Alan DuBoff

Well, I can tell you what I've been taught to do...I've only been smithing for a month or two, so take it with a grain of salt. Luckily I only have to clean the forge I use. So it's not like I'm cleaning all the forges at the smithy... We have 2 buckets, one for coal/coke, and the other for ash/clinker (basically a garbage bucket). Everything in the firepot gets sorted out for the good coke that was left from the previous coal fire, since we want that to start the new fire with. You can use coal, but it's harder to get going, is my understanding. Anyway, it's not something to spend a lot of time with, so anything that is usuable gets put up around the sides of the firepot inside the forge, and then I get a full bucket of coal which is all about walnut size or slightly smaller. After all the ash/clinker are out of there, and the ashgate is all cleaned (I use a small broom and shovel), I put 2 pieces of wadded up newspaper, and go out in the back and chop up some kindling, there's a box and sometimes there is kindling there (like last week;-) But if not I just chop up enough to start the fire, about 2 fist fulls (1 large fist full). I put the paper in the firepot and toss the kindling over it, then get some of the coke that was left from the previous coal fire (the light fluffy stuff), and put a handful or two on top. Before I light the paper, I shovel all the coal around the forge (I use the entire bucket). I try to have it mound up towards the firepot. Then I light the paper, and as it starts to burn I slowly crank the blower. I continue to put more of the coke that was left, on to the fire, and then continue to move coal into the firepot also...and by this time the coal is starting to burn the impurities out/off and turn into coke, and I try to keep it broken up and fluffy as it wants to get sticky/gummy if you're not attentive. Eventually the coal turns into light fluffy coke. Then I just keep going until I need to leave. I have had enough coal for the few hours I'm there, last week I was there for 4 hours. Then I shovel all the coal/coke from the firepot to the outside so it stops burning and leaves the next guy something to start his fire with, and I make sure the bucket is full of coal also, if I can. I kinda look at it as I leave the forge the way I would like it to be when I get there. The first couple times the forge was left with almost nothing in it, but the smith must have told one of the other lackys to kick it up a notch, because last week there was a ample supply of coke in the forge and plenty of coal in the bucket! This method seems to work for me, and has started the forge the few times I've used it. You might want to get someone else's opinion of the proper way to start the forge, there's all types of zealots about using liquids, not using them, etc...some folks use lighter fluid I guess, but I haven't been taught that way.

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Evidentally the seller didn't have time to use it, with all the time it takes to smoke crack and all...:confused: To me, even if I was to put a high figure on it, I'd toss a $200 value for myself. If he gets a bid for $700, either it's his buddy or he better real that catch of the day in. :p

The smith I'm learning under requires I clean it every time I go over there. He has us lackys clean it out, and then shovel all the coal/coke out of the firepot (as much as possible) so the next guy can use it. That's the stuff that needs to be cleaned, otherwise you'll end up with clinker in the coal/coke, and that sucks. It helps to have a couple buckets, one for coal/coke and another for ash/clinker, makes it easy to sort it out. It's a mess to clean, no doubt...I just wash my hands with some borax in the slack tank. We only save about a dime size or bigger. Were I come from, we like our shelias clean also! Luckily my wife is Japanese.:)

Something fishy about that seller...there's a prison lock he sold for $350, let's get real... The Hay-Budden had one bid. This has no bids right now. Who's to say if a friend of his agrees to bid on it. Caveat Emptor! Kudos to TP, at least that anvil went to a local school that you passed on, and will get good use as such, rather than rippin' some buyer a new one... Getting tougher and tougher to get decent stuff on ebay these days...everyone thinking their stuff is worth a fortune...kinda like the antique stores that plague Northern California, old hand planes for $40 because they're old...blacksmith tongs for $35 for the same reason, because they're old...many of the sellers have no clue what the tool does or what the real value is, just that it's OLD. Most smiths are no stranger to old tools, afterall...:p

Frosty, If I lived down the road from you, I'd need those trees to stay warm! I was curious if folks just toss a bunch of wood into a barrel, let it burn and cover, or if folks use specific wood. The maple I have is much harder so I would imagine would produce heavier charcoal than pine, and isn't light and fluffy what most folks are after?

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Ardenwood Forge has a forge that will handle a sword at this link. Scott Thomas forges some pretty nice swords, I think he uses that forge for most of the tempering.

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Frosty, is there any better/worse wood to use? I have some scraps of knotty pine and was told that clear wood makes the best charcoal. I also have some hard maple strips I could cut up. I'll need to go read the BB, but was curious how much charcoal a 55 gal load will burn down to?

Ian, I like them, but would like to hear some commentary while the video is going, such as "now I'm drawing out the leaf", "This is how I form the leaf", "now I'm drawing out the stem", etc... I think they're helpful the way they are though. Thanks for sharing!

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That may have been what he was asking indirectly, but I thought the question was, "is this crap?". The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that if you need to ask, keep looking, IMO. As much as everyone likes to get something for free, or find something very useful for a minimal amount, that doesn't seem like it to me. railroad rail is certainly better than nothing, but it's not panacea. I guess it depends on what you want to get out of it. The OP is in VA, and one is more likely to find an anvil falling from the sky out there than the west coast. Get creative, get out to some barns or estates and get yourself a real anvil. WTF, I could find one out west, you've got to be able to find out back east. Remember that if you settle for an anvil like that piece of rail, you'll grudgingly use it for quite some time, because you have it. More of my $0.02. EDIT: I still reccomend the local group and/or CVBG route, you'd be surprised at who would be willing to help a guy start out, but you will only be surprised if you try.

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I know those are attractive when you don't have anything, and that one doesn't look as bad as some I've seen, but it's no replacement for a real anvil, IMO. Certainly good to start on, and I've seen worse. I was able to find an old Peter Wright in my area for $150, which is pretty rare on the west coast. It's also a bit tired, and could use a little work to make the top flat. I would check out the CVBG as I mentioned in another thread. You might be able to find a smithy to use while you get setup, like I did, or to find someone that will help you with getting a forge and anvil setup. Heck, you might find a smith who has an extra anvil and will help a guy starting out. Stranger things have happened...

elf, Take what I say with a large grain of salt, since I'm fairly new to smithing, but have been doing some research on building forges recentely and can share some of that with you, as it's still fresh in my mind. I see good reasons for using either solid fuel or gas. Most farriers these days seem to use gas as it's much more convenient, and quicker to get up to forging heat. Solid fuel is messy, takes longer to get up to forging heat, as well as requiring more skill to learn how to control the fire. The stock that one plans to forge is really a determining factor, and in the case where you want to forge knifes, a gas forge will do that just dandy. However, because of the logistics of the area in the forge, which a gas forge is usually contained...vs. the solid fuel forge that is often clear on the top, the solid fuel forge is better for large and/or unusually shaped pieces of stock. This is very dependent on the forge and stock though, as one would imagine. Someone mentioned getting in touch with some local groups and I think that's a great idea. I did that and was fortunate to find a C.B.A. affiliated smithy that I am now learning at, while I continue to get my tools and smithy together. Hand blowers are not cheap, but I think there's something cool about them. I also plan to build a gas forge out of a freon tank, very similar to Fred Frontine's at this link. Ron Reil also has a great page on building a freon tank mini-forge also. Depending on how handy you are, you can make either type of forge for not very much $$$s, or you can build something very nice for more $$$s. I plan to use a Rex Price T-Rex burner in my gas forge, and those are about $150, so I'll probably end up with about $200-$250 in my gas forge. I plan to get a freon tank from Mojave Southern Machine Works which I found linked to from Fred's page. The tank is only $10, and they cut out the ends. In the meantime, I'm getting a solid fuel forge going and will be cleaning and painting the one I've bought, from the smith that is teaching me how to forge, so it was helpful in searching out local groups for me. I'm not sure how close you are to the Central Virginia Blacksmithing Guild, but it might be worth checking their events out. There's a plan to build a gas forge in their how-tos. Some local folks by me are going to be making small knifes as a project, and if you could find something like that, it would be perfect for you, IMO.

I believe it is good to be honest, but I'm not sure the folks that end up with the tools really appreciate them, especially if they're selling them. I was at an estate sale last year and the estate mongers were trying to pimp out the poor guy's tools and the kicker was when the guy said, "make me an offer, everything goes today wether it's sold or to the dump, the daughter wants to move into the house next week". So, while I agree that it pays to be honest, it also feels good to buy an old rusty anvil for $20 from someone that doesn't know any better. Chances are they don't appreciate it very much anyway...

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