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Lol, you know I didn't even think about the neighbors any more than how happy they will be to start seeing big piles of scrap metal in my back yard. I can imagine a smoky coal fire being the icing on the cake. I'm not too concerned about a gas forge getting up to welding temps. I know it's possible with good insulation and a proper burner. Speaking of... Have any of you done a side by side comparison between one of the pro burners and any of the homemade versions on here? I'm wondering just how much more efficient a professionally machined burner is over something cobbled together in a shop. Again, with proper tweaking I know they could theoretically produce the same flame but there is something to be said for being able to use something right out of the box that also pays for itself in gas savings...

Yeah, I've got an oxy-acetylene set up and a mig/tig/stick rig as well, so any welding will be done electrically. No offense but a few amps speeds that process up greatly! I know which way I'm leaning here but would like to hear some more feedback from the masses before I commit and start building anything.

Yeah, I was surprised when I got it home and found out how old it was. Definitely thought it was MUCH newer. I guess I should clarify that if it's going on display it won't be in my collection. If it follows the trend of my other tools it will get used, and well. I take care of my stuff, but in that same vein I'm very hard on it. I can't afford a $200 wall hanger either... As for the hardie hole. Those gouges go pretty deep and allow a little more wobble in any tools than I'd really like. I'd hate performing surgery on a 185yr old patient, but if I'm gonna beat on it a little work now may prevent a bigger chunk taken out later... I'm in no hurry as I have no forge set up yet. If I find someone along the way who wants to trade I may pass it on. Although I do love some old stuff and she rings like a bell...

So first off let me say how much I appreciate this forum. I'm very much a newbie smith, but no stranger to fabrication and metalwork. That said I am getting ready to dive head first into this fun little rabbit hole. I'm in the process of laying out and building a new outdoor workspace for the forge and such but I wanted to get some input from you knowledgeable oldsters... My space is limited as are the funds. What I do have is access to all manner of kegs, bottles, racks, 55gal drums, and all the various parts to build a shell. I even have a big pile of nice hard fire bricks that are in good shape. I can easily weld the frame, and there are some really great plans on here and elsewhere. I've even got the skill and ability to plumb gas lines. My question is should I go propane or coal if I'm only going to have ONE forge. My only source of coal is about a 2 hour round trip. I do have a truck I can haul it in, but storage and such are a factor. I can get a propane tank filled right down the street... Primarily the stuff I'm going to be working will be fairly small, but I don't like the idea of being so limited like one of the coffee can style forges since I do "artsy" stuff that is often larger or at least more cumbersome. I can see the appeal of a nicer large coal guy and a little can forge for quick small stuff but I am REALLY space limited and that would require both propane and coal storage... I'm just trying to find that happy medium of space and fuel consumption. I realize a lot of that will be determined by what I'm doing on any given day, but you can fit a bigger chunk of metal on an open coal fire than in a closed box. Also building a gas forge using my hard fire bricks will make it a total gas hog... Meaning my up front costs will be much higher due to refractory materials and extra insulation. I know you can make your own refractory, but as I've got no knowledge there I'm reluctant. I'm also of the "you build it once, correctly" school of thought, so don't want to deal with it all cracking up after a year or two of use. If I'm going to go gas I'll spend the extra money to get the good stuff, but that will have to come out of something else I really want... Although the wife would be pretty happy if I used those bricks for a pizza oven instead... I'd also like to eventually do a bit of Al and copper smelting so there is the need to be able to put in a crucible (which also rules out anything coffee can sized). Again, coal versus propane... Which is better there? I'm taking a basic smithing course at the John C. Campbell folk school in May so I'm in no hurry to do anything big. I'm a firm believer in safety and learning from someone with experience, esp as far as the smelting and casting go. There is a great group of artists here I can tap into once I get that far, so don't worry about me pouring any hot metals about without some serious schooling beforehand. I've read all through the forum here and loved everyone's different setups. They are all quite inspirational. I'm sure once I take some classes my thoughts will change even more, but I just wanted to see what you all thought given what I'm working with. I thought a good debate might get some thoughts flowing...

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually taking a class at the John C Campbell folk school in a couple months so that should get a lot of my basics out of the way (it's a week long course). For now I'm just trying to get a shop set up... I'm a pretty decent welder, should I fill in that chunk taken out of the hardie and file it back evened out or just leave it as is? It looks intentionally done, any ideas why someone would chisel out the hole like that? As for the site, I've been reading constantly for days now and really appreciate you guys who post frequently and help out us newbies. This is definitely a great resource for metal heads!

This is my first post here and I'm trying to find out a bit about the anvil I just purchased. I've got the date between 1820-1835 per the ABANA forum, but was wondering if it is something I should use or display? It's right at 100lbs and looks to be in pretty good shape aside from the chunk taken out of the hardie hole (which is something I could easily fix if necessary since I'm a fair welder). I paid $200 for it, but feel a bit bad beating the heck out of something that's almost 200 years old... I hear there are a good number of these kinds of anvils about though, so maybe it wouldn't be as sacrilegious as I think? I'm not planning on doing anything huge or crazy, mostly knives and some artistic-ness. I do a lot of welding and sculpture out of recycled metals so figured blacksmithing is the next logical step...