IanR

Frosty, I would consider it a great honour if all these people came all the the way to Australia just to kick my butt Cheers Ian

Thanks Frosty, I can only take credit for copying the hood art, the idea came from Lorelei Sims' book the Backyard Blacksmith, it makes an otherwise utilitarian object look more interesting. Cheers Ian

I have relocated my setup from a portable setup stowed away in the shed where I park my work ute in to another shed on our property where I now have a permanent setup. The shed, which has a roller door at the front, was used for firewood, bicycles and general storage, the firewood is now in the disused chook house, the bikes are where my old setup used to be stored and I walled off a section at the back of the shed for storage. The store room wall and new work bench both were made from scrounged materials or timber etc I had on hand. The quenching tub is a stainless steel laundry tub, $10 from the local tip and I have added a tap underneath for easy emptying. The anvil is my new 450lb Peter Wright and the forge I finished just today. The anvil bench is all new materials into which I have mounted the firepot and workings from my old forge, the hood is an old "Burning Log" brand fireplace ($80) coupled to 3 metres of 9" stainless steel flue from the tip ($35)-great place the local tip! I use coke in the forge and it worked well today during testing with no smoke entering the shop. Outside the shed is a covered area with concrete floor which extends the usable space. Ian

Strine, thanks very much for the update, I too was wondering how things were going. What an amazing effort, every time I see news of the tree it seems to get bigger and bigger. Hope all goes well with the assembly and transport.One of my clients belongs to a garden club who raised some money for the project, I might copy your post and forward it to her, they will be keen to see how things are progressing. Cheers Ian

As I am not as experienced as some on this site, I wont make a recommendation, but I will make an observation. If a radius edge is desired by so many why don't anvil makers include it in the manufacturing process, especially if it's for the benefit of the anvil. Cheers Ian

Had to drive 3/4 hour to find some, no bottlos round here sell it, but I am now enjoying a slab of Hammer and Tongs ( Not in one sitting of course ). Not a bad drop, read some interesting reviews on the interweb , including one guy who hated it saying it had a stupid label with some derro with a hammer, I guess there would be some 13,000 members on this site would disagree with that description of a blacksmith Cheers Ian

I'm heading to Dan Murphys tomorrow to try and find it Cheers Ian

Thanks for the comments guys,that's two shop dogs now, hope this one doesn't sit under the forge like the other one. The anvil has a good ring, which is either a good thing or a bad thing as we have new neighbours moving in soon, might have to do some sound deadening. Thomas, that's a fine price for a power hammer, especially if it was in working order or even repairable. BIGGUNDOCTOR, a friend and I used to go spotlighting for rabbits through the sun roof of his Honda Prelude. Cheers Ian

Here are the pics, hard to see from the photo but from various angles there's just enough letters to make out Peter Wright Patent England. Also included pic of "The Proviso" for those of you who get a bit gooey over puppies. The anvil measures 980mm long 400mm high and 140mm across the face Cheers Ian

Thanks for the comments fellas, I certainly consider myself lucky. The guy was offered $1000 by a friend who was going to use it as a piece of garden art but he said I was already on my way to see it, he also told me that he wanted it to go to someone who was going to use it. I'm just doing chores at the moment and babysitting new puppy ( Yes, buying the anvil came with a proviso ) ,just came in for lunch, I'll post photos as soon as I'm done. Cheers Ian

Like many of us here I so wanted a decent anvil for many years. Well today I am a VERY, VERY happy man, I replied to an add for a large anvil that a stonemason was selling an hour and half from where I live. He was asking $500 for it, which was my absolute limit. We drove up to Sydney today to have a look, it was certainly a large anvil and after checking it out I decided to part with my money, and the fellow kindly loaded it into our 4x4 with a forklift. It had many markings on it but it wasn't till I got home and hit it with the wire wheel that I realized what I had was a 453 pound (4- 0 -5) solid wrought Peter Wright. I will take photos tomorrow and post them. Ian Ross

Looks good Steeler, I particularly like the fuel bin.I hope you continue to enjoy using it. Cheers Ian Ross

Phil, I was hoping you might throw your two bobs worth in, thanks for your answer. Mike,thanks for posting the info about the anvils. Grant, PM me your daughter's details, I'm about 1 1/2 hours from Sydney, we don't go there often but I should be able to post her something Cheers Ian

G'Day Mike, Not sure if this helps but on reading the material specs you posted I noticed the Australian Standard they had listed in the end column, so I did some research and found it is a standard pertaining to cast steel.According to a chart I found on another website AS2074 L6B is a reasonably hard cast steel http://www.grahamcampbell.com.au/MaterialsCS.html . It might pay to give the foundry another call to see if they elaborate on the process they use to make their anvils and whether they harden the face at all. Cheers Ian P.S probably check on the dimensions and weight too, let us know how you go.

Thanks for your replies, much appreciated, I might put in a bid but not till the last minute, it's gone up $100 just today Cheers Ian

G'day fellas I would like some advice on this anvil http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Anvil-Blacksmith-280-kilo-480LBS-VINTAGE_W0QQitemZ330396627837QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_ToolsHardwareLocks?hash=item4ced2c737d , it appears that the heel has been broken and some attachments welded on in its place. The fact that the heel is broken is not of huge consequence to me, although the welding may have affected the temper of the face if not done properly. I like the weight and the physical dimensions and face appears to be in good nick. I have messaged the guy and there appears to be no numbers or names stamped on the anvil, but it appears to be at his Mothers place and he doesn't seem to know much about it and I would guess it's a tad heavy for his Mum to check underneath for any markings. the trouble is this town is a good 7 hours from where I live, I'm willing to make a weekend of the trip and stay somewhere nice with the missus, but am I wasting my time and money bidding on it? Cheers Ian Ross

Frosty good to see your back and well and truly on the mend. My wife has been keeping me posted on your progress via Debs Facebook page,she seems like one heck of a women, I'd be keeping that one. I nearly had a similar accident a few years back felling a Eucalypt with a foot and a half diameter. it too, unbeknown to me had a rotten core and nearing the end of the cut it gave way suddenly and a 3 foot leg flew up and nearly clobbered me. I must say I haven't cut down a large tree since, it gives you a new found respect for them. Once again welcome back Ian Ross

Looks like a great setup, I cant wait to get my portable setup housed in a bench similar to that. I was just wondering, those blowers should put out enough air, are the holes in the bottom of your fire pot big enough? Ian Ross

Sorry Dale just caught this, looks good bloke. Those wrapped brass collars are a great feature and dont worry about the legs, they look fine. We are our own worst critics and if you had made them with a that'll do attitude they probably would look crap. Cheers Ian

Hi Britt, welcome to the site there's lots of info here and plenty of people to help you with any questions you may have. I hope you enjoy being a member and if you have any pics post them or add them to the gallery, we love pictures. Cheers Ian Ross

Here's some more photos of the weekend at Moonys Cheers Ian Ross

Here's their website, Home page of the Illawarra Coke Company . They will sell you as little or as much as you like, unfortunately they don't deliver. Sales are from their Coalcliff site. Cheers Ian Ross

Ditto from me, Glenn's hospitality is second to none. I meet new friends, learnt heaps and got to see the 7CWT Massey in operation which was a great experience. Thanks again to all concerned. Cheers Ian Ross

Have a safe trip fellas, I hope to get there Friday arvo, have to work in the morning. See you there Ian Ross

Thanks for the comment, nah, I forgot about the other set of wings. My wife and eldest daughter pointed it out too. Will have to make another pair. Cheers Ian Ross