a real nice guy, homeless guy and we spent a good 30 minutes looking through local history books and googling different stamp mills. there are plenty in the general area that are well known and have info but the one he found didn't have any info whatsoever and was in an area that didn't coincide with any we could find info on. We were able to pull up a map online and he pointed to the general area where he thought it was, on the Southeast side of the mountain. Anyway, he left with nothing conclusive and i have regretted ever since not asking if i could go stomp around the mountain with him and check it out. I guess I was too "sensible" at the time. Anyway, I want to find it. if anyone knows anything about stamp mills in the Big Bear area or has first hand knowledge, Id love to hear from you. Be assured that I don't plan on going and taking stuff apart. I'm just in need of some adventure. Anyone looking to join? :)
  22. DesertDisciple
    Ah, you folks beat me to Neeman Tools! Oh well, here's another. :)
  23. DesertDisciple
    Thanks again. I decided to pass on the Vulcan according to your suggestions. The PW was way out of my way (I live in CA and I think it was listed in Michigan) I'm actually selling a guitar to purchase something a bit more valuable for the long run. Thanks again for all your help! And if anyone wants to trade a guitar for an anvil in CA, pm me!
  24. DesertDisciple
    Thanks all. as wpearson pointed out, shipping is $250 so i won't be bidding either way. im sure that is a very reasonable price given its weight, however ive found a 100lb Vulcan that is in my price range. thanks for the help!
  25. DesertDisciple
    Hello, This is my first post on the forum, and I'm hoping to get some helpful information. I've never touched an anvil in my life. I'm finally able to start looking at equipment for purchase and I ran across this on Ebay. Here is the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-PETER-WRIGHT-ANVIL-SOLID-METAL-BLACKSMITH-188-LBS-/350988919364 The poster claims it's a Peter Wright but I'm wondering why there isn't a higher bid on it. Surely the yellow paint would not deter anybody? Can anyone see any obvious defects that I cannot, or otherwise tell me I SHOULD NOT bid on this? Thanks so much, Andrew
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