Mudman

I'll try the vinegar dunk. Part of me, is chasing a better finish- more than I am trying to get better. See some folks, with finishes that look like it was all done in one heat. They say they brush a lot, while I'm certainly getting better at it, still not anywhere near their work. I'm brushing like my life depends on it. fullered areas give me the most trouble. If only my rage could scare off the scale. Das, those snakes look like they would make cool ring/pin thingies (forget the name) that people used on coats in the olden days.

Thanks ranchmanben, did a lot of brushing. Still not satisfied with the finish though. I want it cleaner haha.

Thanks fellas. More bottle opener. Trying to refine things, and get smoother at it.

You guys are crushing it! Really digging these last few posts. I tried working on some bottle openers today, but ended up getting frustrated and gave up. haha

Looks really nice, great work.

Beefy for sure

Got this beautiful Nimba Centurion recently. Which I've named Adira. She replaced this, which has served me very well for the last 5 years. I'll continue to use it too, just need to clean it up a little.

Thanks all, First time making a slot punch. Happy to see it works. The indexing is off, which initially frustrated me, but after using- I ended up liking it more. Liking those scrolls Vaughn. Daswulf, what does that sculpture weigh?

Made a round and slot punch today. Not pretty, but they work. 4140 or 4130, cant remember.

haha that's great, it has a lot of personality!

Daswulf, I really dig your creativity!

Made my very first bottle opener today, also the first thing I forged on the new anvil. It's not great, but works.

Added straps as suggested.

Thanks fellas, I'll work on some straps tomorrow. Picked up some 1-1/4 x 1/8 flat stock today, but ended up not having enough. Need to pick up more tomorrow.

That's my plan as well, but I've decided on a bigger stump. There's a guy with a good size piece of Chinese Elm. So I was going to do the same thing, except not screw up this time. Then inset the anvil, and so the silicone. Thanks, It was actually Faram's lol. He and I were brainstorming- which I only added 1% valuable input. Then he remembered he had those mounts, and gave them to me .

Just watched it, I like both of them a lot. Joe is pretty honest when it comes to not knowing something.

Got'r in today, and set on the stump. Wasnt until then, that I realized the stump was too small. But this will have to do for now, still surprisingly stable without bolting to the floor. I can stand completely on either end of the horns without it tipping. Although it does move if I bounce. The ringing prior to screwing into the stump, was mind bogglingly high pitch and loud. After the mounts, and a few small magnets, I again was also surprised how much quieter it became.

I don't have a lot of working space, so it's going to replace the area where my current anvil is. Which I know works for me, but it may get shimmied around a little before final lock down.

Pretty much done. I'll bolt things down when the anvil shows up. Brackets aren't pretty, but I do like them more than angle iron. Although I forgot to account for the feet, one of the two lag bolt holes wont be functional now.

Almost finished the anvil stand today. All that's left is bending the bar stock for floor mount. Leveled stump with the router method suggested. Also removed the bark as recommended, turns out this cold steel sharpened throwing shovel finally came in handy. It works excellent for stripping bark. I then added 3 feet, and a sheet of plywood to get the height I wanted, after initially screwing up. Stock layed out for bending. 3/8" lag screws for the stump, and 3/8" tapcon screws for the concrete.

so a ziptie won't work? =)

I wonder why these small details never ever occur to me. Bark is definitely coming off now. Being in the backyard, I'm already have a weird cricket problem in another stand. Bands are also a good idea, I shall do that. Thank you for the tips

Undecided, the wood is not completely dry. Stripping the bark would speed things along.