Sam Falzone

A friend of mine has a lot of SA516-70 normalized plate at his workplace. He works for a fabricator who makes among other things, pressure vessels. He told me that SA516-70 is specifically used for making pressure vessels but I was wondering what else the steel would be good for. Anyone have any more information about this type of steel along with any ideas of what it could be made into (hammers, cutting tools, blades, etc???) Sam

This is my toolbox - made it last summer. Nothing fancy - just a good strong box. I may need to make another one soon. Sam

Aside from the cold you already had, sounds like you might be suffering from some smoke inhalation as well. If it's already been 72 hours, you might want to consider consulting your doctor - severe smoke inhalation can lead to other complications. Just my opinion. I could be wrong. Hope you get better. sam

There's still a lot of life left in that anvil and it's more than workable. $1.33/lb for a 300lb anvil is an amazing price considering that there are some guys on Kijiji in my area who are wanting $500.00 for a 100lb PW anvil. I hope someone on IFI gets it. sam

http://detroit.craig...1674099326.html Just saw this and I figured someone in the area may be interested. Fenton Michigan, 300lb anvil, asking $400.00 ($1.33/lb). Someone needs to jump all over this one - wish I had the money. sam

This is my block anvil for re-enactment. The stump is ash - I added the bick, cutting plate, hammer loops and tong rack last summer. I love this anvil stand. When I finally mount my main anvil, I'm definitely going to go for another stump.

I did some shopping around and the math tells me that between $5.00-$6.00/lb can get you a NEW anvil. This guy's selling for $4.00/lb used. Unless that anvil is in superb MINT shape, I don't think he'll be selling it anytime soon. Maybe he'll figure it out and drop his price eventually. I usually shop around for nothing more than $2.00/lb. How about others? What do you consider a fair price for a good condition used anvil? I had a 250lb PW in my sights on Kijiji that was going for $1.00/lb - and I lost it because I was STUPID !!! I actually tried to talk the guy down in price and someone else swooped in and bought it out from under me. Just goes to show you, stupidity doesn't come for free - you have to PAY FOR IT! I'll never do that again. I hope who ever got that PW is enjoying it - they deserve it. Sam

That looks like a Mousehole to me ... Anyone else? Sam

I got an email from the guy - its 125lbs. That's $4.00/lb - too high for me. Thanks for the heads up Tas. Sam

A friend of mine is looking to repair his fireplace / chimney and is looking for a place to get Satanite or any kind of refractory cement in the southern Ontario area - preferably Hamilton or London area. Any ideas? Sam

Well, plans have changed. I've decided to go to Touchstone instead this summer - recommended to me by a friend. Sam

70 lb NC farrier's anvil for sale in Clanton on craigslist for $200.00 http://bham.craigslist.org/grd/1656560297.html -down from $250.00,13 days ago "new style" farriers anvil with all the extra doo-dads -- figured, what the heck, he might be interested --this one is a bit on the steep side $2.85 a pound - but she looks in prime shape - photos posted Well I hope this helps a bit. Good luck with everything. Cheers. Sam

90 lb anvil for sale in Jasper Alabama on craigslist for $175.00 http://bham.craigslist.org/grd/1635472927.html -photo posted

85 lb anvil for sale in Huntsville on craigslist http://gadsden.craigslist.org/tls/1638225131.html -didn't list a price but posted 3 pictures.

ALL KINDS of blacksmith tools for sale in Asheville on craiglist http://asheville.craigslist.org/tls/1667047727.html -- too many to list check it out for yourself.

90 lb Trenton anvil for sale in Chattanooga on craigslist for $225.00 http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/atq/1650285654.html asking $2.50 per lb

Okay, while I don't live in Tennessee (or the US for that matter), I'm always willing to help out a fellow smith if I can. 137 lb Peter Wright anvil for sale in Nashville on craigslist for $300.00 http://nashville.craigslist.org/grd/1663673095.html Now that's a little more than $2.00 per pound ($2.19 to be exact) - decent price (not stellar but decent). The kicker is that this seller has gone down in price from $500.00 just 12 days ago - so keep watching it to see if the price drops anymore, or, even better arrange to visit with the seller to inspect the anvil (try to never buy an anvil just based on a picture or a promise) and make him a decent offer if $300.00 is too steep for you right now and if the anvil is in good shape. 137 lbs is on the heavy end of still being transportable but is a very versatile weight - it could be the last anvil you will ever need, depending on what you want to do. Think about it - I'll keep snooping around. Sam (Hamilton, Ontario. Canada)

Kerisman, Where are you from? Go to the members profile section and fill in your location information, that way if anyone comes across information that might help you that's nearby, they can let you know. Cheers. Sam

Everyone has pretty much come up with the same answer - for a starting smith who is also looking for a transportable anvil, 70-90 lbs is (IMO) ideal, especially if like you said you just want to focus on smaller scale projects. But I'll wager you would find that you can do a lot more with that size anvil than you think you can. If you happen to stumble upon an affordable anvil - you jump on it - that's a lesson you learn quick when you catch the smithing bug . Good luck with your search - just beware of "anvil-shaped-objects (ASO)". These things may have an anvil shape and may be selling for an incredibly low price - but usually it's because they aren't worth spit as an anvil (example, you will often hear smiths in this forum talk about cheap anvils from Harbour Freight - these are often refered to as ASO's). Cheers. Sam

Morning all, I just found out that the Haliburton Campus of Fleming College offers a Blacksmithing summer course. The website is : http://www.flemingc....sum/style/h.cfm Here's the blurb from the page; Please note: This course involves the use of hot forges and metal. You must be prepared to work independently with a high level of concentration, physical exertion and mechanical aptitude. Learn the basics of blacksmithing in a hands-on studio situation. You will have an opportunity to learn the skills required to produce appealing and functional objects using traditional blacksmithing techniques. Instruction will provide an understanding of simple forging principles such as drawing out, punching, scrolling and more. Finishing techniques will also be stressed. Ample opportunity will be provided to practice what you've seen demonstrated. Please bring a project concept with you. So it's a fundamentals class, but I've had no formal fundamentals training (mostly self taught with lots of informal instruction) so it definitely peaks my interest. Either way it sounds like it will be a hoot. And my lovely wife is insisting on putting this course into our budget planning so that I can go (I'm so lucky). So I thought posting this here might interest some other Ontario smiths - especially those new to the craft - in hopes of meeting up with some of y'all and putting faces to names. It's (Aug 9 - Monday to Friday - 9:00am-4:30pm). How about it? Anyone else interested in going? Sam

Found a lot of coal forges, blowers and tools on Kijiji today - especially in the London area. Just a heads up in case anyone is interested. Sam

WOW!!! I'm really sorry I missed this one - that's exactly what I'm looking for. Bob, where did you get and do you know where I can get one for me ??? Sam

Hi Musilka, Charcoal is a great fuel source for smithing - I've tried all types and have to say that charcoal is among my favourites. You can use wood as a fuel source as well - it will turn into charcoal after all when you burn it. But what I've understood over the years is that charcoal is to wood, what coke is to coal. The first is esentially the by-product of the other after all the water and impurities have been "cooked" out of it. So charcoal and coke burn much cleaner than wood or coal - this gives you better smithing conditions especially when forge welding. But I've always suspected that there had to be some practical advantages to charcoal as well. For example, charcoal is much lighter and easier to store over long periods than wood is (at least I think so), and since you don't have to wait for the original wood to carbonize, you can get to smithing faster. That's pretty much all I got. I'm sure there are others on this forum who could give you a lot more information on the subject, but I hope this hepled. Cheers sam

Welcome to the addiction young Tom The universe has a funny way of making things happen that are supposed to happen - and it looks like your journey is supposed to happen. May it take you far. Welcome brother. Sam

Nicely done. Your porportions are really nice, the rat-tail twist for the eye is nice and the simple punch work detail is effective. But best of all it looks like something a father would proudly make to keep his son safe - that's the best part These are some Thor's hammers I made out of silver a few weeks back - they were gifts for some friends of mine. I recommend that if you think you would like to make more hammers to perhaps sell, make yourself a set of punches and do some research on Viking jewelry hord finds to see what some historical pieces looked like. Both of these were inspited by historical finds (inspired - not direct copies). Making the punches is easy and alot of fun too. I just use sets of pin-punches and a file to make mine. Keep making stuff like this , you've got a really nice touch with your work. And I think you should consider trying some other mediums - that hammer design would look really spiff in copper or bronze or silver. Thanks for sharing. Sam