arkie

If you do get the anvil, don't try to fill the surface pits by welding...you'll ruin the heat treating and hardening. Use it as is and work around them.

You'll find the post vise to be much better for smithing than your bench vise. Not a bad price if it's in good shape. Like you said, a good cleaning and lube might be all it needs. If the spring is weak, you can make one very easily.

remist17, V-bit tongs in 3/8", 1/2", and 1" will do just about anything else you need to do. Your bolt tongs are good to have. I have bought tongs from Pieh, Kayne, Quick and Dirty, all very good and reasonably priced. I have about half my tongs bought, half self-made. I am making more now myself for specific tasks that you might not be able to do with store-bought types. Most new smiths want to make tongs right out of the gate, but might get discouraged in that making tongs is often not the easiest to master. A good beginner's tong is the Dempsey twist method (search for it). Easy to make and useful for flat stock.

Is your cap steel? If so, soak your galvanized cap in dilute muriatic acid for a few minutes or vinegar overnight to remove the zinc. A lot of those caps are aluminum and not good for a tuyere, and the acid will eat them anyway. The piping underneath usually doesn't get hot enough to be a problem. Use regular black pipe if you can get it, instead.

They look pretty good for your first tongs. Keep up the good work. (A lot better than my first set, I might say.)

If adding a larger or higher chimney is not practical, consider putting a fan behind you to blow the forge smoke away from you, It usually takes only a gentle breeze from it to blow most of the smoke away from you (can keep you cooler, also). The only problem with a fan behind you is that in winter, it's not very comfortable!!

I just took a two-foot long piece of 3/8" rebar, flattened one end about 4-5", bent it in a 90 deg. elbow at the end of the flat part, bent the hand end over double for a handle, and been using it for years. I have another made from 1/2" rebar and a bit longer to use when the fire is burning high.

Beautiful work. Glad you finally got around to posting it over here on IFI...

You two youngsters are amazing! Your work is great! Keep it up.

That ASO might also be useful for punching. That way you won't be as worried about damaging the face of your good anvil. Steel plates on an anvil have a way of sometimes bouncing around, even the saddle types. The ASO would be a solid, stable (?), heavy surface.

Troy, welcome to IFI. What part of Ark do you live in? We have a blacksmith organization in the northern part of the state, BOA, Blacksmith Organization of Arkansas. We have 4 chapters in NW Ark (Harrison area), Central Ark (Little Rock area), NE Ark (Jonesboro area), and the Ft. Smith area. About 120-140 members in Ark, Southern MO, eastern OK. Great group. Each chapter meets once a month at a member's forge. We have several young members who participate.

Looks like someone just walked into the lion's den wearing a porkchop suit........

Thanks to all for the info on the leather sheaths. Thomas, the steel is from a Nicholson 10" bastard file. Steve thanks for the tip on the chrome tanned, etc. leather. The consensus appears to be that the leather is causing the problem, and that sounds to be my case. The leather was simply cut out to shape and stitched together, not oiled or otherwise treated. I imagine any chemical treatment that was used in tanning the leather didn't help the problem either. I'll keep the blade out of the leather except to use it and try to oil the leather sheath to inhibit what I can of the moisture absorption. Any other leather will be oiled and used only when carrying.

Have a problem the bladesmiths may be able to answer. My blades made from file steel tend to rust after leaving them in a leather sheath for some time. The blades have a good coating of oil but no plastic coatings. Would the rust be forming from tanning compounds used in making the leather or what? I would think the oil coating on the blade would protect it but apparently not. Any suggestions?

Francis, that idea of the "you pull auto parts" is a great one, thanks for sharing it.

You could put the tab on the far side, but you usually have a very thin/narrow piece to forge it into. Better to be "tabbing" on the thicker side...... My rings are about 1/10" to 1/8" thick.

Welcome to IFI. Lots of good stuff here. Nice looking anvil. It will serve you well...put it to work! All the dings in the face will hammer out in time from working.

I too just use 1/4" round for clips...work fine. Simple and lightweight.

I just wish I could squat like that!!!!! If I tried it, I would dislocate about 6 joints, be in physical therapy and rehab for probably a year!

Culver Creek, if the vise is a bit difficult to turn/spin, I would also disassemble the screw portion, degrease, "de-dirt", then when cleaned up regrease with light grease and it will be much smoother. That's all I did to a post vise I bought and it made a world of difference.

Maybe your air supply is not enough. I have used lump charcoal in my brake drum forge when I ran out of coal once, with a bathroom fan for blower running through 2" black pipe...was able to melt mild steel in it (by mistake). I didn't think it would get that hot. Also, a rotor does not give you a very big fire pot or volume of coal/coke. A regular brake drum will have a much larger fire volume. A regular firepot is even better.

For VP how about Mr. Post Vise....

Much better choice than the lineup (both parties) we have now!!!!! GO FROSTY!!! WAHOO!!!

That's OK, Frosty. You said what many of us probably wanted to say, just braver.

I couldn't stand to watch more than about 15-20 minutes...turned it off. The commercials were better.