Mike Romo

Great paste Paul. Really like the sand and oil filling on the legs. I am still considering a wider footprint similar to Avadon's design. I have a suspicion the web and gusset plates will take any springiness out of the stand. The waist area trays are a great idea. Please keep them coming. Hopefully I can get this one off the ground later this week. I do need to find a thick plate. One inch sounds right, but I would settle for 3/4". That was a good piece of advice.

Great idea with the plastic wrap Wayne. The sand was not just for weight, but for vibration and sound dampening. Shoulda made that clearer. Thanks for the angles and the idea of the tray. Dan, That was where I got the ideas for the stand. Yours, I think, was one that helped me decide on three legged. Dan, do you think your anvil would be less stable if it were over the single leg?

Here goes. I picked up a nearly new JHM competitor anvil. Original John Moreno before anvilbrands picked up his design. Weight is 260# I browsed the entire anvil stand thread and decided I prefer a three legged stand. Mostly because I prefer steel to stumps and to have another welding project. Here are my questions 1. I wonder about mounting it so the horn goes over the single or double leg side? The anvil is weighted toward the horn and I wonder about stability. 2. All agree a thick plate for mounting the anvil is essential. If I can't find one inch plate, is it okay to weld lesser thicknesses along the edges to build it up? Or will that increase noise? 3. My material is going to be 2" x 4" x 1/4" for the legs and 1/4" plate for feet. Most of which I already have. Plans include threaded plugs to add sand as ballast. Question is how much angle should I cut on the legs? 15 deg? 20 deg? 4. Also planning on using silicone or similar between anvil and mounting plate. Question is which kind? Thanks for the help.

Great advice. Thanks again.

Thanks Steve. Looks like a beast. So, basically squares stacked with hollow center and filled? Pretty slick. Sand is a good medium and Lord knows we have plenty in NM, but I think I am going to avoid it due to the resentment I have built up with all the strange sand that already blows into my garage. Haha I think I am going to go with a design that Avadon posted. It will give me an excuse to do more project work with my welder. Yeah, I know, a glutton....

Just reiterating the toxicity of Beryllium dust. At Sandia National Labs, we have an entire department of medical dedicated to monitoring folks who work with Beryllium. it starts when they start and it goes on even after retirement. They are monitored throughout their lives to assure no disease crops up. As Elmer Fudd once said, "Be vewwy vewwy careful."

Oops. Dupe

Steve, I too, kayak, and I too just picked up a JHM Competitor. How is your stand constructed?

Thanks Frosty.

Here are my first smithin' projects. Pretty rough. BTW, Thanks DSW!! First two pics are my flat jaw tongs made from 1/2" rebar. Third pic is a couple of hooks I made out of the hot cut ends of my first failed tong jaws. Fourth pic is a set of bolt head tongs/v-jaw tongs....still undecided. Need to finish them by drawing the reins out and welding on some length. Fifth and sixth pics are of a rather homely set of box jaw tongs Seventh and eights are the "ultimate" tongs I gave a shot at today. Reins are still unfinished, but they seem to work. The jaw shapes are pretty rough, but maybe some filing will make them fit well.

Okay fellas, question. How does one post pictures inside a message so they appear as either a thumbnail or a larger image? I want to start posting pics of my setup and work for critique and advice sought.

I will be in LC from the 7-10th of Nov. I'll PM you my contact info.

Thanks everybody. Glad to be here. I feel like I am off to the right start. Yes, fire is fun!! I had already looked up Turley Forge and am working on attending a class this next year--schedules, finances, and life can generally make that a bit difficult, but I will persevere. My books are already stacking up and Youtube has taken on a life of its own for me. I have a couple of hooks made and a couple of pair of rather homely tongs, but they do work and it will get better. I like the idea of playdoh and its comparisons to hot metal. The vids from Brian Brazeal and Alec Steele are very enlightening. Sounds like it's time to go back to the actual toy aisle of the store. SWABA is on my list, PM incoming FatFudd. Thomas Powers, I went to paramedic school in Las Cruces back in the early 1990s. GO AGGIES!!! I'll be down there in November teaching at the EMS Conference. Perhaps we can touch base for a couple of hours? I need to learn the pic posting thing, can anyone point to a link? I have several pics already of my forge, vise, "anvil", and the stuff I've cobbled together. I'd love some critique and advice. Thanks again, Mike

Greetings everyone, I have been lurking for a few weeks and absorbing as much as I can. The range of experience here is nothing short of staggering. I must say thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge, experience, and encouragement to all. I have always been fascinated by working with metal and have done quite a bit of hobby welding over the years. After much thought, I used Youtube and other sites--hadn't found IFI yet, to fabricate a small propane forge which works quite well. I managed to remember some solid steel slabs I had laying around and stacked them up on a homemade stand that is now my makeshift anvil, weighing around 185# with stand. I found an old leg vise on craigslist and made contact with an old smith by the name of Leif Gonnsen who provided much information and encouragement. I had a couple of hammers, and some welding gear, so I started heating and beating. I'd love to make contact with any IFI members in the Albuquerque area--I currently live in the Tome, NM area, but am building a home in Abq. My real job is as a Captain with the Albuquerque Fire Dept and with only a couple of years until my planned retirement, I'd like to learn a craft and perhaps turn it into some earnings. Thanks in advance for any guidance anyone can provide.