pa lineman

Thanks again all!

I took her apart and wire wheeled the rust off. Then I cleaned it with some mineral spirits, put it back together and gave a it a coat of linseed oil for now. There are some spots that could have used a grinder but I think I will leave it alone for now. I was happy to find no cracks under the rust and even the grooves in the jaw are there.  I think I will just put it into service for now.

Rick 

Thanks all !  The vise will be mounted outside so after I clean her up and take some pictures I will paint it.It will be covered when not in use but I will paint anyway. I have not  figured out a mount yet.There is a small tree that needs to come down  where I am set up outside .I have to measure it but it may be big enough to lag the mounting plate to and then I just need something for the leg . If it isn't wide enough, then I have no idea what I will use for the mount. I saw quite a few mounts here but I don't have my welder working yet (I'm building one of those from a  gas motor and a truck alternator) so I am limited to what I can build .

Rick

Well I wasn't really looking for a vise yet. I am still collecting and making tools.My forge is just something I threw together a few months back.I have been looking for a real anvil to replace my pieces of rail and steel plate .So; I pulled into a Barn sale while driving around central PA and I found this under a table. I wasnt sure what I was buying because like I said, I have been concentrating on  an anvil and hadn't done any reseach on post vises. Was able to talk the guy down to $60 so how could I not grab it? I need to clean it up but from what I can read under the rust, its an Indian Chief and the numbers on the side say 70-80 . Hope to find more writing somewhere . BTW ; the jaws measure 5". Here are some pics ; I hope .

Rick

Thanks guys !!!

Anyone know where I can get good coal here in the Poconos ( North-East Pennsylvania?

Thanks ! I checked out the PABA and found lots of good info. Close to home too.

Thanks for the replies Dabbsterinn and Frosty. I will grab a heavy duty dimmer tomorrow. I have an on /off switch but was cranking  through the charcoal with the little bit of work I tried today. I will also look around here for some hood plans.

What type of coal should I be looking for?

I hope to find someone nearby to show me some basics...like correct hammer blows to start with. I was just playin around with a few railroad spikes today and noticed I wasnt getting the metal to do what I wanted.I know its in the way Im hitting it.I also soon realized that I need a pair of tongs..soon.Vice grips are too short!

Thanks again !

Well , I have to say what everyone else is saying.. this site and the pool of knowledgeable folks is AWESOME !It all started with an article in Backwoodsman Magazine . Some one had made a small camp axe from a railroad spike .That grabbed my interest . So I did a search online and ended up here. I joined the group and the next thing you know Im building a forge! So here it is , nothing fancy but I should be able to learn something with it. I need some real coal and some tools but for the first firing I was able to heat up a railroad spike enough to flatten it with a 3lb hammer. The pot is a truck drum. The table is made from bricks out of a woodstove. I didnt have any fire brick for the sides  so I smeared some refractory cement on some red bricks I had for now.The blower is from some big radio transmitter equipment.Now all I have to do is learn the basics. I have to find a smith nearby I guess.

Thanks for a great site and for time you folks spend helping out here!