notownkid

Looking good, now hang your stocking with care inside and St Nick might finish it for you!

Never let a day go by you don't learn something new, even if it is something you learned a month ago and had forgotten already.!

very nice, Kind of hate to see it dirty from use! Also interested in the "ground clearance"

greetings from Central Vermont, glad to see you on the site. A lot of info here for the looking. I just had a new retirement blacksmith shop 16'x20' built as I got told to move my stuff out of the garage before I burned it down. Didn't spend time debating it just said "Yes Honey" & called my contractor. Waiting till summer to get a concrete floor in it if the cash becomes available. As Steve said lots of nice people from lots of places here and they like to share info. Good Luck

Looks like a Wok to me

Rule of Thumb, you're offering a service on your property, someone gets hurt, You are going to be Sued. That is regardless of what people sign. The old Lawyer saying "You Knew or Should Have Known X might happen". Best Lawyer Wins, You lose regardless by having fees and a bad press event.

What I wish I had is more education on steel, types, classifications, knowledge that comes from someone who knows. Like most people in the northern rural areas of the US we have limited access to suppliers.

Everything sounds normal to me! Before I can get started doing "A" 13 more things pop up that have to be done first by the time I get to #10 I've run out of time, energy and disposition. At the end of the day I have 3 things left to do already before I can think about getting back to "A" and generally by then I forgot what 'A" was to begin with.

There are a some New England Blacksmith Members your way, Hinesburg, Bristol, both State Rep's are your way as well.

I'm in Woodstock some of the time, like this weekend, elsewhere the remainder.

I loved "Lucky Frosty's" idea of the boot scraper with the side brushes. We made and sold them at our Livery Stable/Tack shop 55 years ago and they were great sellers then. I had forgotten them until today. I need some for myself, Thanks guys.

Three sayings come to mind here on your loss of this anvil "He who hesitates is Lost" as we were taught in the Army "Strike while the iron is hot" And as we said in the Auto sales business "there is a behind to fit every seat, you just have to look Harder for some than others"

I would think that what You need is mental conditioning to control your frustrations I would recommend closing up your shop for a few days. Go in the house set in your favorite chair, kick back and take a number of deep breaths. Now turn on your best big screen TV and tune in 24 hr. Network News, your choice of network. When you can go 24 hrs. without throwing something through your TV or the TV through your window you are conditioned and most likely can go back to the shop and all mistakes will seem like nothing to you. If this doesn't work maybe take up knitting something with light weight tools.

I would think the answer to your question of forging in the cold depends on what you call cold, exactly what your building is like, what your age and experience is with the cold. Myself I until 10 yrs. ago had to be out in the weather regardless of the temps. Farm animals need care 7/365, Firefighting 24/7/365, snow removal when it snows. Now I don't have to so I don't. I have nothing that needs forging in cold weather,(if I do I'll call you) if it's my house that is on fire I'll do something, if it's yours you are on your own, I hire my snow plowed and all the animals live with someone else now. Two more years and I will read about the cold weather in the paper or e-mails from friends who don 't have the sense to be with me in Ft Meyers. Those of us who have "Been Around The Block" a lot of times have a different view of the trip, and my feet, hands and ears being so cold I couldn't feel them for a half hour smartened me up after 60+ years. 35 or less I have all sorts of work to do in the house ( I keep another workshop in the basement) An old Amish gentleman told me once "To Late Smart, Too Long Dead". Good luck with the cold

This anvil looks good in the pictures, If you are happy with it and the price then it was perfectly priced. I purchased a Book On the Mouse Hole Anvil Company, had it shipped in from England great book. would love to have one of their anvils.

Please take the time now to put this beautiful specimen of an Anvil in your will where you want it to go, to whom with assurances it will not end up in scrap some day. Can Never start to early.

Please take the time now to put this beautiful specimen of an Anvil in your will where you want it to go, to home with assurances it will not end up in scrap some day. Never start to early.

Anything of value in tools take a photo of when you determine and list the values attach the photo, helps to date the photo. Will not help much with insurance Co.(they are paid to turn down any and all claims they can) but will go a long way when you find the scum that stole it. Never show off your real nice equip. esp. to other workers and darn few friends. Friends talk, they have other friends and relatives not quite as honest as they are. Police are no help because they know most thieves are in it for drug money and they sell it for pennies on the dollar. A number of yrs. ago we discovered a cop was stealing car parts from us. Only found out when we left a dog in there at night in fenced locked area. He didn't make another trip. Video security for any area your tools and equip. is in. If you catch them make sure they "Fall Down a few times".

The Eric Sloan Museum in Kent CT is a great place to visit, it happens to be next door to the CT Antique Machinery Museum which has a very large in old Equipment collection as well as a large new Blacksmith shop, live narrow gauge steam RR engine with repair shop, saw mill and a very nice collection of operating steam engines. They have a collection of operating one lunger engines to make the trip most interesting. Eric Sloan also wrote many books on Barns and NE Life all of which would b e interesting for hardware . He was a great Artist as well, I have a number of his works in my homes. The detail is super if you wanted to make door latches, hinges and what not from the 1800's.

Colonial Williamsburg Blacksmiths make nails every day to warm up. Get a blacksmith book with LOTS OF Pictures. When you get "brain lock" open the book and look at the pictures till something hits you between the eyes. Go for it. That doesn't work and if all else fails READ THE BOOK! If all else still fails, mow the lawn (or shovel snow) do the laundry for your wife or mom, clean the house, wash the dishes something real unpleasant your mind will be back to blacksmithing in no time.

Blacksmithing is the truest form of recycling. You take a piece of scrap from your pile, heat it and beat it around for a few hours or days until you figure you've done all you can to it and then throw it back into the scrap pile again. If it wasn't for making mistakes my days would been unfulfilled.

we have to do the same with KPH to MPH when we cross into Canada, it's all relative, not sure who's relative.

Starting a business is a whole like the Wright Bros. First Successful Flight, It didn't go very high or very far and it wasn't their First Attempt at it either. They kept at it time after time costing them a lot of money and Flying eventually became a big business, Orville and Wilber didn't get in on the financial success end of things. A friend said once Starting a business is easy he had done it 100s of times. Ending one isn't hard either, keeping the blessed thing in the air is the hard part. Good Luck Young Man you are going to need it! Keep us posted!

I agree with MLMartin on Williamsburg's set up. Plexiglas shuts the viewer out doesn't allow conversation or questions (I know 90% are the same questions) but if you don't want inter action run a video! Williamsburg is great, the viewer is there in the shop only a table separating you from the forge plus space and a person talking with you all the time, a display on the table, very people friendly. If you are inviting people to come watch keep what you are doing, keep it simple so you are not striking something large with stuff flying around near the viewers. Plan ahead what can be made there and have a "show & tell" table to show what can be made. Nobody is going to be standing there long enough for you to make a hammer, most will not last a coat hook.