brianbrazealblacksmith

The weight is on the side, 88 pounds. The man had some paperwork on it that said it was made in 1891.

Here's a pristine Henry Wright anvil that followed me home this week end. It has never been repaired. I etched it to reveal the original material and then dressed it to my liking. It is sitting on a larger Peter Wright anvil.

This Henry Wright anvil followed me home from the N. Calif. Classic this weekend. It had a very bold price tag attached to it, $1220.00. I traded some iron work for it with no cash leaving my pocket. It looked as if there had never been any repairs on it, so when I got it home, I etched it in sodium bisulfate and water over night. Sure enough, it was all there. I did a little clean up on it, and the only damage is some slight pitting on the face near the horn and at the heel. Now I'll have to make a new stand for it and all new hardy tools, and it will be my new traveling anvil. It's sitting on a bigger Peter Wright anvil in the pictures.

Hey from Brian, Karen and David, son of Mark. :cool:

I took some pictures of the boss area. I think they will clear it up. The boss area is the thickest part of the tongs both ways.

Gerald, I used coil spring for these tongs, 4140 would have been fine also. Mild steel wouldn't work for this light of tong with what I ask of it. I make other types of tongs out of mild steel.

Hey, ApprenticeMan, You've got to get out more often! I'm just kidding. If you saw the video that Gerald Boggs posted of Alfred Habermann and his pick-up tong you could see what I'm saying even though you may not be able to understand anything that Alfred is saying. I can pick up and hold anything from under 1/16" to 2" with these tongs and manipulate it under the hammer and still hold a hammer in the eye to do work on either end.

RandyC, I'll be in Arizona in June and Virgnia in November at Yesteryear school of blacksmithing, and I'd like to fill in the space between those two dates.

Ruben, I don't quench any tong while they are hot. Yes, car springs. I started making them like this because I can hold inside the eye while I do the fullering between the cheaks and the faces. I put a finish on them just for the pictures; it helps bring the detail out. I just rub a towel with vegetable oil on it while it is at the right temp, not too hot and not too cool. I do pinch the corners for strength and efficiency. This is one of the best things I learned from Prof. Habermann. Thanks again for asking Ruben, and you all are very welcome. Brian

I do not heat treat them. they hold perfectly.

Yes, mild steel will bend. I did everything by hand, no striker today. I'm glad you asked, It gave me something to do today.

Grafvitnir asked me about the tongs I use for making hammers. I took some pictures of the steps. These are similar to Alfred Habermann's pick up tongs. I started with 2 pieces of 1/2" coil spring 8" long.

I did another forge welded bundle yesterday. This one is made with 1/4"x 1/2" and 1/8"x1/2" with a 1/8"x3/4" collar. This is not one of my best examples, you can see where it didn't weld at the base of the wings and body. The smaller the collar is, the less opportunity you have to secure your weld. I've done bigger ones like this for lamp brackets and sconces.

Not with a cutting tool it isn't, but I wouldn't do it with a forging die.

Woops, I pressed the wrong button.

Markh, it really depends on what hammer or top tool I am making. I have different top and bottom fullers that match so I get the displacement of material that I choose. It is my job to hold my material and my top tool over my bottom tool so they do what I ask. If I do what I should, the piece practically makes itself. This is what I like most about forging. If you can think it through, you can make it do what you want. Here are some different examples of hammers, and you can see I use different top and bottom fullers.

Yeah, you made me laugh about my hammer control. I just put the material between the hammer or top tool and the anvil, and it practically makes itself. My forehead is doing fine. I use 4140 because I get it for free at a local suspension shop. I get annealed drops from 5/8" to 2" round with 1/8" increments in between.

Thanks, Frosty, that made me laugh. I used the fullers in the picture to spread the base, starting at a 45 degree angle and gradually decreasing the angle as I get the backing and increasing my fuller as this happens until I finish the base.

This is not a sheer like scissors; it wrings the material off. It does need to be tough but not necessarily that hard. I''ve made one out of 1"x 3" mild steel and super quenched it and it held up fine. If I were going to make another one, I'd probably use leaf spring which I can get at the suspension shop[5/8"x3"and 4"] , and it's annealed drops. After machineing I'd harden in oil then temper blue.

You can get pinetar at tack and feed stores or farrier supply stores. I started using pine tar on foundered horses tha had bed sores for a long time before I worked on them. It would heal a bed sore up while the horse was still laying on it. I've also used it on dogs with hot spots, my kids, and even Alfred Habermann. It takes pain away in seconds, helps stop bleeding, keeps as much tissue alive as possible, and prevents infection. My grandfather and dad used it on the farm when they would castrate pigs. Do not drink, eat, or smoke it! It says right on the can: Harmful or fatal if swallowed. But I can't imagine anyone ever trying to swallow it.

I use sodium bisulfate disolved in water to remove scale. A friend of mine, Bill Stewart, gave me some. It works quickly and even quicker if your solution is hot. You can put your hands in it, but you should rinse your hands off because it is a salt. I can leave pieces over night without problems, but it doesn't really take that long. It is used in this area of the country to adjust the Ph in the soil and to wash vegetables to get rid of salmonella. No batteries needed and no problems with disposal.

This is Karen, You get a WHOO HOO for the forging! Brian likes the flower.

Lee's shear is 1/2" thick and it is sized for the most common sizes of stock for making horseshoes [1/4",5/16", and 3/8"]. I have made ones in other peoples shops that will sheer 1/8"-3/4", and ,yes, it had to be proportionally thicker. But for $50, Lee's is a great deal, and I will double up 1/8" in the 1/4" slot and 3/16" in the 3/8" slot and let my kids have a ball cutting my stock.

Karen again, Only the 2nd hit in 25+ years of full time blacksmithing. I recommend pine tar be kept in every smithy, great for burns and scraps too.

An artist is going to use them to drive through books and call it art.