Charles R. Stevens

A second note, gas forges are hard to isolate the heat, so plan on selective quenching, and if you primary goal is general blacksmithing, you may whant to cunsider multiple forges, 2 or 3 burner for big or oddly shaped peices and a one burner for smaller more isolated heats. Even a micro (I brick) if your working small peices all the time. Costly but much more efficient of fuel. Most folks resort to a oxy/accetaline or oxy/propaine rosebud for isolated heats and fore shapes that won't fit in the forge.

I'm not the biggest fan of gas forges. I use one in my shoeing operation, but I prefer solid fuel for most everything else. With gas, I find that it is difficult to isolate heat , either selectively quenching or resorting to a torch. To get real efficiency you need several sizes to chose from, and welding flux degrades the liner and fire brick shelf. I actually prefer side blast solid fuel for versatility when I'm playing, or working at home. As to a canopy, don't know about where you're from but here in Oklahoma, wind will take out a ez up or permanent tarp, better off with a small carport or awning.

Have a gander here. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/15945-show-me-your-anvil-stand/?fromsearch=1

I wouldn't cast a commercial anvil into the concrete. Installing anchors and a vibration damping pad instead. I have built one of 2x lumber (2x8 I think) on end, and staggered. So a strap went across the Scallaps for tool holders. I think I actually got the idea here or anvil fire back a few years ago. I also use a 3 leg for my portable rig. I like the extra mass of the wooden stands, but I can't denie the stability of the three legged ones. I have ask seen one that was 2x lumber splayed front and back, with a 2x top and plywood sides ( here or anvil fire?) that would work well as a form for a concrete mass. Hm, I have some 10" Chanel and 1/8" plate in my stash...

What ever you call them, there beautiful. The handles are indeed elegant, and the blade shapes clean and usefull. Wouldn't mind a set in my kitchen.

That certainly explaines the flared face on most of the hammers I've seen.

I personally like the versatility of a side blast, very easy to reconfigure for different fuels and projects. Admittedly she needs to be flirted with a bit more, but that's the charm. As to the tuyere, it can be sacrificial, instead of what're cooled, stainless lasts longer, as well as putting a hole in a kiln shelf or stack of fire brick. With the bottom blast I much prefer using a bullet grate, as it makes slag so much easier to deal with .

I'd think slitting and drifting would be the easy part, ropeing your little sister in to pumping the bellows and getting Mom to swing the sledge so you can forge weld the "money bars" together to get a large enough lump of wraught iron together to forge the hammer from... Come to think of it, anyone know if they steeled the faces of their hammers? All kidding aside, most of our hand tools are direct desendants of what they used. Remember, due to the cost of iron and steel, they made their tooling light, or reforged tooling to fit a new task. For example, most of us have a dozen or more sets of tongs, they didn't, the material was just to expensive to have laying around waiting for the one job they where made for, they adjusted one or two pair for the job at hand.

I run a two burner ProForge. I get about 8 hours. Exchange tanks are becoming notorious for being lite, and one you get to less than a 1/4 the can will ice up in about 30 min, on a hot oklihoma summer day. My place looks like a meth lab, as I have 8,20# cans and 3, 100#. I suggest on only using exchange cans, one if your in a bind or you have an old can with an old style valve or out of date test stamp. Fills are almost 1/2 as expensive at a rentalall, coop, or propain co. Some welding gas suppers even handle them.

Be a gratefull and graseus student. If another smith is willing to teach you, avail your self of the offer, politely listen, even if you have already learned (or think you have learned that skill) often you will be offers greater insite, even by the same instructor. Respect his/her shop and tools, family, home, shop cat etc. often we forget that we are not intitled, his/her time is a gift, as is the fuel, steel and damaged tools. As has ben said diligent practice, that not only improves your skills, it honors your teachers. Lastly, when you think you have mastered a skill (blacksmithing is a skill set) pass it on, your bad habits will become glaringly obvious to you, you yourself will increase in your skill. This is what makes masters, out of jounymen.

Folks often twist spikes to form decritive handles on "spike knives" (read as letter opener unless you steel the blade).

What was the new tank presher tested with? They have to be certified. I'd still take aproptiate precautions. Like having some one that knows the # to 911(fire fighter joke).

Sorry, board, adaptive text gets me some times, I type faster than I text.

When you refer to wraught iron, do you meen forged mild steal? Wraught is rare stuff. Beautiful rendering, and a very pleasing design. Remember that leaving hammer marks is a modern design element. And if its not intended as a desplay peice you might whant to mock up the kilt and see how the hand likes it. I hope you post the finished product, it has the potential to be a beutiful peice.

Lol, we used to weigh race cars that way, but you only need one scale, a bird and a fulcrum. Multiply the weight read on the scale by the ratio between the scale, fulcrum and weight. So say a 2 foot board, place the center of the weight (anvil) 6" from the fulcrum, and 6" of the board on the scale. That leaves 12" between the weight and the scale, so multiply the reading by 4 if you center the weight then it's times 2

I use an I phone, and it handles the full sight just fine. Way back when I first sighned up I couldn't navigate the security from my palm, and there fore never saw the compleat blue print files. But I'm still learning somthing new every day. If not directly, because I'm of searching the net. As to searches, make sure you click what sections you want to search or you will come up with squat.

The "Tomas Powers anvil accusation method" is all about networking and persiverance, and is equally applicable to a job search. As to the job search first. Ask eany one and every one, if they need help or know some one that dose, volunteer (a lot of small buisness owners do to) go to church, with your grand moher, you will meet more peaple that will be inclined to help you. And lastly, take eany job that comes up, one you may actually like it, and two it is a heck of a lot easyer to find a job when you have a job. Now to the blacksmithing stuff. Use the TPAAM, but be creative. Any thing that will hold the fire will work if it has close to the right shape, an old Soren box full of dirt, an old weber grill, old sink, big flowerpot, old bucket, hole in the ground. Look at the stuff the third world aid folks publish, look here, look at history for insperation. Almost any large solid chunk of steel, 8-20# sledge hammer heads, splitting malls, large splitting wedges, heavy equipment shaves, smoth granit blocks (don't go stealing any grave markers) grain elivator weights ect. If you use a hit dryer, open it up and unhook the heating eliment, it will last longer. As for scrap. Automotive and truck shops, rebar, big bolts and nails on the side of the road, illegal dump sights, empty lots, dumpster diving, good stuff set out on trash day. We Americans are trashy peaple, if you walk down any contry road you will find usable scrap, city's arnt any better.

Then try to use sweeps instead of elbows. The gentler transition to 90 deg. Will create les resistance due to friction.

Try your local farrier supply, the usually have 50# bags. Not the cheapest way to go. You can always order a train car :-D keeps shipping costs down.

75# JHM, it's a lot easy to load and unload from the doing rig. 150# JMH lives in the shop, along with a 34" section of 140# rail (the 150# is a wasp waisted farriers anvil) and a track anvil mounted on a 2" solid rod and a receiver drawbar for my horse hauling kit.

Oil ressivor or oil cups? I'm not familiar with the blower, if it has a gear box then the oil ressivor May not hold oil or oil the gears and bearings. Some have separate housings for the gears and blower and can be indexed to alow different configurations. The same problems with oiling cups. Of its one that runs on greased bearings.then it shouldn't be a problem

Saves one from taking a rounding hammer to the offenders (and the resulting legal hassle)

Depends on which forge I'm working at. For my shoeing rig (where I work most often I have a 2# Asian cross pein. I've just gotten used to it for hot and cold work on shoes. A 2# each rounding and ball pein round out the hammers in the truck. As for the shop, 4# rounding hammer (started life as a double headed so its lost a few oz.) ocompanied by a 4# cross pein, and 3# each cross, rounding, and ball. And the family favorite (not 14# strait pein)

The clip goes on the lower flange to keep the track from creeping, one each side of the tie. The plate keeps the rail from moving side to side and up and down in relation to the tie. It's all for not without the ballast, or gravel between the ties.

Automotive shops, spring shops (most big cities have some one who makes custome springs for the off road peaple) machine and fabrication shops, local farmers... Keep your eyes out for axles, sway bars, stearing linkage, coil and leaf springs, also, tillage equipment, any of the parts that work in the dirt.