L Smith

I agree with Steve. Remember most of us did not have the money or time available to travel east to visit ABANA ( I guess these are) sponserd programs back when it all started even tho we we were members.

Do a hardness test. heat a small piece and see if it breaks or bends with water or oil. What most people don't realize now days is those of us from the sixtys and seventys had to TRY and figure things out on our own. It is a time honered test. No worthwhile internet back then unfortunatly.

You want make a metal knife that holds up to high heat and won't deform? Get a turbine blade--- Have fun straightening it!

If within your price range, Buy It. Looks good

I have been a mechanic and trainer for many years. The hardest instruction in training others has been the idea "it didn't get that way yesterday". Penetrating oil and slow will eventually get it apart. Going hard at it usually breaks something expensive. When applying heat do it at the thinest area for fast expansion and use penetrant. Glad to see your progress. The vise looks good!

First video: I just enjoy laughter in the forge nervous or otherwise!

straightened a round bale single fork for a neighbor after his kid stuck it in the dirt. Almost flipped the tractor. Heated it in my coal forge and had the old man press it down across my anvil with hydraulics. The loader with different hight blocks until it looks flat to you sounds good.

kept my anvil on the passenger floor board and the 12V forge chained in th back

Danguite we smiths don't have failures. We have learning experiences! Just ask any of us to show you our "learning experiences" They all take up space over in the corner of the shop.

I am very sorry to hear it broke I think if you find an old guy that can braze you will be Ok. I always instructed the young guys to insert a tapered punch in the hole of the fork to keep the belt from slipping. When I retired I left them my old dirty strap but not my tapered punch.

I agree with Black Frog not bad today. If you want a decent anvil go for it. I paid $60 for my Peter Wright back in the sixties from an antique dealer. But inflation and time has changed everything. The rough surface will clean up while you are working on it. Use it and watch it change. I wanted mine to be pristine no corrosion holes and no sway. I learned to live with it's condition and would not trade it for anything. We worry to much. Just use it and you will improve your skills.

I love working on dirt, you don't get as tired as working on cement. Plus small round pieces don't roll as easy when if you step on them. Then at the end of the day one can observe their travel patterns for lost motion. Elmer Seybold told me "extra steps mean lost heat".

Practice on a piece of similar scrap first to develop feel for your metal. Then only hit once on your opener so you don't get double strikes. A piece of tape as a guide helps to keep your letters lined up.

In my town I was "requested" by a fire chief to visit the local fire marshal about my burning coal after I told the chief to take his red truck back to the station. The fire marshal told me the only legal things I could do at my residence was eat and sleep. He also said he had more power than the county sheriff and his power was a little lower than the governor! So I went to Birmingham Alabama and bought 500# of coke. He also threatened to turn me over to the state air control board. He did turn me in to city code enforcement. That was a big hassle. Oh to be young again WITHOUT a big mouth!

Concerning the use of batteries you would need to tap individual plates to lower volts and amps, but that process cuts both amps and volts equally. That would mean tearing into the batteries. Not a safe proposition I would Think! I doubt one could find many usable low volt/amp combinations. In a shtf situation the old school methods were they used rivets ,screws, and bolts. For "old school" you are overthinking the problem. Forge brazing and soldering aint hard to do.

I guess I need a lesson on how to drag for sparks! All I get is blisters.

Mr. Turley are you suggesting there might be "knuckle Draggers" among us?

Mr. Turley are you suggesting there might be "knuckle draggers" among us?

Good-looking anvil. I wouldn't worry too much about those three hammer marks just yet. You will be working forward of the two and aft of the one. That is where the last user worked from the photo. I always wanted to make my PW face pristine. Thankfully I just left it alone and used it.

You might try an old clock repair guy. That is what the spring resembles.

Wish I now had again all the insulators we broke when we were young!

Hand raked a scorpion out of my forge while cleaning out ash and clinkers. He was very annoyed and I was jumping!

The idea of powder coating is not bad. In aviation the rivets are coated with good primer before setting and that works also. You need to break the galvanic bond.

When I got my certificate for airframe and power plant The guy giving the test said "You have met the minimum requirements". "Now your education begins".

When I lived in an apartment I bought a farriers forge and used it on vacant streets or an abandoned driveway out of the way. Worked for me until I found a place to live for the same money that had a shed with dirt floor.