Charles R. Stevens

To quote another member, “thunk, thunk, tink!” get it hot and it will let you know when it’s to cool to forge.

Thanks for the correction

Most quality files are tool steel. They make great material for other tools. Be it body slappers, chisels, knife blades etc. a dip in aqua Regina or another etchant will often revive them as well. They won’t be as good as new but they will serviceable

I am far from an expert, but my first thoughts are that a blown forge and a naturally aspirated forge are very different. Wile a NA forge uses the flow of pressurized fuel to induce air flow the blower dose the work in a blown forge. An example of this are blown natural gas forges running on residential pressure vs NA forges running on commercial pressure. So an NA forge needs higher pressure to work, wile a blown forge only needs the right volume of fuel

I am not sure about anything they recommend par boiling befor you cook it

Lanolin, Glycerin, coconut Oil, Safflower Oil, Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Lecithin, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Oil, Anti-sequester Surfactants, Wetting Agents…

Mother swore buy Udder Balm, but I prefer Hoof Alive. Either are thick and sticky but just a dab will do. They may be originally for animal use, but you can read the label with out Google translate. I get best results with freshly washed and dried hands.

Knee bent, anvil rung. my heart is with you.

I agree with George, and it’s drafty

Not poopoo’n your work MC. I wish I had your toys!

Nice... I have a hunk of light rail that needs to become that!

Iron dragon has it half right, if you are a repeat offender or get hateful, either behind the scenes or on the forums (that get eddited so we don’t get to see the offending exchange) then you get put on moderation and your posts will receive more scrutiny. As to the moderators missing something, not often because the rank and file generally reports the problem before the moderators on duty even get a chance to see it. hang around a wile, get to know Glenn and you will find out there is a lot of behinds the scenes that happens. I have had the privilege of being here a long time and talking with many of the moderators, and Glenn, as well as being on the ground floor of a few meltdowns of those who felt the had special privileges and were told no …

Flatliner it’s easy to forget that there are lurkers and future readers being addressed buy Glenn and not just you. As to other forums trolling IFI, I think it has more to do with the fact that Glenn and co. Don’t tolerate trolling here (nor will they let me take up an axe and hunt them when they crawl out from under their bridges). I have been around a long time and seen people get real nasty when they are told that their behavior will not be tolerated here. Trolls are the main reason I don’t frequent or recommend other forums. Even the Curmudgeons get warnings and calls from Glenn when they forget their manners. No favoritism for any one on that score. Simple truth is some people lose their… minds when they are told no, or that they are wrong. on the other hand poking a little fun at Glenn is enjoyable, if for no other reason than to have him call you and chat for an hour or two. Lior Now as to the topic at hand, I would take cast steel over ductile iron or a composite anvil, tho myself I work primarily on ductile iron anvils. Further I would take a a double horn over a London pattern. Tho again I work primarily on farriers patterns. Easy enough to add an upsetting block to your stump if that’s a requirement.

Hand to heart to all of you who wrote your countries a blank check.

Hand to heart, Army. I know a welder who has a 12” long box full of ag. lime he uses. Now that you understand the basic principle you should have no problem scrounging up a usable aneling box. For the lurkers, avoid molten salt baths and heated mercury. These are industrial processes that have all kinds of safety issues for the home shop.

Leather Bill, the answer is yes. Place said rail on a fire safe serface, build a bonfire and leave it to cook and then cool in the ashes. Make sure to take the coals up over the rail when the fire burns down. Now you should have a fully annexed hunk of rail. you can use hack saws, files, angle grinders etc. to shape the rail.

Tho I have a farriers rig to make a living I enjoy scrounging up inventive cheep rigs. a JABOD forge (see stickies) as well as an improvised anvil (an 8# plus sledge if you have nothing else, a 24 oz. Ball pein and a pair of vice grips will get you started. $20-200 will do you to start. The Norse of the Viking era didn’t have a blacksmiths depo or farriers supply. tell us what you have as to transferable skills and scrounge-able resources. And we can walk you threw it. I can walk into a Walmart or a flea market and be up and running for less than $100. But as this is the oilfield, more like $20 and an hours scrounging

Work hardened 95 point manganese steel or close to it

You are of course correct, but as you are from the wrong side of the Mississippi… big love Brother

Actually Glenn has it backwards, putting the wheels on the back and using the Pritchett hole as a receiver gives you a better deal. Two large non swiveling caster wheels bolted 90 to the ground on a rectangular stump and just touching the ground with a price of square stock as a handle secured in the hardy hoke slows you to tilt it back and balance it with out lifting half the weight. This is how my shop anvil is rigged.

I suppose a machinist would loose what little sanity he has if we started talking dirt and a box, wouldn’t he? welcome to the mad house. If one remembers we are guests on Glenn’s front porch and it is frowned apron to use Mrs. Conner’s flower boxes as urinals, you’ll do fine.

A piece of steel round bar of the appropriate diameter bent either to fit in the hardy hole or forged into a “Z” will allow you to clean up your padeyes, that is if you want them consistent. we tent to make tools to make tools to make stuff in this trade.... cant wait to see the Chain and anchor....

Got ya, I use an old school oil can and it takes one squirt.

Na, that little oil cap is designed just to be filled up. It only takes a few drops.

For my oil cap style blower (it was broken and I replaced it with a water drain plug with a cup) I use chain saw bar oil. It sticks to the gears well. I fill the little cup, open the drain (installed upside down) and let the oil drop on to the gears. It still seeps out.