Swamp Fox

Why crank if electric is available? Get a squirrel cage blower and get started.

An assistant is just that, assisting the blacksmith in all ways possible, including providing food and drink. They keep the work flowing, doing the little things that would otherwise detract the blacksmith from doing his job.

If you lack a vise, use two short pieces of angle iron and two sets of vise grips will do the trick.

It would appear that you metal is not nearly hot enough before you start your bend.

"great forum purge"?

I do not remember any material ever being removed from this site, let alone purged. Are you referring to the unfortunate loss of data due to the server crash?

The welder is not just for hardie tools. Hardie tools are only a reason to practice welding. What about that power hammer you wanted to build? As soon as he see you have a welder, there are the neighbors projects, etc.

Think of the welder as a glue gun for metal.

Heat up and roughly straighten twice the length you need on the anvil. Hot cut it from the parent stock. Work one end while holding on to the other without tongs. When you have both ends finished, cut it in half and make the handles or whatever from what used to be the middle.

Rural America had to be self sufficent. Blacksmithing was just fixing things to get back in operation, or building something to work with.

People knew how to work a team of mules, horses, or oxen. They knew how to make repairs with just bailing wire and a pair of pliers. Guns were for putting food on the table. It was the way of life at that time.

Go with Ed's suggestion.

Can you put a piece of metal inside the tube and use it as a monkey tool of sorts?

Buy the full face shield first. That way there is no excuse to use the bench grinder just this one time without face protection.

Anyone have any experience with the matatarsil plates, the steel plate between the steel toe and leg protecting the bones of the foot?

The forge, anvil and vise should be within one step of the center of your circle, otherwise you will have more mileage on you than a '57 Chevy. The power hammer should be two steps away and everything arranged so there is a clear path in and out.

Set the forge, anvil, and vise out in the yard and forge a couple of weekends. Move things about till your comfortable then take notes of the locations. Plan now on how to get the smoke out of the building and where to locate the chimney. That will locate the forge, which will locate the anvil, vise and well you get the idea.

If you have ever seen a working blacksmith shop, you will find a lot of dust and fine powered dirt, swarf, etc. Air compressors do not like dust, move it outside or to a closed closet with outside air intakes. And you may want to put the air compressor on a dedicated circuit.

Bill Epps has some first class teaching tapes out and available, forged animal heads, bugs and birds, leaves and flowers, all good. Bill holds shows you exactly how to make things and the tapes are well done.

This site has a bunch of projects called blueprints. Start with BP0300, then read them all. Build the things you feel you can accomplish. Read them a second time and the projects you once thought were too difficult will now seem simple. The rest of the site is like a treasure hunt, you can find pearls of wisdom scattered everywhere.

That piece of 1/2" plate weighs some 330 pounds plus the firepot, legs, and some spare parts and you have a 400 pound table! Use big angle iron for the legs and then brace it well. Try the blower you have and see if it works. If not look for a larger blower, maybe a Champion 400 or equivlent, or a squirrel cage electric blower.

Get some safety glasses, ear plugs, and an apron. Then use them. Add comfortable steel toes shoes when you get a chance.

When the wife's car won't start in the morning (dead battery), and she finds out why, it will not be pretty :)

Levers, fulcrums, and wedges can be used in any size shop and you can never have too much cribbing. A two wheel dolly will pay for itself many times over. Get the one with the big pneumantic tires.

Always inspect ropes, cable, chain, slings etc. for wear or abuse before you use them. Take it out of service if there is a question.

Don A Always keep an extingusher stashed close at hand.

I will respectfully disagree with you on staching the fire extinguisher. Put it in plain view for all to see. It is better to trip over a fire extinguisher twice than to not be able to find the it once.

Regional Caos
Where are you located and what fuel do you have available?
For solid fuel try BP0115, BP0133, BP0138, BP0232, BP0238.
For gas forges try BP0191, BP0192.
For anvils see BP0244.

B. Norris - How would you go about fixing this?

Couple of pieces of angle iron to cover the misaligned jaws should auto-align to the work. Not permant, but a workable fix. Use amuminum angle iron if you don't want to mark the work being held.

click on the button that says blueprints. Rich got the number mixed up, it is BP0078 on metallurgy.

BP0166 Hammer Stand

If you can get in front of the garbage truck on trash day, you can find some good items.

Any book by Jim Hrisoulas. He has several to choose from.
http://atar.com