Rob Browne

Have bookmarked you blog and will keep an eye on it. Always interesting to see how others plan their space and needs.

That is going to make a really fine anvil. Glad I'm not doing the welding though :)

Forget about measuring the volume. If you have the bits just shove it on your forge and see how it goes. Don't get hung up on numbers, its the outcome that you are interested in.

Pat, its a standard 6x4 about a foot deep nothing special.

For an idea of volume I picked up 640kg last run and that was a 6x4 trailer full level. So 500lb would be a bit less than half that trailer and would keep you thumping for quite a while.

Tongs look great you should be proud of your efforts.

As for the coal, it looks OK but watch the price. $5 sounds good but add the postage and its $20. I had a look at his coke and it may be the way to go if you are stuck and have a permanent fan on your fire.

Good luck

Charcoal does not need much air to work so a vacuum is FAR too much air. An air gate would work but it would be better to have less air in the first place. Can you get your hands on an old hair dryer? Use it on the cold setting and it will be great.

Other things about charcoal fires:

• You need a deep fire - 5-6" would work for general use
• You need to use bricks to keep the fire as narrow as possible so the excess charcoal does not burn and provide no heat to your work - wastes fuel.
• Remember, charcoal does not need an air blast to burn, unlike coal or coke.
  

Yeh, don't get into trying to weld without flux if you can't with flux. One step at a time..........

Just take your time with the welding. People make such a big deal out of it, almost as if you cannot be a blacksmith if you cannot forge weld.

Let the pieces soak with regular turning to get an even heat right through the pieces. I have trouble with the drop tong welds and it really bugged me till I accepted it. Now I scarf the ends, spot weld them with the buzzbox then fagot weld them in the forge. Works for me.........

Working with charcoal cannot be a big no no, it was the only fuel used till about the 1800s and still is in many parts of the world.

When I have used charcoal, its harder for me to get than coal or coke, it uses a much lower air blast, needs to be a deep fire BUT you need to put a couple of bricks along the side of your fire to make is narrower. This helps achieve the depth but, more importantly stops burning the excess fuel. Charcoal will burn without an air blast so the fuel on the sides will burn but not contribute to your work, just waste fuel.

Its also got to be real lump charcoal not the BBQ brickettes.

Almost a big hardy tool

Should be put up as a model for all those newbies who just NEED a proper anvil.

Thanx

Great fun thread BUT I would not even consider trying. My 4lb hammer and arm are no match for those powerhammers :)

Thanks Rob.

What would you like to know?

Sam

I weld in either coal or coke fires and as mentioned by Francis they are the same. Charcoal is a different beast but its a fire handling issue there, deeper and less air essentially.

I tend to get the fire going really well, heat the piece, flux then turn the air down to maintain the fire and let the piece heat and soak slowly till its the correct temperature. Making sure the piece is hot right through is essential and not too much air.

I loved it. Its a bit like the videos that are to be deleted in the other post. Just how simple can a setup be compared to what we normally have.

The anvil setup is especially good. How about some info on it?

those are the most suprerior plugs on this planet my friend!!! no little round sticks that look like they fall out of the wall and shock you when you look at them ,,,they slam in to the wall!! pure quality hehe
looks can be deceiving my friend i dont follow the cricket but i know my plugs
why do i talk so much rubbish

Love it. Here we all are with our automatic fans, fancy forges, "real" anvils and the perfect hammer while that bloke uses a hole in the ground and a stake for an anvil, etc. We all get the picture. Its not the tools that make the smith, its how you use what you have.

If it was me I would give it a try. Its great to be able to dial the fire you want.

Plugs look a bit funny though, a bit like a pommy cricketer

I may also regret that comment on Boxing Day :huh:

Get a fan speed controller switch. I picked one up for about $20. It gives three speeds.

Yeh, it was a brilliant bit of kit. Not to mention the circle of anvils around it. You would look at what the bloke next to you was doing and give it a go or vice versa. A very social way to forge and learn.

If you are only running one forge station off it you will need a gate valve and a speed controller on the motor.

I believe the blower on the 10 station forge at Moony's is ran on a bouncy castle blower. It certainly gets VERY hot using coke with the air coming through 9 1/4" holes for a tyuere.

Have a look at the photos on my report of the Hammerin

You blokes must be really good boys. I'm havin a go at an ICB full at least....................

Is it a DC or AC motor? If DC you can get pulse width modulator kits that will control the speed of the motor. If AC try using a fan speed controller on it.

Josh,

What is your current blower? Maybe you can control the speed as well as a baffle.

Don't worry about your english, its a LOT better than my french or any other language. Funny how people apologise for a "lack" of skill with a second language, I find it amazing that there are bilingual people out there as I have enough trouble with one language.

Anyway, are you sure its not a punch or drift of some sort as it looks as if it has a struck end?

Nice find :)