nankbrown1227

Files are really really cheap around my neck of the woods, I can pick up USA made files by the fist full for a quarter a piece at the flea market so I never really paid much attention to the way I stored them or abused them. After reading this thread it makes me want to go dig out my best files and apologize to them.

I have a piece of 2x4 I covered in thick leather that every few strokes while I am using the file I will smack the file on to get rid of shavings, I then oil my files in used motor oil to prevent rusting after use.

I just sold a 100# peter wright in A LOT better condition than that for the same price that guy is asking. I have a William foster and I love it, unless I run across a unique pattern anvil (or get the guy who is using the mint condition huge fisher down the road from me for yard art to come off it) it will probably be my main work anvil the rest of my life, so this anvil your asking about at least has that going for it. I would throw the guy an offer well under what he is asking and leave a phone number, he probably won't take your offer right off the bat but he may decide a few weeks down the road when the anvil still has not sold that if he wants to move it he better start making deals.

I just checked that out, that will make a dandy anvil! I would love to drift mine but due to lack of a willing helper lol I will end up machining it. So on your flatter in your profile pic, what do you have the handle hole drifted to?

The flat end is 2"x 2", the striking end is dressed down to 1", the overall height from flat to striking end is roughly 3" and the handle is 13" long. I left the flat end 1/4" thick so that I could dress it in later use. I would say that it weighs about 1 1/2#. My hardy hole is 1 1/8". And thank you for your support And Daniel I just picked up some 3" plate at the scrap yard and thought about either making a striking anvil or machining it into a swage block of sorts.

I forged a new tool last night, this is my first flatter, to flatten out work and the sides of chain hooks I was just using a 1/2" piece of plate that I welded a handle on. Since I am doing a little more work at the anvil lately I decided to make a "proper" flatter. This is made from the same cj5 axle that my hotcut is made from, and let me tell you, having a proper hotcut hardy makes all the difference in the world when you are cutting this stuff. I forged the striking end down and upset the flat in the hardy hole on the anvil. I rigged uo my water hose so that it was above my anvil and I could turn it on and keep my anvil cool in between heats. I then added a wrapped handle to it after fullering a ring around the shank. I went with the wrapped handle because I like the way the flatter will be able to float on the work piece. I forgot to mention, I heat treated the flat surface but left the striking end fairly soft, I left plenty of meat on the flat end so it can be dressed in the years to come, I figured if the striking end ever needs more metal on it I can build it up with the MIG a couple minutes.

Forgive me if this has already been discussed but I have always been intrigued by watching people, always wondering what their story is. Every person lives a different life full of decisions that has made them who THEY are, so I pose the question, How did YOU get started blacksmithing? I got started blacksmithing roughly 10 years ago when an old friend of my grandfathers brought the conversation up. Now when I say "old friend" I mean he had lived a very long life by that time he was in his early 90's and lived until three years ago. He told me one day while he was visiting my grandfather in his wood shop that "you should set up a forge and buy you an anvil and torch set, bet you could make some money 'round here" . What he said rang true in my head for some reason so that is just what I did. Can't say I have made much money, since I ended up in college, then barber school to make a living LOL, but I have enjoyed the journey, and love working with metal so I suppose that is payment enough.

Alright gents, I have made very very few decorative pieces and the couple that I have made were gifts, my general area of work comes from the farmers around here that needs things straightened out on equipment, chain hooks, draw bars, hitches, etc... So this is the first decorative item that I made and sold, it was on comission actually. Hope you all enjoy! It is about 12" tall

Awesome! Thanks guys, I wasn't too concerned about it, I measured rebound with a 1" bearing and the rebound was great. I just ran across this thread and figured I would ask a populous with far greater insight than I!

Sorry to dig up old posts but, my 270# William foster does not have much of a ring to it but has great rebound, and will move metal great! Should I be worried that it does not have much of a ring?

That has got to be one of the prettiest anvils I have ever seen! The other gents have already identified it for you so as far as price goes I would be incredibly biased because I love those patterns and want one really bad so I would probably pay more than you did for one , so in my humble opinion you didn't get hurt ;)

And Eric that is a beauty! It the big brother to my fisher! It looks like the one you have has Dar better edges haha

I live smack dab in the middle of the Hangingrock Iron region, as a matter of fact the "hanging rock" is three miles down the road from me, along with that and all of the railroad "industry" that used to be in the area I have seen several large anvils still remaining around here. One in particular is a 400# Fisher with the stand, it looks as if it has never been struck, it is just hanging out as a lawn ornament painted flat black! I have stopped several times over the past couple years and I have offered this man stupid money for that anvil but he won't come off it. So I agree with Thomas in saying that not only is the anvil the soul of the smithy, but the anvil itself has a "soul" and any person that uses or has used tools for a living realizes this and there for the anvil is *protected* so to speak. Just my humble opinion

Thanks for the encouragement guys, and vaughn the hotcut is made from an old cj5 axle I had laying around so I am not sure as to what type of metal it is.

I finally got to forge a little last night and today, so I decided to make a couple new tools. First off I want to thank everyone for their comments and advice on making tongs in my previous post, I took those words to heart and finally made a half decent pair, second I made a brazeal style hotcut tool to fit my William foster anvil, the hardy hole is 1 1/8". Please enjoy, and all comments are welcome. Oh, and the chisel in the photo is what I used to hotcut the inch and a half axle I used for the hotcut hardy tool!

Thanks for the encouragement, I will finish this pair and on the next I will start with larger stock. Vaughn, I have a pic of them on my camera, when I get on the computer in the next day or two I will upload it! So dont dispair, you will indeed get the chuckle you are looking for!

Sorry guys, been out of town. Here are a couple pics of some blanks I made thursday night after I trashed the previous pair (well I made them into a couple hooks for a friend) don't laugh too hard I made these in three heats each, so they are just the rough shape. And a couple people suggested finding a smiths to help me, well that's part of the problem I am running into, I can't seem to locate anyone within a hour drive or so. I did however go down to the pumpkin festival in wv last night hoping to get to talk to the smith and when I got there his shop was already closed :( but I am sure he had several long days of forging.

I know! I was worried that I was gonna have to hit the fab shop and pull a bigger forge out of my butt lol

Thank you guys so much, I will try to get some pics of this evening of my most recent pair. The things you all are saying make sense and I will add a lot of them to my journal! Thanks!! And L Smith, when my grandfather was still alive he asked if i could make a new cabinet door for his cabinets in his old house, well he has made the cabinets himself years and years ago, ( he was a carpenter) well the doors have a simple design along the outside edge, so me being me, always making things harder than they are I bought a couple new wood chisels and planed/Sanded the door and went to work carving the design. It took me half a day just to lay out and sketch the pattern, then I started the task of chiseling it out! Well I worked on that door for three days, carving until I had blisters on my hands, the entire time my papaw would.come down to the shop and check on me every so often and never said a word. Well, I finished the door, gave it a finally dressing, stained and varnished it and added the hinges, pap came down to give it his approval and I will never forget what he told me " looks good son, there is a router and bits over there on that shelf though, for future reference" moral of the story, don't make things harder than they need to be, and i think that is what I am doing here!

The biggest problem I am having is in the boss area, I can get the jaws the same and the reins the same but I can't for the life of me get the boss area the same and the tongs grind against one another or don't shut all the way because of twists or something of that nature in the boss area. And vaughn I don't care a bit to grind and file, in my opinion the invention of the angle grinder and bench grinder should be rated up there with how to harness electricity! Lol

Vaughn! I just got done using my flat bottom forge with firebricks creating the fire pot!!! I love it! You were right I changed the shape of the fire pot three times during forging and saved A LOT of fuel, it reached welding temps quicker than my older forge did with a fire pot!

Alright guys, how should I start this....... I am terrible at making tongs!!!! I have read and reread websites describing how to make tongs, I have taken notes, pictures, mental notes etc.... I have read several books again and again about tongs, I have watched bill Epps videos and Brian brazeal videos so much that I know what move they are about to make before they even know! It all makes sense when I am reading or watching so I go to the forge and anvil with fresh steel in hand and I fail, again and again. I tried making a pair tonite and they came out looking like a rainbow trout ( I am still not sure how that happened) any and all help/tips/pointers are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

My brother and I used a 110# fisher for a long time and between the two of us it was all we needed, I recently aquired a 270# William foster in the English pattern and I love it, but it is softer than the fisher and even my 100# peter wright, my shop is open on two sides so my anvils are expsosed to temp change according to the weather, the foster sucks the heat quickly until after a good hour of forging, so I would probably go bigger if it was a fisher but I can do most of my work including repair of old farm equipment on my 100# peter wright, but a really like the Italian pattern anvil so i would probably trade my large anvil for a smaller Italian pattern if the opportunity ever arose, mass is great but it is not everything. Just look at what Brian brazeal can do with his striking anvils, which in my humble opinion is a modern day bridge anvil, both are great designs!

Thanks vaughn, I figured it would work alright because I think I remember you talking about that in another post, I just hope I can get good temps out of it because if I can't I will have to build another one

I love the cutting table on my foster, it is beat to pieces but the far side still has a true and sharp edge so I use it all the time as a fuller, I just use a smaller hammer and take more heats to keep from busting it up. It looks like the cutting table on this anvil still has good edges, and the rivet divets could be a god send!