notownkid

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.

Growing up working on the farm 10 degrees was the cut off for working out cutting wood as my uncle was concerned for the oxen not us.  the rest of the chores went on at any Temp including -35 one morning working on the manure wagon.  50 above is a nice day in VT to work outside esp. if you have a fire going.  But the outhouse was brisk at -25 I can tell you.  That was 10 yrs. ago when building our new house and living in the basement.  Everything is relative!

This Christmas I'd like a concrete floor for my new dedicated 100 % Blacksmith shop being built this week. I found money for the building lacking $$ for a floor at this Joyous time of year. I'll worry about insulation next year, please Santa a Floor, might need a few more pair of reindeer to haul it, you can even bring it a few days late!

At 18 the best advise has been given by Rich Hale and others, learn a paying trade one you can keep going back to when things crap out at the forge or you need money for materials or maybe bread and water.  Learn business management, community college will do, Take blacksmith classes when you can afford them from people who are teaching what you want to do.  No simple answer except everything you need to get started or keep going Cost $$$$$$$$$$ you have to earn it.  Keep on the good side of your folks as well as they just might let you sleep in the house during the cold months.

Good Luck, your whole life is staring at you from afar.   

My suggestion is to Join New England Blacksmiths, I did a few years ago and have learned a lot from them. They have 3 days meetings around NE somewhere each spring and fall with guest instructors, worth every penny. There is usually used equipment there to purchase and leads on where to find more. It is near impossible to spend 3 days with 75 other smiths and not learn something of value.

Listen and ask questions, keep what might work for you, lets the rest slide off your back like water off a duck. But at the end of the day do it your way and you will learn soon enough what works and doesn't and make running changes to your plans. Take to heart what is being told you as it is all given from experience and trying to save you time and $$$$$$$.

I too am without a scrap yard to visit so I have a good friend who delivers for a NAPA auto parts store and he is on the lookout for scrap for me at repair shops. If he delivers new Coil Springs, Tie rods for trucks, leaf springs, he asks about the old one, a lot of the time he gets them.

Good Luck, remember Smiths mean well but aren't public speaking people and have rough edges.

You would do good to research what is needed as far as the inspection goes and requirements/codes. I use to be a Fire Chief and my experience with Inspectors was if they didn't know the answer or requirement they would make it up and run with it. Also you can ask 4 inspectors the same question and get at least 3 different answers. We had a plumbing inspector tell us the vent in our new Firehouse was installed wrong and when we questioned him about it he said it was in fact Code the way we did it BUT he didn't like the code so wanted it his way, after calling the State the CODE WON!

You will end up with an ABC Dry Chemical Exting. before you get done and hope you don't have to use it. Be sure everyone in your shop has training in the use of Exting. as they may need to save you. I've seen people add foam concentrate to the old Pressure Water ones as well, no credit for them but they work great.

Love to see the face of the officials when you tell them you want to "tap" into the gas main. Again check in advance so you know what the codes are.

Our divers filled their Scuba tanks on the same compressor we used for SBCA fire tanks. We had a Fire Insurance Inspector tell us it wasn't safe to have spare SBCA Tanks setting on a Radiant Heated Floor as it might cause them to burst from over heating! Not sure what planet he was from but a call to his company sent him back there.

Good Luck

Only the guy who made it knows for sure. Jig for something he was going to make a lot of, nice craftsmanship

I stumbled onto one recently while talking with two guys in a small engine repair shop.  I had worked with them a few years go and I was telling them I was building a new blacksmith shop.  One said he had a hand crank blower thingy in his basement was I interested.  Yup, nice 400, got it for a song didn't even have to dance.

You just never know where stuff shows up.  A friend was delivering lumber to another friend of mine and in conversation my name came up and my new shop, I ended up with a nice home made small forge with a very nice blower on it. 

Ask a friendly delivery guy to keep an eye out for you, I delivered fuel oil and gas way back and you got to see all the good stuff out behind peoples houses and garages.     

Permit wise it's every place for itself. In our area it's anything with a roof needs a permit. I just had to get one for a
4' x 4' smokehouse as it had a roof, and I moved it from another state where it didn't need a permit because it didn't have a foundation.

High Temp Permatex Ultra Grey Silicone is good for 2000 degrees, have used it on pellet stove door seals and race car header bolts should work for you.

Nice shop to start with, if you burn it there a plenty more pallets around, good for you on the design. Shouldn't build up too much smoke inside. First one I worked in had a roof nailed to an Elm Tree, no sides and about 1/2 that size. We worked fast in the winter when we needed to make something and as the youngest I had to go start the forge.