double_edge2

yup...i have just done a diagonal pein out of 40mm square axle and a hardie block from 45mm...k1045 is the stuff i get, called axle material here. but your local engineer or experienced forum surfer from here should give you an idea of your material make up, do the spark test with a grinder failing that, and the smart cookies on here will inform you of anealing, heat treatment, hammer heat windows if any, sizes, and cautions.

Yah the bolt idea is similar to this idea that Chuck Robinson just gave me. He made blademaking anvils out of large sq stock. You can see he used 2.5" angle iron that is 3/8's thick and cut notches in it. Then he has a plate that slips in. The plate has sq keys welded onto it so it doesn't fall out. In fact I believe it actually falls into the notches. Beyond that I don't see any way to tighten it in place but I suppose some grade8 bolts could be used to pinch it in place. I'm waiting to hear back from him to ask him if this setup jumps at all without some kind of fasteners pinning it in.

*okay just heard from chuck and he says
"No, my small anvil weighs 91 lbs and the large one is 182 lbs. not including the weight of the base. They are rock solid.
Chuck"

so seems like pinning or bolting it in is rather unnecessary.

ditto with the fume thing, as for cans of death , maybe i was bitten in my last life or a bit of common sense, always a bit too carefull of what they put in your cereal.
phosgene as bad as chromium hexavalent, teflon when heated.... and like eating and cooking with aluminium, little is pointed out by the educated of the hidden dangers involved with activities or items we take for granted every day.. eg. nucadol for dogs flea treatment..wife goes gets some cos her old man advises it for the dogs as a flea treatment, what he doesnt advise is dogs dont live long enough for symtoms to show, we do. there she is no gloves, elbow deep in this stuff.... washing the dog. didnt i go off. .............a good idea, is a hazards reference page and maybe a non hazards reference page, for warnings and info of what is ok to wash bits with in the right area/method then do this .......a bunch of simple protocols and warnings for new and old to inform and reduce risk, or at least informing of the risk so hard heads that want to take the risk.....have an idea.

yep....a couple of mobs here sell the pre made mechanno type ally decorative stuff that you can buy and stick together. .........bit of an ironic wrought i reckon.....

yesterday someone had some pics of some very nice punches made from coil springs......get to work, glance past the scrap bin, and the ONLY thing in the bin are 4 abandoned coils...starving!, couldnt leave them there, just wouldnt be right.

i have only ever had 1 enquiry as to the product/ "wrought iron" or soft iron, and am familiar with both applications of the word wrought. as to the method of achieving a desired finish to please a customer, if they ask, i am happy to show or explain, every gadget, tool, trick, or even a bit i couldn't do and who i used to get it done. dont want a client feeling they've been wrought.

Dont limit yourself take a look at what can be made from sheet metal

i was just going to shape it due to the prices of avils, and yep ive seen anvils without the horns and that nimba and hofi..I like it. my first rail anvil i welded on the horn.....leave it as a lump......and later weld a horn....done.(like the body of the new anvil?)((xxxx....now i gotta go and set traps for some more bits...ya know what bait's worth these days!?))
thankyou all for the ideas. ill have the bbq ready for when you lot arrive to help with the horn, and moving it.....

coupla cute chunks of steel from the scrap yard......40mm plate for a little weld bench and a chunk of 130mm for a new little beginner anvil, unsure how to get it out of the 4bee yet......lol

used to do lots......then i got over it, hate watching it on tv, if the mood strikes and the pain doesnt i might....rarely

Ill be making something similar though not adjustable height, ill probably weld four bits of 5 inch lengths of the 45mm square solid to to get the holes size and another four bits to suport the shallow corners, sit it on a plate and pedestal. if you have oxy and heavy plate and an acro support you could do a similar though.

first charcoal forge of mine about 10 years ago, was the bottom bit of a steel hot water system inner, 4 legs and a car blower......my second was.....wait i dont have a second one yet.

like a leather wallet i made, took 5 to get mine right, the other 4 sold for about $60 each at sherry's in the city. keep trying, you will get your desired result. for me, practice makes perfect. as for artistic, practice that too.

nice to see, good score, you have enough gear to start a school, have fun with new toys.

diversify, have a good stock base of forgings and try the craft markets on the weekend, and build a client base from maybe pamphlet drops and general fabricating.

lol....if you did the design by keyboard with auto cad mathematicaly (no mouse) , manually translated the dxf or machine file and nested, on a home built cnc 5 axis machine, ...
sorry ill go now......

to add.... ive seen a bloke make lots of the same item , on a forge by hand and hammer, and not been able to pick the difference...hand made is hand made and though machines save labour, if there is still someone holding and manipulating the item, (adding i supose the analogue) through the process using swedges heat and force, and eye or rule as measure, as opposed to one shot, drop forged die, cnc or the like, i would consider it hand made.
and i might throw in, that for some , the imitation of the machine, as i have seen in the short time ive been on here again, some of you blacksmiths, make hand made items, that look machine made or finnished almost like no machine can, and items that no single machine can make.

ok to throw fruit now...

cant show my wife.....she'll want one too....
look,.. it's becoming prevalent that there is just way too much tallent and really nice work out there......

from their site.. ill take one of each

i think....which may not count for much, skill is in the result? if ive said that right...if you cant do it by hammer, you usually cant do it y machine...non die stuf that is.

love the bench seat....nice scroll pic...nice work..

Here in South Carolina in the Midlands, we have a nice mix of hardwoods and softwoods available. Recently a neighbor cut down a bunch of timber to clear-cut some land he sold, and of course left huge amounts of smaller trees laying all over. I cut and hauled a number of different oaks, maple, poplar, ash, hickory, and cypress to use in my charcoal forge.

Since my forge also doubles as a retort, I make my batch of charcoal right before I start working metal. So far, I've found that a mix of softwood poplar and ash with oak and hickory makes a very hot sustainable fire that last for several hours at forging heat. I cut my wood into 'stove wood' lengths, and then split them as I lay the fire inside the forge firepit. It's kindled by a combination of twigs and pine straw, and then by controlling the air flow at the point of gas release and combustion. They all burn very clean, and work great.
The previous advice about use the trees/wood available; sure. All my fuel costs is really the effort to cut and haul it. If you have the capacity to make your own charcoal, this is what I've learned.

Days like these are very precious!

you said it. i love it when my grommet gets in and helps and he's 15 now

hi interested in the intro/taste if its still on offer
thanks
terry

i have used charcoal exclusively for now for about 7-8 years, although as the other aussie says, it doesnt help you with tree names. the lighter timbers if you have an enormous supply are hot and burn extremely quick. the harder timbers are the more consistant, i have made my own from iron bark and assorted gum trees after storms etc (hardwoods) and bought malley root and gidgy. the harder and heavier it is, the more consistant, control and longer burning you will have. you will have sap residues that survive the distillation process, which starts off as a sticky ball then progresses to dry hard clinker looking to smooth lump....that will need to be checked for and removed if any, just before you weld. i like charcoal and good in the bbq too.
just one of my useless tips...i use a 2litre plastic bottle with a nail hole in it full of water to control the outer edges of fire to reduce waste burn or to focus heat, and if you want to save more, carefully quench the charcoal when you are finnished. damp or wet charcoal when burnt releases the moisture agressively (pops and spits at ya) so always have your safety glasses on.
hope this helps a tiny bit.

hi interested in the intro/taste if its still on offer
thanks
terry