Sam Thompson

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/blacksmiths-anvil-/170658683802?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27bc0cdb9a

Anyone got any idea why?

I agree with all of the above. If you want to sound a bit more knowledgeable when doing the deal, there's a lot of info here:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/craftsman/page5.html

Really low quality wrought iron is hard too it cracks when worked too cold and needs to be reforge-welded to it self over and over as you work it.

I agree, I know it's near blasphemy to say it but I absolutely hate Wrought Iron!

The welder will have to come next....I've had a Miller 225 v. CV/DC machine in my garage for about 2 years...I haven't been able to use it for lack of a bottle of shield gas and mig wire.

With a working welder....constructing my own hardy tools, jigs and other gear will be much easier.

If your shed is leaky or the environment is damp a stick welder will be a better bet. Mig wire rusts easily and will block the torch liner very quickly. Unless you plan on doing a lot of fabrication it's far easier to keep a box of rods in the house than it is to take the wire out of the machine every night.
Remember that there are two types of overheads: fixed (those that you have to pay whether you work or not) and variable (the costs of actually doing the work). You need to divide the fixed weekly costs by the number of hours that you actually charge for (30 out of a 45hr week is good going) and add this to your labour rate, along with depreciation and profit (don't confuse profit with wages).

As Brian and John have suggested there is not much that can be done with a bit of metal; you can cut it, join it, make it thinner/thicker or bend it. once you have mastered all of these, the difficulty often lies in deciding which order to do them to achieve the desired result.

And how much does it cost to find out?

QED!

I didn't know they knew about or studied ergonomics and vectored physics three thousand years ago.

They didn't need bulls**t, they just got on with it.

In chemistry class, the professor was talking of "Hydrochloric Acid" and saying how powerful it was. At then end, I went to him and asked "Is it more powerful than Muratic Acid?"

He replies: "Your father is a plumber."

I was floored! Apparently only plumbers refer to hydrochloric by that term. Score for the professor!

-Doug

It's known as hydrochloric acid in the bits of the world that aren't America. We also call it 'Spirits of Salt' and use it in a fairly concentrated form to clean drains.

If you dilute any acid, add the concentrate to the water otherwise the liquid can boil fiercely enough to leap out of the container.

It looks like the bastard love-child of Blacker and Goliath.

I think he's wrong.

Thanks... I spent an hour looking and missed that one.

Does anyone in the UK have any idea where I can get hobnails at a reasonable price? No, I'm not going to make them, life's to short for that.

I had to do something similar once and it took so much time and effort to get (nearly) right that I lost money on the job. Make sure that you price this with plenty to spare.

I'd just make a new one!

We don't use flux at all, it doesn't seem to make much difference and it splashes all over the place. Is the quality of MS that poor in the US?

We don't use it in this country. If you must, Boots sells it. If you Google "borax", the names of several suppliers come up.

First file a spiral groove on a piece of steel, form a cutting edge and harden it. Use this tap to cut an internal thread, form cutting edges and harden it. This die can then be used to cut another, slightly more accurate tap. Repeat the process until the threads have evened out. Threads made by this technique were common and were unique to the shop where they were made, standardised threads were not available until the mid 19th century.

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I think it's the legendary wimwam from a mustard mill.

I like the way that 'not 100% certain' can mean 'not a clue!

...what this is?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-blacksmith-tinsmith-jewellers-ANVIL-tool-/250723495985?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item3a6048f031

The shear strength of steel drops dramatically with heat. Have you ever tried cutting bar over the edge of the anvil with a set hammer?

Perhaps you could fantasy forge it.

You could learn to use it and practice, someday a customer might need a 5/8" bar threading in an emergency and you'll be the bloke that he turns to... If not, it's always useful to learn a new skill.