andy ebbers

Hi all! I have just the Champion blower for one of those box forges, in excellent condition with what I believe is the original paint & wood handle.  just thought I would throw it up here, it could be bought or traded for if you are interested. thanks!  Andy

thanks for the information! my guess was also that since the welding was done only at the very bottom of the base, the upper portion is still good to go. I know how to grind & scarf out welds. good point about checking for cracks, thanks. I was just so taken by the size of the thing that I forgot all of my basic knowledge! I didn't want to direct any interest towards the anvil just yet, but when I can, I will look for markings and any signs of damage. what it might be worth is a whole thread in itself, and I don't have a maker or anything yet--- I am gonna try for around $400 - 450. based on the crazy prices I have seen online, I shouldn't be taking too big of a chance for five hundred bucks or less. one last thing, can anyone think of anything else to look for? I will do the rebound test, & if it "feels dead", I will leave it be. xxxx, even if it were too jacked up to use, it would make an impressive yard ornament!!! thanks for your time, Andy

Hi, back again! I have been sorta looking at an anvil that is currently sort of in use at a local scrapyard. I may have a chance to buy it, if I wave some hundred doller bills around. I am guessing at the weight, but It has to be somewhere between 350 and 500 pounds, it is huge. it has a really nice face & horn, useable as-is. it originally came from a railroad shop. NOW, the problem---it is solidly welded all around the base to a home made steel pedestal. the welds are at the base only. has this anvil been ruined by the welding??? otherwise it is in fantastic shape. wanted to get some opinions from the humungous knowledge base here before I pursue this any further.. it will be a challenge if I pursue it & there will be greenbacks involved. thanks for your time, Andy

Frosty, Yes, I will try to get some pics up today, thanks a.j.

Hey all, I do a lot more lurking here than posting, just trying to take it all in. I just brought home a pretty cool looking old floor standing drill press. Have been looking for a 21" camel-back press for awhile now. thought I was familiar with the different styles out there, but this is a new one for me. it is set-up for line shaft-drive, but instead of step pulleys for changing speeds, it has a curved disk near the base of the drill, with a small wheel that can be moved out to engage the curved disk, i think it is called a sheath arrangement. The guy I bought it from had a smaller version with the same arrangement in his shop that he uses everyday. Mine is about like a 20 or 21" size, thinking it is set up for #3MT tooling. It is complete, one gear will need replaced, one small metal collar on the quill will need replaced, otherwise very nice shape for it's age. can anyone here give me a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on this arrangement? Looks like a pretty simple design that should work rather well. I plan to fabricate a mount to run it from an electric motor. Any comments or info. on this type of tool greatly appreciated. Thank you, a.j.

well, if you was in Wisconsin, there are a lot of jobs for people who can TIG weld stainless steel---dairy&other food-grade applications. In my opinion, get really good at TIG welding, it is much cleaner and and more mellow than other arc-welding jobs, for example high-voltage flux-core MIG welding on outdoor woodburning water stoves, or production welding on heavy structural steel. Just my two pennies worth, but if I still had my health and my youth, I would specialize in TIG welding. a.j.

beauty, very cool a.j.

everyone is their own toughest judge, but your work speaks for itself, keep it up, your doing great, thanks, a.j.

posts like this give me even more motivation to overcome hurdles & get my shop up and running. You are doing great work, and I thank you for sharing your methods! The sheath making has me more worried than the rest, but it looks as if you are well on your way on the sheaths. Thanks again, that is a fantastic knife, even more so due to your handle design! A.J.

First class work! everything flows together nicely, colors, texture & geometry, thanks for sharing. A.J.

Sorry, I have no blacksmithing videos, sorta wish I did, but then I would have to get a T.V.! Andy

Quentin, I am assuming that you are located in wisconsin, and I have a little forge set-up that could be had really reasonably--I also have a nice Tiger blower on the original three-legged stand. post up your profile here so everyone knows where you are at, and then p.m. me if you are interested in my forge&blower. I am near Elroy, Wis. Thanks, Andy

Nevermind, I got off my lazy rear and googled it up, thanks

Hi, has anyone found information on purchasing the SIKAFLEX11FC glue yet? As always, THANK YOU for the help! Andy

Braze away!, at least that iz what I would do!

And find some safety glasses! I split wood with mauls and wedges since I was old enough to swing the maul, just got lucky I guess, yet another plug for safety gear! of course, it gets really cold here in Wisconsin, and big chunks of hardwood seem to split really well when it is somewhere below zero Farenheit. With some experience, mauls and different sizes of wedges work great, but the hydraulic woodsplitter is a great thing for us older folks.Cheers, Andy

Hey Clifton, I am way up here in cold, snowy Wisconsin, but I have at least one "donor" post drill--if we could exchange more info, and I have what you need, It would be yours for cost of shipping. Thanks, Andy PM me and I will give you my email addy

Yes, it does seem to ring more after the surface grinding, that was my main point, just thought this was interesting, but I do appreciate all of the good advice on quieting it down a bit, and I am already a firm believer in hearing & eye protection. Thanks, Andy

extremely cool looking knife, something for me to aspire towards! Thanks, Andy

Jami, send me an email, I have something that is pretty neat that may also be really useful to you! Thanks, Andy
thtileworks@mwt.net

This past weekend, I finally got my anvil back from a buddy who ran the working face through a surface grinder to remove a couple bad spots. Someone must have done something repetitive in the same area of the face in years past. it is a circa 1841 William Foster anvil. I might be nuts, many say that I am, but it seems like after the surface grinding, that thing REALLY Rings now when struck--it strikes me that this might not be a bad thing, and the working face is nice and flat too. Just thought this was cool, Thanks, Andy

wow, that bigger cable blade is great!!(well, both knives are very nice) Did you use "heat-coloring" to put even more coloring into the cable-welded blade? Thanks, Andy

thanks, I had not considered this! I would not like it at all if the firepot on my old Champion forge turned bright colors and dropped out onto the floor! I am still gonna experiment with it, as I can get a bunch of it for free, which fits nicely into my current budget. I will be forging indoors, so the charcoal&coke plan is primarily to help eliminate as much of the smoke and gases produced by coal as possible (without going to a gas forge) I appreciate all of the great information in regards to my question, and will pass along my results when I finally get to the point when I can try this out--within the next couple months if all goes well. Thanks again, andy

thanks Bryce, to the best of my knowledge, coke does not produce clinkers

well, hope this is not too stupid of a question, but, is the coke used at a big commercial foundry suitable for use in my little forge? seems like I had read somewhere that it may not. I am planning to use hardwood charcoal, and thought it may be good to use some coke along with the charcoal. Thanks, Andy