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I Forge Iron

urnesBeast

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Posts posted by urnesBeast

  1. I am doing a demo in a few weeks, I will likely do this. For me, it is not about the cash. It is about knowing that people value what they see. It is the same reason I sell my stuff on Etsy. When people start laying out non-trivial amounts of cash I know I am getting better.


  2. I asked my aluminum casting instructor about casting copper. He told me what I assume is an urban legend.

    The company that makes strike anywhere matches asked Edison for an innovation to save money in manufacturing. He pointed out there were two strike panels on each box. One was more than enough. They asked how he would like to be paid for this huge money saving idea. He said he would like a 2"x2"x2" perfectly cast cube of copper AND all the failed attempts. Casting copper well is so difficult that the scrap value of all the failures compensated him very well...

  3. I just let it go sometimes, without air not much happens anyways. You get a nice big klinker that way.

    When I am feeling more conservative, I will pull out the coals to just above the clinker out. Then I get out the "water mop" (I learned this tool from Brian B.). It is a towel cut into strips and attached to a metal bar. I can mop down the coals and put them out quickly without danger to my fire pot.

  4. From Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, I understand it takes about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to become world class at something. I heat up a fire poker and tally up the hours on a piece of wood, and make a poke for every time I have fired up the forge. Gives me a nice growing, visual reminder of the time I spend. I suppose a stump full of nails would be similar. A friend who took aikido at the university for 13 years (slow to graduate) had the oldest index card in the box, with one tally mark per session attended. It was impressive to see both sides of a large index card with the smallest tally marks possible.



  5. When I do fold forming in copper, I have noticed that the speed I put it in the water changes the finish. However, I think it mostly has to do with how much of the residue washes away from the copper and how much sticks. At least for thin sheet fold forming, it cools so quickly the only real difference I would expect is one would be oily afterwards!

  6. This looks like a totally functional anvil. I have a few design questions though.

    Why the posts to raise the anvil? I think you would be better off just having the main block welded to a plate for mounting. It is easier to manufacture, I suspect it would be quieter, more stable, and less likely to break.

    Why is the hardy at an angle? I suspect that is for ease of manufacturing and stability so you are welding on two edges. I think it would be awkward to work with that way though.




  7. I had full replacement insurance on my hobby shop. I felt I came out very well after a 100% loss fire. I had nothing but hand tools. I still would rather I did not have the fire, but it set me on a path that got me to move out to the country where the neighbors appreciate having a blacksmith, a shop four times the size and generally a better lifestyle.

    Most of the money went into rebuilding a shop that got closed down by a spurious zoning board decision. I felt the full replacement value made the whole thing more pleasant. I had ZERO problems with the claim from Liberty Mutual. Full replacement cost insurance was so worth it.

  8. To close out this thread,

    I just buried the stump. I cut it to size and leveled it. Silconed the anvil in place. It should be dry by now.

    Even with the silcon drying last night, it was clear to me that this anvil is VERY solid. I cut the stump a few inches lower than I would have liked because I did not cut it level with the chainsaw. Rather than marking a line around it with a level, next time, I would nail guide boards around, they were easier to follow when I was leveling the top.

    I ended up stripping all the bark with an old chisel and hammer. I used linseed oil on the trunk and chared the buried end. I used large rocks and gravel all around the tree trunk. The part visible above ground was burned a bit with propane to help kill anything that might think of attacking. I will be banding it soon.

    Because the stump got cut a little shorter than I would have liked, I simply 'raised the anvil' with a shovel (I dug around the anvil a bit). This has the added advantage that my frequent forging partner can have the anvil at his height by approaching from the other side! With a dirt floor, I can easily 'raise or lower' the anvil by altering the floor.

    Overall, this thing is not going anywhere. It is buried four foot deep, with a foot of stone underneath it and 6-12 inches of rocks around the sides. Soil for the last 6 inches or so.

    Also, part of the challenge was removing the anvil from the old stand. Since it was on 9 4x8's nailed together, once the nails were cut, they could be easily pried off from the silcon.

    Thanks everyone!


  9. Brian might not have made me a believer, but I became a believer using his anvil in his shop! The metal will teach you! :)After reading this article Lyle pointed to, I can see ash is not the best choice here, however:

    • The wood is free
    • The wood is mostly prepared
    • The wood is about a foot from the hole
    • I am not sure where I would find a replacement right now
    • I will not regret this decision for at least five years! :)
    Be sure to look here for an older version of me complaining about the poor decision I am about to make! :)I just remembered that I have five gallons of driveway resurfacing/sealant goop (it was in the stable when I bought it). As I understand it, the goal is to make the wood stay away from water and make the wood taste bad to insects. I wonder if this will do that.

    http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-108.pdf This claims charring does not help. By the logic given here, not much would work because as it checks, unpreserved material will be exposed anyways.

  10. A good timber preservative is old, used engine oil.

    Does your Euro have an upsetting block? My Vaughans does not so I flame cut some heavy plate to the diameter of the log and the footprint of the anvil. That holds the anvil in place and doubles as an upsetting block for me. The 2 pieces are held in with spikes I forged through holes in the plate.


    She has an upsetting block. I don't have any used engine oil. I found a angle grinder blade that does not work very well for stripping the bark. I got a chisel and that kinda works good enough, almost, for debarking.

    I am stripping as much as I can, then charing and linseeding. Now to find gravel. I suspect there must be a pile of rock somewhere around this old farm house...

  11. WHERE ARE YOU AT?

    Down here termites will be a much bigger problem than rot.

    When I lived in NJ ash would easily debark using a barking spud.

    As the bark ages/wears it will supply a wonderful spark catcher---remove it!

    For my shop anvil I have a large old mine timber that will be buried---dry, creosoted---IIRC it's about 1x2x4 *feet*. Finding large wood except for cottonwood is hard out here.


    I am in Boston. Frost line is about 4 feet. This inside a well insulated building.
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