zero_sum

I need to build my 'Forge 2.0' I suppose, I have a collected some of the materials but I lack some of the tools. I'll work around and get it done though, I just need a full day or so I can give over to it, because working around takes longer. Buying stuff however I need to buy a drill press. I have little money that doesn't go to rent and bills, so actual machines are difficult to acquire. A drill press is so basic though I really need to just get one. Afraid of buying a poor quality one for not having the cash to buy what I should... I was going to buy a couple of 3 phase motors real cheap I saw in an advert and then convert them with capacitors. They I was going to build a belt sander from some plans online. Missed the opportunity though, someone jumped on it.

That anvil is incredible...I want one.

Wow, thank you for the gold!

I keep thinking ballista for some romans haha Nah, but maybe a spring of some kind, provide tension for something.

Weld a bolt on the end of the bar or heat the handle bar with a torch on the end and peen it over? That would stop it falling out if that's the issue.

This could be fun; book early enough and popping over to England isn't much more expensive than a Friday night out...I need to keep these dates in mind. Hard to know ahead right now for me though. I'd be a maybe/ pending yes. So a useless on the fence answer there haha. In general though, well done putting in the leg work to get things rolling! Things don't happen without people like yourself.

I had a woodworking teacher years ago that had a speech and a half ready for us as young 12/13 year olds getting ready to use power tools. Long hair (this just blew his mind, couldn't deal with it haha he had a nasty story about a partial scalping too), rings, ear rings, anything you can think off (most of which was banned anyway in my school). Everything he said was right of course, comical as the delivery was to us. He had one eye though, with a bad prosthetic, so it reinforced some of what he said.

If that thing is a reasonable price it looks fine to me. In negotiation I would be shocked by the abused horn and the general rusted state but internally I'd be happy out haha. I wish I had an anvil that big and intact. Mine doesn't have a heel from where the hardy would have been (abused by a previous owner, my unlces, good guys but xxxx...).

Grabbed this from the site. Lots of photos, high quality too. Album of photos by an Emma Sutcliffe (the events photographer) : https://www.flickr.com/photos/125218917@N02/

I only have one anvil. My grandad's old one. It's some london pattern weighing about 66kg with the heal broken off so whatever it was before that. Maybe 75kg at a guess? I think it was misuse by uncles a few years before I got it. Unfortunate, but it is still here and in coming years I want to repair it in my grandad's memory as well as for the project (for me, at my level, that would be a huge endeavour). The hope is I will have a larger normal anvil at this point so I can keep it as a working heirloom of a sort (no heavy work but small stuff to stay close to the spirit such tools are bought in). So yeah, grand dads and anvils haha.

I'd say this is the case. Just like rebar only needs to meet the tensile load required. Doesn't matter how it gets there. Could be fun to test the steel a bit though. See what hardening characteristics it has if any. Maybe it's brittle while forging, or maybe it will be a steel. <script type="text/javascript"> //

Haha, I just finished watching this on youtube; I am one of your subscribers so it was in me feed. In fact it made me think 'hey, I better go check out new stuff on iforgeiron'. Very nice video though, I love the production of tools. Thanks for taking the time and making such high quality media!

Thank you for posting this link...I mean I am looking at 100kg plus anvils if good shape for 300 euros or less! It is so good compared to the market in ireland that it would pay for the short ferry and the petrol to pick it up. People want 300 euro for a 80 pound anvils that have lost chucks from their edges here, some sort of inflated garden antique mentality. I luckily got mine free from my uncle because it was my grandads and he like the idea of someone in the family using it again after 40 plus years.

Thought I'd add a small story. A lucky escape one. I'm relatively new to blacksmithing and metal work. I was forging a small knife for my sister as a first real project. I was using a channel lock for tongs emulating videos I had seen on youtube. I was having difficulty holding it at a good angle as you'd imagine and it was pivoting a good bit too sometimes while gripped. What's more I had my anvil on a big round of a tree that was just two low so it had me bending a good bit. I should have just stopped using the 'tongs' and the anvil set up but I was excited I suppose. I had invested in some PPE so I had some glasses for looking into the forge. It was a hot day and I was taking them on and off to wipe my forehead. Ended up leaving them off for a couple heats and forgot about them. Next thing I know I get too comfortable and the piece of yellow hot steel bounces weird and comes straight up in the air at my bare face! I could feel the heat it got so close. The steel fell on the ground and sizzled in some wet leaves nearby. I just looked at it shrivelling and igniting leaves almost instantly, thinking 'that's me, that's my face if I let myself act the fool again'. It was a very good lesson. The right tools (more important than PPE in some ways if you ask me) and PPE. The girlfriend didn't like hearing about it, I'll tell you that much! Besides that I had some boots torn up by a wire wheel on an angel grinder, got away from me (wire wheels are the only tool that actually makes me a bit uneasy, feel unpredictable). Also

Very lovely knife. I want to get to this point. My first attempt at just a normal single steel blade has been crude and full of errors to say the least. When I crack that to a reasonable point I will make some damascus hopefully. You know when you are picking steels to use, do you pick from just knowing what steels work or do you pick from the properties (well this has Nickel in it so it will be good with plain carbon steel, etc.)? I wonder what exactly makes or guarantees a contrast. Any one have a place I could read and learn?

<script type="text/javascript"> // I remember reading and then seeing a video of a guy who used kerosene. When it flash burned off in his gas forge it created a layer of carbon around the piece. Gives enough time to get welds with no oxygen making too much scale. I don't know too much about this stuff having never done it but he had good welds it seemed. Just interesting really.

Something I always wanted to do (if I get some nice wrought iron) is make shear steel from the piece, then double shear. From that steel make a nice blade for the kitchen or a pocket/belt blade. That could be something to do. I know it might be ruining the wrought iron from one perspective but you would be creating something very unique from another.

That is a strikingly beautiful knife. Really, well done. I am wondering now what good that coach must have done in your daughters life to deserve such a skilfully created gift.

You built a nice set up for cast iron or crucible steel though! Go on ebay and buy a graphite crucible. I have been thinking of doing this for a while but I don't have a waste oil supply. It's illegal for garages to give it to me or fastfood joints. I would have to have a disposal license and show I do so efficiently and cleanly. Annoying local environmental red tape that is put there for the kinds of idiots who would just dump it down a country road on a baby fox and an endangered flower. People who would use it as a resource (greener than shipping it off to germany to be dealt with!) and responsibly don't get the chance unless they want to play in the grey areas of the law... I might some day just go ahead collect some and keep it all small scale. It would be defensible. Like technically I think forges are illegal if operated outside because they aren't for producing food but I do that. My rule of thumb has been just build a good fire (don't smoke out the neighbours) and don't make a racket past twilight in the evening.

Yeah, pretty wet where I am over all. Think like 1200 to 1500 mm depending. I have a good raised concrete slab for a floor in the workshop, which is itself well elevated for moisture in the immediate local area. Keeps it pretty dry as long as I am in there putting heat into the place regularly. That said, I was having a bad problem with rust until I discovered the culprit. My dad years ago had stashed so fertilizer salts or something in an unmarked unsealed bag. It was right in under where I had been leaving leaving things. Anything but the most over zealous coatings of oil would mean rust had a foot hold the very next day. Got rid of that bag of stuff and boom, problem was gone but for the normal rusting issues you'd expect. A light rub of 3 in 1 would be enough for leaving it a day or so. Some linseed oil was nearly long term. I imagine it was creating a seaside air effect. Felt pretty Sherlock when I figured that one out haha B)

Hmm ok, thanks for the replies everyone! I think I will dissemble it partially and clean the screw and box up. The oil/grease in there is fairly gritty from the years, fairly stiff too. Like It moves freely enough but it's not great. I would need to do it in a couple months anyway when I start getting scale, shavings and all sorts in there. Want to keep this little thing for years. A bit of paraffin or petrol so should do the trick with a brush. For the body I may clean it a bit with a scotch-brite like disk for the angle grinder and then oil or some wax. Maybe pick up something equivalent to some G15. I really like this bench vice. Interesting size but it will serve me perfectly well until those 2" diam. cables become the norm haha. One thing is I may want to improve later how it fixes to the bench, especially if I want to really get into something while using it. It may need like a rigged up hard point or something (only have a thick wooden work bench right now). Edit: Oh, anyone have a general suggestion for coating things like this in the shop. G15 spray has been floated already but anyone else have a suggestion. My grandad used to put candle wax on things sometimes when I was a child, seemed to work well enough for a farmer's workshop.

Hi, I'm a first time poster on the forum. Been around for a little while though but just lurking and learning (wealth of information and interesting things to be found on here with you lot!). I recently picked up a vice. I am one of the many who are trying to get started from scratch so need to build up the most basic equipment. In fact, this is my first vice (fairly excited but I'll keep that to myself haha). As more tools and equipment are gathered you open options for yourself; it's a great feeling to be more equipped. The only problem is that I now feel I need to equip myself with more knowledge. I want to care for my stuff and treat it well. Hopefully it will treat me well in return. Specifically in this thread I would like to ask how all you deal with vises. Things like: How do you clean up newly acquired vises? Or decide if they need it at all... When do you need to replace a spring piece, does it matter much? What kind of grease for the threads/hinge and coating for the body would be suggested? How often would you go back and add more? Just a few bits like that, or what you guys do. I know it's a bit simple but man I am seriously ignorant of a lot of this basic shop care. I could get by and probably ok but I would like to hear if there is some proper way to approach things.