Sask Mark

Pardon my ignorance if this seems like a foolish question. Coal is quite hard to obtain around here, and it is quite expensive. I might have access to a near-limitless supply of coke from a nearby oil refinery for free. Does anyone here have any experience working with this type of coke? I would like to know if there are any similarities or differences to coal coke. Is there anything that I should watch out for when using it? Does it have advantages and drawbacks over coal coke?

I'm not sure what you are considering a good deal on an anvil, or how serious you are about learning smithing, but there is a couple of ads on Kijiji Montreal with anvils for sale. They are not cheap, but if you are in the position, and can afford it, they are an option.

Wow! Seeing the size hammers hammers hanging off the sides really puts the size of this beast into perspective. Very impressive!

Very nice Frosty! That looks like it will be a very nice shop. Are you using a boiler system, or geothermal heat or some other method for you in-floor heating? I have a friend who is in the planning stage of building a house that will use geothermal heat. It sounds like a nice alternative.

Those big ones are very rare around here. There hasn't been much industry in the area that would have used large anvils in their shops (rail yards, mills etc.). There's quite a few smaller ones (100 pound range) as many of the farmers and rural blackmiths in the area used/abused the smaller ones.

That big Arm and Hammer would be the ultimate shop anvil to me. I find the lines of the Trentons and Arm and Hammers the most aesthetically pleasing, and a big 527 pounder would be large enough to do pretty much anything on. Very nice! Congratulations!

I know it's fairly pricy, but in floor heat is a very efficient way of heating. It also requires proper insulation of the grade beam and slab to avoid losing the heat to the surrounding ground. We are using this method more frequently for commercial applications in my area.

Some very good points are raised in this thread. In order to dispell myths, the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for any substances encountered should be consulted. The msds will provide important pieces of information such as the LD50, routes of entry, treatments etc. Now keep in mind that there are issues with relying exclusively on MSDS's. For one, the animals used to determine toxic and lethal levels are usually rodents, so extrapolating their effects to humans introduces some level of error. Secondly, (not necessarily bad) msds's tend to be far more cautious than what is required. For example, water has health hazards on it's msds. Another example is boric acid. If you read the msds, it is highly toxic. If you go to a doctor and require an eye wash, they will use boric acid. A third example is selenium. I used selenium tablets as a catalyst in a lab tech job I used to have. The msds raised all sorts of red flags when in fact toothpaste contained more selenium than the tablets I was using. Bottom line is you have to use some common sense when interpretting msds's. Another challenge is determining what levels of a toxin you are encountering. Short of having expensive air quality tests that quantify specific toxins in the environment, there is really no way to tell if you are exposing yourself to hazardous levels of certain chemicals. Yet another aspect to keep in mind is the route of entry. Many people are rightfully worried about inhalation of fumes. They also have to keep in mind their eyes which are effectively sponges which soak up many contaminants in the environment (eg. welding fumes). Safety glasses don't protect your eyes from fumes. Goggles do. A final challenge is you are never really sure of what chemicals will be produced in certain activities. Welding is a chemical reaction where chemical compounds are consumed and produced. Unless extensive research has been conducted on the exact methods and materials that you are using, you are never sure when you will encounter. A take home message would be if you can't be sure and want to ensure your safety, err on the side of safety. I used to work in a malt house, in chemistry labs and other industrial environments, and whenever there was a risk of exposure to almost anything, I wore a North 7800 FULL FACE respirator with Defender cartridges (respirators have their own set of challenges (like correct fit, beards prevent proper seals, lung capacity is reduced) and before wearing one, an expert should be consulted). I was routinely in environments with very high chlorine, SO2, and glaciel acetic acid levels. The company I worked for had a lot of liability resting on their shoulders if these safety standards weren't followed, so all our PPE (personal protective equipment) was supplied (safety is not cheap-the respirators were over $300 each). Sorry for my long-winded post. I'm not a safety expert but I have been trained as a biologist, have worked in chemical labs, was the safety officer at previous jobs, and now work in the commercial/industrial construction industry (safety is paramount at my company and concrete has chromium hexavalent!). I figure if my experience can clarify (of muddy) something or makes someone think more critically about a situation, then I guess it's worth it!

If this question is directed at me, it is approx. 20' X 11' (many years ago it was added on to the barn and used as a chicken coop). I recently ran 20 amp receptacles and lighting. If this question was not intended for me, then I apologize for butting in, my bad!

I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience with Western Giant trip hammers. Here is a picture of my 25 pounder. As you can see, they closely resemble the old style LG. Does anyone here know if the components are compatible with LG parts? There are a couple of parts on mine that might need replacement before too much longer. I have taken plenty of pictures and measurements and sent them to Keri at LG at her request, but have not received any feedback. LG has only seen 1 other Western Giant before (it was for sale on ebay). I purchased mine 16 years ago for $300 and it sat disassembled. A couple of months ago I reassembled it and mounted a 1hp motor and got it running again (probably the first time it has run in over 50 years). In my EXTREMELY limited experience, it seems to strike well, the speed can be somewhat controlled with the treadle, and the clutch is not dragging (i.e. it stops pounding when the foot treadle is disengaged). It is the only trip hammer I have ever used, so take my review with a huge grain of salt. Any information that anyone can provide on Western Giants would be greatly appreciated. Mark

I priced out Thak's coal from a local Home Hardware (they are distributors) for $50 in less-than-full pallet quantities.

I'm pretty sure that alloys with a high nickel content will not take blueing (either hor or cold bluing). I had a part for a guitar (used to be chromed) hot blued, and a very small crevass where I couldn't grind off the base nickel plate never took the bluing, and the nickel contrasted brightly. I guess that's one of the reasons why nickel alloys are popular choices in pattern welding when the blades will be blued for corrosion resistance.

Thanks for the info Thomas! I will have to take a wire wheel to the cast steel one to see if I can discern a maker or any other info because there is definitely some script cast into the side. You are right about the seem on the horn. It is a quite a large ridge. Do you have Mr. Postman's email address? I haven't bought a copy of AIA yet (I hope to soon, it sounds like an incredible resource). Feel free to PM if you have it. Mark

Thanks for the comments guys. Stephan, yes that is a piston the anvil is sitting on. I bought a 150 pound Vulcan anvil off a local guy and he was using the piston for an anvil stand, so he threw it in with the deal. The piston weighs about 100 pounds, but it is about 4" too short, so I will have to build a taller stand, or build a base for the piston. Re: the fireproofing the wood structure, thanks for the advice. I will be using the cladding because my dad has a few sheets lying in the barn that he is not using, so I don't have to lay out any cash (more to spend on tools!).

Here's some shots of my anvils. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0601.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0802.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0621.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0631.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0681.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0774.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_071.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_073.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0651.jpg Right now I have: 1) a 103 pound trenton (I think-all the characteristics point to it being a Trenton but it is not stamped) 2) a 100 pound Lakeside (Hay Budden) 3) an 88 pound Peter Wright 4) a cast steel anvil with the heel broken off (too bad as the rest of the face is flat with excellent corners). I think it may be a Columbian. I haven't cleaned it up very well yet. Maybe someone can provide more info from the pic? I think I will use it for upsetting. 5) a thoroughly thrashed Canadian Blower and Forge. It has a nice wrought iron ring to it when tapped so I think it was a decent quality anvil. Someone must have had a hate on for it in a previous life to destroy it this bad.

Some nice shops, folks! Here's a few of my meager shop. I'm just in the process of setting it up in an old lean-to on the side of my parent's barn. I have to build a hood to vent the forge out the window on the wall behind it and put some cladding on the wood walls and ceiling in the south end of the shop (don't want to burn down a 100 year old barn full of tools and equipment). I also want to build a taller anvil stand (the large piston the Trenton is sitting on is about 4" too low, I'm just using it for a shop mock-up) and get the placement of all the equipment refined (anvil, tongs, hammers etc.) http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0931.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_092.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0822.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0831.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0812.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0601.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0571.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_058.jpg http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/500/medium/Picture_0841.jpg I will post some pics of the anvils in the 'Show Me Your Anvil' thread. The problem is I don't have a lot of time to work on it (my kids are my priority). I hope to soon start using it occasionally this fall, with the plan to spend a lot more time hammerin' away when my kids get a little older. Please feel free to give feedback.