howardrw

I bought an Anyang 33 from James last year and could'nt be happier with the product. At the time, I was also leery of the "chineseness" of the product, so I did lot's of research. Even though I had never owned a power hammer, I have had a lifetime of experience operating and working on machinery, including 26 years in a chemical plant, 6 years in the oilfield and 4 years working on fighter jets in the Navy ( Vietnam service included). I have learned that simple and reliable is always best. Also, being familiar with the ISO certification process, it was reassuring that Anyang has earned this certification. It would be nice if we could "buy American" as reasonably as we can buy foreign, but that doesn't seem to be the case in todays world and I have started realizing that if my blacksmithing business is going to be successful, I'm going to have to be a businessman as well as a craftsman.

Thanks for all the great ideas. Sorry I haven't replied earlier.

Thanks James, I'm not in any hurry for the pictures. As far as trying out your 165, I'm afraid to. I like my 33 so much that I know if I tried out the 165, I would probably be writing a check I can't afford. :)

James, thanks for the pics. If you get time, could you show pictures of the dies you use to get the "pitted" texture you use on the staggered steel and copper candles that are on your website. I made some for my Anyang 33 by making spot welds with a hard surface rod, but it just does'nt look right. It helps some to hammer it hard and then go back over it with a soft touch, but it still does'nt look like real pitting like yours does. Is there a hammering technique that helps?

I recently started making some "accent bowls"(mild steel) and want to put the gilders paste on some of them, but I got to thinking about the possibility of someone using them for candy bowls and did'nt know if it would be safe. I e-mailed the gilders paste company and asked them and they said the gilders paste is not FDA approved, but if I sealed it with an FDA approved clear sealant, it would be ok. I have not been able to find an FDA approved sealer. Does anyone know of anything? I like beeswax, but I live in South Texas and do outdoor shows, so that is not an option. Thanks, Bob

Bob, I was in the same predictament over a year ago, thinking about building one or the other, so I took a trip up to see James Johnson with Anyang just to get some ideas. After running the Anyang for a while, I did some quick figuring and thought I might be better off buying one of them, so I came home with a 33. For once I made a decision I have not regretted. I have turned out a lot of product since then, rather than spending my time making a hammer and have had zero down time for repairs. Just my thoughts. Thanks, Bob Howard

I have that brand registered in my county if thats what you mean. I used to use it when I had cattle and horses. Piglet, you fixed me up. Royalty free was the key words I needed. I typed in "royalty free images "and came up with several websites that offer royalty free images for a small fee. One of them ( fotolia) has so many to choose from that I have another problem now, which one to choose.:confused: Thanks for all the help, fellas. Bob

I'm not real sure about the name yet, even though I'm leaning towards something like Rocking H Ironworks. You hit the nail on the head about my set up not being pretty and thats why I really did'nt want photos of my shop, but that's a good idea about doing closeups. What I would really like is something that depicts an old time blacksmith, such as an artists painting rather than a photo. Thanks for the input! Bob

Does anyone know where I can obtain some blacksmith images for a website front page? I am going to have a website developed and the fellow thats doing it for me tells me that the graphics I choose should not be copyrighted. I have searched sites like monstertemplates and photobucket but haven't had any luck. I found a couple I like under "blacksmith images" but they mention copyrights. Any help would appreciated. Thanks, Bob

I have a tiny shop with quite a bit of equipment and I found that the cart system works well for some of it. I put wheels on one end and on the other end I let the legs go to the floor. On the leg end I make a handle by welding a piece of square tubing or pipe flush with the frame and have a smaller section that telescopes into it, so when I need to move it, I slide the smaller piece out, pick up that end and move it ( like a wheelbarrow). when I get it where I want it, I slide the handle back in and it's out of the way. I also did this with my welding and cutting table which is pretty heavy, but used two handles and I can move it around fairly easy. I like this better than 4 wheels because it does'nt tend to roll when I don't want it to. Hope this helps.

I wish I could find some that cheap! I paid $75.00 plus shipping on ebay for mine about 3 years ago. I have also discovered that one is not enough. I would like to have one or two more in my shop.

That sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

Does anyone have a good idea on how to make a bark tool for using with cold metal on a P5 fly press? I am working with 3/8 and 1/2 inch hot rolled stock, either round or square that I have rounded. I made a tool the conventional way by drilling a 1/2 inch hole between 2 blocks of 1" stock and then running a horizontal bead down the center of each. It works ok if I heat the stock but I was hoping for something I could work cold with. I experimented around with a few different things, but couldn't hit on a solution. Any help would be appreciated.