inazuma_x

nice one that is similarish to what i am thinking...though i want a hammer and maybe some tongs in there too still mulling over a design :P

ITS A DINOSAUR! simpson>

thanks guys. i've watched stuff like miami ink before on telly...you guys might think its lame but it is something i am not terribly familiar with so i found it pretty interesting...i have a couple of friends who have tattoos but they are usually just boilerplate stuff like tribal tats and things which are kinda boring...i dont really see the point in getting one if all they are gonna do is pick one from a catalogue...but anyway i digress...i spose i could just rock up with a bunch of pics i like and see what they can come up with...

i've never had a tattoo but it is on my "list of stuff to do before i die" and i am thinking of immortalizing (well, not exactly but as far as i am concerned it'll be forever) my hobby by getting a blacksmithing related tattoo on my right upper arm (typical spot)...my initial thought is the silhouette of an anvil with a long-hafted cross pein hammer behind it...perhaps a pair of tongs and hammer (skull and cross bones style) behind the anvil... do any of you guys/gals have blacksmithing related ink-work? or any ideas for something interesting i could perhaps get?

geologists' hammers look a tad different...the pick is usually quite broad...like a mini-mattock...this looks like something you could use to make an octagonal hole in stock...like a hole punch but easier to hold...

lots of good ideas! thanks guys! first of all i need to cut my tree section to size...its about twice the required length right now :P

if the castors are rated to over a tonne then surely the stresses would be minimal...not sure about percussive forces from the actual hammering. also most super heavy duty castors come with a lock option...would this not provide enough lateral stability in terms of limiting rolling?

agreed. there used to be competitions in days of yore (mid-late 1800s early 1900s) for smithing exact replicas of things like farming equipment (eg. bullock drawn plows etc). a great test and display of the smith's skill. some of the ones i've had the pleasure of seeing are both amazing and beautiful.

freon is inert...could use it as a coolant...highly toxic though... i would imagine your biggest problem is going to be keeping the inert atmosphere contained AND inert...a simple lid on the crucible wont work...probably best left up to the professionals...but if you are going to give it a bash i'd love to hear how it goes :)

i am considering mounting my anvil stand (big tree section) on some heavy (super heavy) duty castors...never done this...is it advisable? are there any you could recommend? Fallshaw / Albion / Albion 410 Contender was looking at this...no idea how much hey cost though... anvil weighs about 120kg, the stump in its current config (which is way longer than it needs to be) weighs upwards of 100kg...

thanks! will let ya know how it goes!

$275 on ebay with 8hrs to go...looks like it might go for under $500...which isnt too bad...i've contacted the seller asking for an inspection...its in my city atleast...so should be able to swing round before the auction ends and put it through its paces... these are the dimensions he's quoting: 610mm long x 100mm wide x 250mm high so i am guessing its gonna be 170lb or so...which is a decent size...

all you anvil buffs out there. do you have any idea what this anvil is? looks like its in xxxx fine nick...is currently for sale...am thinking of picking it up (for the right price). its apparently marked "D25". see attached photos.

I liked the skystone though i found it increasingly difficult to suspend disbelief when reading his subsequent works in the Camulod Chronicles...

Since a very young age I've felt that I was born too late...though the fact I am a type 1 Diabetic (from the age of 8) means I probably wouldn't have lasted too long in days of yore...but regardless i've always been fascinated with ancient times and have endeavored to discover as much as I can about them. perhaps it is my desire to find a simpler life...a more wholesome life...a life that doesnt so much rely upon the toils of others to scratch my existence out of the soil...to that end blacksmithing has always held a special place in my heart...from my artistic (sculpture) driven childhood i also developed a love of creating things with my hands...making my every fantasy seemingly come alive...or atleast into the real world i didnt actually get started blacksmithing until about 4yrs ago when i found a local smith (Alan Ball) who held introductory blacksmithing courses near-ish to my home...there i found what i truly loved about it...the seemingly magical experience of turning unyielding steel into basically what ever you desire...be it a simple hook or scribe...or an ornate piece of furniture unlike anything that can be had in a store or unlike anything the world has seen before...for me it is a truly magical thing...and that is what drew me to it...and that is what keeps me there...