Ken Ra

I have no idea what black case sodbuster handles are but an old synthetic material was Bakelite.

I will ring the anvil with my apprentices BB Ken

This may be stupid but have you checked your threads against Acme style threads ? They are old nearly square and flat bottomed. If so then you know what to hunt for they are definitely machinist territory. BB Ken

Many metals have grain that soaks up impurities and can cause trouble. One of the reasons to sweat steel before painting it.

There is another alternative somewhat radical that I have heard of get a piece of graphite machined to the size and threads you need, then wirefeed weld around it in place. Next unscrew the graphite leaving the threads behind.

I miss forging in a thunderstorm. See the flash and time it so I hit the iron when the the Thunder HITS. Cheap thrills but cheap thrills are wayyy better than expensive thrills.

with his big toe

Yah might try adding some more breeze to your mix.

A ten pound anvil sounds like a jewelers bench Anvil. Hopefully it is not a Harbor Freight (HF) Anvil Shaped Object (ASO). Drop a hammer on it and check for rebound cast iron does not have much rebound and is the mark of an ASO.

Blacksmithing has always justified my scrounging garage saleing and fleamarketing addictions and there are many poor lost hammers looking for homes out there. Get as many as you can.

The coin presses I have seen were powered by a BIG flywheel (200Lb)and a fine thread 1 1/2 X 20 TPI screw.

There are plenty of shops that will electroplate silver or even gold into your goblet. I think modern pewter is mostly tin and safe for food , wine etc.

There are going to be fumes with any type of forging or hot metal working. In thirty years I cant remember any welder I worked with having asthma. You have my prayers that this is just smoke inhalation. Blessed Be

I have run into "people" who have never made anything in their lives. No physical skills what so ever. Cant put up a pot rack on the kitchen wall cant clean out a stopped sink and look down on those of us who do. Definitely cranial rectal inversion.