ION

steel rod, 3 feet long 1/4" diameter

No garage. Might get one in a new house soon but thats tbd. I was considering looking into a storage unit to use as a garage. But it would just be a work garage.No forge or flames. And rent would be a bit much but im sure I could work a deal.

I know I dont need an anvil for maille. I want to eventually do riveting. I was trying to get ideas for an anvil for later down the road so I sought out some suggestions and I brought one to the table to duscuss. And I was given a better alternative. I got a sledgehammer to use in the mean time.

Good idea.  I think they do offer Welding. Ill look into it thanks!

Why buy new when there are yard sales, flea markets and craigslist deals all around you?

Bought New cause I was at Lowes already.  So it was spur of the moment.  I didnt mind getting it for the short term until I can actually find time to go to the flea market by NC State, when I am not working. (I work weekends)

Craigslist Ive done for other things but always found my luck being dry due to I got scammed out of a couple items and I have very seldom met a nice person on there.

Try forgetting the fancy language and just tell us what you do and the limitations Seriously, if you're going to use words like "ergonomic" you should use them correctly. Not annoying the landlord has nothing to do with ergonomics, economics yes, you don't want to pay for your own place yet so THAT is a real factor.

 

Seriously, we're blacksmiths, not English teachers grading your paper, just talk to us, there's enough specialized craft jargon  already.

 

OK. So i feel it was up to this point that I found your reply constructive.  And from here on i felt a bit of a sting.  So I will act accordingly.

1.  Fancy Language:  I used the term ERGONOMIC for a reason.  I am slightly educated even if my sentence structuring may be a bit off, but I do know what this word means.  I used it in context of my workspace in conjunction with my current living status.  So perhaps I should have been a bit more specific.  

2.  Ergonomic Setup:  My workspace right now is a 3 x 4' corner of my room next to my computer and my amp, where I am currently weaving Chain.  While this is enough space for this project in particular, I do not find it very Good for the long term.  Now with regards to my outside space, That is a small patch of grass surrounded by a fence that I cannot burn anything in a forge, I cant move heavy objects (ie Anvil Material) to and from not to mention the fact that this is an "old Folks" neihborhood roughly 10 miles from the inner city, so I dont have a lot of options to work with.  Plus I am a college student (comm to be more specific) so whatever money I do have, I am continuously using for school and when its not for school its for work, and when its not for work its for trying to find something I can do and be good at.  I do not live alone because I financially cannot.  Which segways into the next point.

3. Economic Standing:  The landlord(s) are not the issue. Its the Homeowners association which states that me and my  family cant have anything out on our lawn that would be "unseemly" to the integrity of their neighborhood.  They wont even let us keep bikes outside of the fence.  Now we are moving very soon, but still not sure where, but odds are i probably wont get much of an upgrade to space or privacy as I like to hope.  

4.  What do I want to accomplish?  Well I want to learn overall.  Ive stated above my limitations.  Now If I have missed anything, please let me know so I may provide more specificity and keep my weird sounding "jargon" out of it.  

this reminds me when i was in the SCA  20 years ago... had no skill and little resources. i didn't do much with mail but a lot with leather and plate.

what i started with was a dishing stump and a ball peen hammer. then graduated to a piece of I beam for riveting on.

 

good luck in your endeavor and stay sensible/safe!

 

have fun!

And thank you and I shall try :)

True. I was gonna shorten it. But all the inventory is fiberglass polymer handles

For riveting I need a striking surface. I made a mandrel already :)

Ok so 10 it is

Would ten or 20# work best?

Armor smithing. Maille for right now. Getting prepped for future projects

U said a ten # sledgehammer. Do they just sell the heads? Or best bet to get a sledge and leave the handle on?

Plates were 9.50 a piece btw

Ill look around scrap yards.

And this is more of a "find a decently effective method for a decent price so I can find an ergonomic style as to not upset my parents off with having a hunk of steel in their midst." If that and space werent an issue id have already gotten something from a nunkyard if good size.
Looking after the wellbeing of others is a pain

I am not trying to make any excuses im letting you guys kno the plight with I have to deal and how im trying to be practical wothout overstepping bounds in my household.

:/

So using plates doesnt give an even dispersion of energy. So its not so much the steel but the integrity of the steel that would be in question.

Im also trying to be ergonomic for now. I dont have a lot of space to work with. And im doing cold work smithing for now. And I dont have anything that can lift anything over 50 or 60 pounds from one spot to another. Much less 150 to 200 pounds.

Ps. My workshop is pretty much my room in my corner where my computer is. :(

Probably shouldve mentioned that I found the steel at lowes. And Idk where id find that. Plus it sounds heavier than 50 pounds

Ok. So I saw a post from a guy on another metalsmithing site and he made his anvil out of a plate of steel and a timber beam ( looked to be about 1/2" x 4" x 12" steel plate on 6" x4" x12" timber)
Now is this plausable for an anvil? I have found steel welded plates (1/4" x 6" x 12 and 1/4" x 12" x 12") that I could stack and bolt together or screw together onto a timber beam. And yes I do mean bolted / screwed. I dontbhave a welder. I dont know how to weld and I dont know anyone that does.

If I were to stack four of these ontop of one another into an inch thick block would this suffice as an anvil for the short term?

Thanks guys, Ill check the site.  :)

Im using steel wire 16 guage fencing.  But, it has black oil in order to keep it from rusting, while i understand the reason for it, I find it a bit off if i put it on top of clothing (or skin) it leaves a black smudge, So how would I get rid of this?  Should I scrub it off the wire before I use it on my mandrel?  Or should I make the rings, then normalize them?  Im not intending to get into Riveting just yet, while it is cool I have to gather a few more tools for that and am getting into a project for a shirt to start off, will eventually want ot rivet my rings .  any help welcome :)

what was the penalty for getting caught?  

After doing some research on the net trying to find some land in my area to lease/rent/buy to build a small forge setup (due to my living in a very stingy neighborhood in the suburbs) and not finding anything that is even near what I require I am at a loss.  So I put this inquiry out to those who may have thought of doing this or done this in the past, of pitching a forge and small shed in the middle of a forest?

Is it doable?  And what precautions ( other than the law ) would I need to take?   

-ION  :)

Indeed it is.  The handle up near the hammer itself is splintered a bit from wear and tear.  would you recommend replacing the handle or do you think its still okay enough to use?

Well if its worth something or if its a piece of history, I might not reforge it but keep it as a piece of history.  

Not everyday I come across something with a name attached to it nor with a possible story.  Got it for 3 bucks at my flea market this past weekend. 

B)

Looks pretty old for military surplus

Could be,  I had to rub some of the rust off just to see the U/O.

I was at my local flea market the other day and I found an 8oz. ball pein hammer with the indentations of "-O.S.A.C-" 

Is anyone familiar with this name?

Pic of Hammer for Reference...