Swamp Fox

There have been several ideas on how to lessen the ring of the anvil posted. They include wrapping a loose chain around the waist, magnets (big magnets) under the heel, carrage bolt in the prichel hole, silicone (tube type) between the anvil and stand, and putting the anvil in a bed of sand. The anvil wants to vibrate when it is hit and anything you do to dampen the vibration, or interrupt the vibration will lessen the ring. I quess that would include using a wooden hammer. :roll: Some anvils ring better than others and some don't ring worth spit but still work well as an anvil.

The weld counts. Now do it again, not folded over on itself, but two ends overlapping. Make a good weld and then put it in a vise and try to break the weld. Report back with the results :wink:

You can drill the bracket and plug weld the element into place. It would get rid of the mig tracks, let the element float, and not interfer with the bracket laying flat against the wall. Or counter sink the hole on the back side of the bracket,and pein the rivet to fill the hole then grind flat. Or use a close fit hole, heat the bracket and element, and insert a cold rivet. When the metal cools, it should lock the rivet into place. Use a little ox/ac local heat on the rivet and pein it into a countersunk hole, then add a little decoration on the rivit head to make it look pretty. On the top joint you can make a second head on the rivet so it will show. I think they said to use one and one half times the diameter of the rivet to form the head. A set tool would form a better head than just the hammer.

Blacksmithing is simplified into 3 steps: * Get it hot, * Hit it hard, * Quit when you finish. Blacksmiths have always used whatever tools and materials that were available to make the work faster and easier. There are several traditionalist on this forum that can explain the traditional techniques much better than I can. As to the web sites, try Blacksmithforum.com where you ask questions and get answers from people that know what they are doing. Or Iforgeiron.com a good source for lots of information. We all started blacksmithing by seeing it done, or being curious and trying to learn just a little. When you built a forge just to "try it out", be careful not to end up with a warehouse full of equiptment, then trying to convince your wife she needs to go to work to support your habit.

I found this leaf veiner on the iforgeiron site the other day. It may be part of an answer for you. Make the leaf and put the veins in as the last thing.

Slide down the coal shute, I like it ! There is a lot of talk of forges on this site from using a toy wagon, using a 55 gallon drum, using a break drum, to home built forges. The ideas these people come up with are great! It seems they all work, and there is no one forge plan to follow, just some way to get metal hot. Good find on the tools at the auction.

Always carry some of your stuff in the truck, car, van etc. Telling about your work is good, but showing your work is better. And offer to sell your samples as it keeps them from getting shopworn.

To build or buy depends on the personal skill, and the time left before you really need the item. Many suggest to buy the first set of tongs, because you will have them NOW for use. You can look at them as a go-by to make others. I still have my first set of tongs, well hidden from public view. But I was, and still am, proud of the accomplishment.

From another forum, it has been stated many times that altering a mower blade and placing it back on the mower makes YOU liable for any thing that would happen. Using the blade as scrap metal would seem to be like using any other scrap metal, recycling. Have you tried a spark test?

When you punch holes, put the bolster block over the hardie hole and a can of water under the hardie hole. The punch falls through the hardie and into the water where it is easy to get to, and kept cool.

The welding supply store will be a good place to start. Also look into chaps and sleeves. I have a welding jacket from their sale table for under $10. I have two aprons, one leather and one denim. They get about equal use with leather being the choice for forging or welding, and denim for general shop work. An apron must be worn to be effective, so get one that is comfortable.

From our family to your family - our condolences.

Hang in there Paw Paw. We join the others in wishing you a speedy recovery.

Go to www.iforgeiron.com and then the blueprints and then look for B-0078 Metallurgy of Heat Treating

No open fires in town limits can be argued a bit with folks grilling out on the back porch. You may want to consider charcoal and throw a steak on when your finished forging. :wink:

Listening to a crystal radio late at night.

Does knowing how to use butch wax make me old?

Run the ashes through some hardware cloth and you can recover a lot of charcoal bits. The amount of charcoal left in the ashes depends on the stove and how it burns. If you shut it down early and air tight you can get more charcoal.

How is the best way to store a standard car or truck 12v battery? It is fairly new and taken out of service. I want to keep it in good condition in case one somewhere fails and this can be used as a replacment. Thank You

Why not put a window in the wall. Then put a side draft hood in the window. The side draft hood could sit outside the shop and the forge inside the shop. IF you ever got out of blacksmithing, you could finally install the window in the wall. How ever it is done, make provisions for getting long pieces, or odd shaped metal to the fire. May want a jib crane handy to the fire if you work big stock.