ferretman

not sure if i will ever use a hammer of this weight but just thought it would be fun to see if it could it be done by myself and a friend without the use of a power hammer it looks like quite a challenge ,but all advice will be taken on board cheers to you all

Cheers guys might have a blast tomorrow will let you know how i get on.

i have a small sledge hammer head weighs around 8 pounds was wondering can i heat this up and turn one end into a crosspein or will i just have to do the unthinkable and buy one ! and also will i have issues with it already being hardened cheers

hi guys nice to see every one back,i have an an opportunity to acquire what i think is a bottom and top of a press tool ,both pieces are around 18 inches long 4 inches thick  12 inches wide ,they weigh around 65kg each one has a square hole in the center gave one a whack with hammer good rebound they also have spigots where they fit together perfectly the old boys at work say they are cast steel ,think they are heading for the skip soon was wondering if they are worth liberating .advice uses and info all greatly appreciated.

cheers for advice Alan ,got a feeling im trying to run before i can walk ,gonna slow down a bit and make do with what i have ,as you say probably never need one ,and if i do it will be a long way down the road before i really even know how to use one properly .cheers

thanks guys for all the info and advice you fellas are a wealth of knowledge for newbies to the craft cheers to you all

i am thinking of adding a swage block to my ever growing collection ,but most  i see for sale are a little out of my price range ,was wondering anybody outhere ever made one ,or would it be too much of a job for a newbie like myself with only limited tools and machinery ? sorry guys for all the questions i post but my enthusiasm for this hobby seems to be growing out of control .

wow cheers john best get busy and see what i can come up with ,oh i forgot to say it came from an ambulance station workshop skip ,only had to ask and the guy said help yourself .it was full of leaf springs drum bakes ,brake discs ,wishbones drive shafts and other bits and bobs ,might be an idea for others to ask at their local station im sure every town has one ,

hi guys acquired an old leaf spring from an ambulance today ,read it is good stuff for knives ,but anybody else have any ideas ,its at least 4feet long and half an inch thick at its widest point ,and i have three of them cheers

hello chaps ,im thinking of building a brick forge in my shed its quite a large structure 20 by 16 so i have the space but it has a wooden floor is this a crazy idea for a coal forge ,has anyone else done this or should i rip up the floor and concrete the lot  just to be on the safe side ,cant really afford this but will if no other choice 

Looks like its not just me then .happy smithing .

is it me or does everyone who has an interest in metal work who sees any piece of steel  hanging around just have to pick it and take it home and wonder what it can be made into ,

I only remarked anvils where more expensive in the us than the uk calm down chaps

It makes me wonder thousands and thousands of anvils must of been made in the last 150 years where have they all gone,around my county of yorkshire there were hundreds of foundrys including the mousehole .but sadly nearly all them closed now but anvils are not exactly bio degradable are they

hi guys after reading a few posts i noticed that anvil prices in the us seem stupid in a land so vast i thought they would be 2 a penny ,dont get me wrong in the uk there not cheap but i bet most american smiths could get the anvil of there dreams for less than 500 quid and still have change

cheers will have to let my imagination run wild and see what i can come up with 

anyone got any ideas what an old milling machine bed could be used for its 3 feet long and weighs around 50kg ,thought about putting anvil on top of it ,would this work or best of sticking to a tree stump ,

only just started the fun of forging but the things that have followed me home include a pair of leaf springs from an ambulance ,bed of a milling machine could only just lift that one ,four ,five foot lengths of stainless steel 5 inch flue pipe,too many lumps and lengths plates and offcuts of steel to list oh and a cast iron fondoo set thing  i liberated from a skip (it looked like it would come in handy).any ideas ?

Cheers great site for a newbie keep up the good work

cheers guys got a big old tree stump concreted into the ground of my shed will make some straps to hold it place ,got some ideas of  the site cheers again for info

hopefully get some pics soon my location is in Bradford England cheers for reply will get pics on soon as possible cheers

Hi guys new to the game,acquired an anvil recently it weighs 170 kg and is 24 inches long and 20 inches high it has an odd cut out section on one side is it an old blackerhammer anvil and if so would this a good as a more conventional shaped anvil or would an average sized bloke like myself not have enough power to get the full benefit out of an anvil designed for a machine. cheers .

HI everyone my is Tony, new to this game but always had an urge to hit a red hot piece of metal with a hammer and see what happens and as i thought it a lot of fun,but not as easy as it looks,but as they say practice makes perfect,great site plenty of ideas for a newbie like me cheers to all you guys