Sam Salvati

Thanks everyone! I am thrilled with it!!! Cannot wait to get a stand made up and get banging away!!! I am proud to be the beginning of this anvil's story Dan.

So tell us Sam....You're an accomplished blacksmith with a small shop but but you do some pretty heavy striking on occasion. The reason I'm asking is I spose many here wouldn't consider an anvil less thad 250 on up even though they don't do heavy work. Are you financially challenged like yours truely, just a cheapskate like yours truely or do you feel a 110 is fine for some moderatly heavy work?.....Yours truely....mb..... :D

I am all that Bruce hehe :D I feel that this anvil would be no problem at all with some moderate to very occasional heavy striking, of course a small striker's anvil theory has been proven by Brian Brazeal with his portable rig, while I might not go gangbusters with a 12 pounder on it for fear of missing I have no doubt that with good accuracy it could handle it no problem.

Hollis, I am curious as well, I will try to source a rockwell tester and see if I can get both tested.....

Hooray my anvil came today!!!!! 110 pounds, cast H13. It hase a nice wide face, greeat rebound, excellent well designed shape. I am very pleased with it, it should be perfect. I need to build a steel stand for it. Jymm was kind enough to send a hardy hot/cold cutter with it! cannot wait to hit hot steel on it!



















Side by side with the Peddinghaus










Rebound feels pretty much the same with both also, I was curious to see the difference.

to grind a radius that is equal, simply do like you do when you draw down square to round. Grind across the face, then turn 90, then turn 45 and so on. Square to octagon, to 16 then round.

Totoro is a magical Japanese monster/rabbit/fluffy nice guy/spirit. Totoro is his name but also his species, IE Totoro is the biggest of all the totoros.

Totoro is your neighbor :D

WOW a Totoro, that is such a perfect idea I must do it!!!!
Thanks Mack!

Not too worried about it getting all buggered, I think them getting all weather would be kind of neat

Got the itch today while some stuff for work was heating up in the forge to make some engraving chisels. Got some 1/2" 1045 from Aldo and 1 heat and a grind later here we go.Kinda got lucky and nailed the angles all freehand on the first one, next one took some tweaking but I htink I have a good working understanding of a "blacksmith's" engraver angle setup (IE not to any exact angle just eyeballed). I want to engrave my whole layout table. It is interesting to work with such large gravers, much more comfortable to my blacksmith hands then tiny things I need a magnifier to see. I made the hammer, and the chisels hehe.

Will do!!! Thanks

Cool pics, thanks Sam. Where were you originally that you had to drive two hours to get there?

Hollis hey! I was just outside of Dallas, south and west. You are in Texas! I did not even think to look anyone up as I had planned to be at my friend's place the whole time.

Awesome Sam. Any pics of the 120? Im only about a 6hr drive from James' shop, cant wait to head down there some day.

Hey Dan, I do but not really a good perspective picture, it was in among all the stock hammers.

like you got some fun ahead of you Mr Bruce!

I was down in TX visiting a friend to help him get his Japanese style spring hammer(with a tire drive) tuned and stuff, and just as we got it going really good the el cheapo motors exploded a capcitor! Oh no! I had posted a photo of the TX sunrise on my facebook from my phone that morning, and James asked on it "where in TX?" it turns out only a couple hours away so we decided on an impromptu visit. James was cutting hay all morning but got my call and said sure come one by. Kind of on the fly so he did not have a chance to get anything setup to hit hot steel but the nickel tour was totally awesome! James now brings in quite a few different size hammers, from the 22 to 33, 55, 88,120, and 165. The 120 looks awesome, smaller footprint then the smaller size saymak. James was getting a rare 2 piece 165 ready to go to a customer, it is quite an impressive hammer! James and Kate his girlfriend are most gracious hosts, and got to meet James' father Mr Johnson who is a very nice guy. Here's photos:

IN stock hammers ready for tuning and testing.


A BRAND spanking new 165 that was just stunningly gorgeous!~ You can tell by the smile on my face that I wanted this hammer badly.


controls and flywheel, the top of the flywheel was at mid-gut height






Dies, HUGE


The 165 two piece frame and anvil




Control side of the 2 piece 165


My 33 and James 33 sure looked small next to his 88, and the 2 165s, here is a ram James had from a 33, adorable!!! Check out the rings too, no leather or whatever people thought were there to rot out.




33 Lower guide ring




James said he might have some part time work for me as an anvil, had to decline, my head is too hard it might chip


88 dies James uses in different combinations for different techniques, very cool concepts!


A really cool ribbon piece


the Man himself, I told him not to smile because blacksmiths never smile in photos but he's just too easygoing of a guy


I look forward to visiting again with a little more planning, so I can try out the other sizes especially the 165!!! It was awesome to finally meet You man! Here's a shot of the beautiful TX sunset over a freshly cut hayfield just outside James' shop door

Wow, I love my powerhammer LOL

Looks great Dave, best running LG I ever seen

Why didn't you take it?

Wow Owen these are beautiful! Try a crescent moon one yet?

the easiest math is no math at all, just build it.

use the bow spring setup there with your tire drive/clutch.

LOL so complicated, just call em the young turk as he's the new guy

I think you should call it Rudolph.

Mick.

LOL nailed it Mick!

"Sam-I-Am" has a nice (pun attempted here) ring to it

Do you like hot steel or not, will you hit it with all you've got?
I do like hot steel Sam-I-Am, and I will hit it BAM, BAM, BAM...

THIS YES.

Jymm informed me it is ready to ship!!! Just need to pay the rest of the dough and it will be mine!

Sweet addition and going to be a pussycat to work compared to the goliath. You should name it Sam, and leave it insecured to the floor so it dances for you.

A bunch of bronze scraps, bet it's cast.

No tool in the smithy should ever need paint, if it rusts you are not using it enough. Tools should be shiny from use, almost polished.

John that looks fantastic!!!!! well done man.

LOL Ric :D