Alan DuBoff

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

Welcome to IFI and I love that anvil/vise. Can't help on info though, but it's really cool!:cool:

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

That is a real nice knife. Beautiful work!

Mike, I wish I was back east, I would be doing the same most likely. I'm happy with living on the west coast though, so no complaints from me...ok, a small complaint to have more smithy tools is valid, but it's not the end of the world.

no need for input here.

Welcome to IFI Blaine, I'm a bit new here, but keep my eyes and ears open when I can.;)

Welcome! IFI seems to be getting some interested lately, good to see.

That's a nice thing to have follow you home...I felt lucky to have a cast iron forge follow me home, but your gloat takes precedence.:p

Certainly, Alaska is some mighty fine country, it's just a tad cold for me in the looooonnnnnnng winter. I had to snag a couple pair of socks from my son recentely to wear with the boots I got for smithing...(I rarely wear socks and didn't have any white cotton ones). Sometimes it's good to have a son with close to the same shoe size...(I hope he doesn't steal my boots! ). I think Jake makes most of the holdfasts these days, and like you I have never met or talked with him online, but Phil mentions him and I recentely saw a pic of his new camp and forge on Phil's blog. OUCH! I hurt my ankle a while ago moving some heavy machinery...so I sympathize with you. Mine could have been worse also, but it taught me some lessons.;-) Anyone that's met Phil is welcome here, not that some loud cantakerous obnoxious person like myself is welcome, but you certainly are!:p

I've heard of folks forging with corn, but not sure of it's origin. There are corn stoves which folks use for heating homes, so it makes sense that there could be corn forges, at least to me. You could almost make charcoal out of cobs I would imagine.

Yep, that was unfortunate. In some cases they did make new tools out of them. I have a table saw built in 1944 which weighs about 1600 lbs, most all cast iron. Almost the end of the war (WWII). Even to this day, while anvils are not as abundant as they once were, there are more back east, and once again shipping is a deal breaker in many cases. There are folks back east hording some of the anvils. There was a guy on the owwm forums a while back that owns more than 250 anvils...geez, talk about obsession...he also own the rights to the Fisher stuff. His name is Josh Kavett. Kudos to him, he has a complete line of Fisher anvils, from the smallest all the way up to an 800+ lb. monster.

no need for input here.

It amazes me how much anvils go for, when a decent one is on the west coast. All forging tools in general are less plentiful. But anvils are at a premium without a doubt. I did find an anvil, but it was tired and could use a little work to flatten the top...(will do in time). I can't complain about the price though, since it was just over $1/lb which seem pretty unheard of on the west coast.

no need for input here.

Glenn, Don't have enough experience with the smithy, but I like cats! Traps may work ok also. Cats are renewable, with mice! ;)

Mike, How much do they typically go for back east?

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

Frosty, he happens to be one of the galoots I know up there, and why I asked. His son and DIL just built a kick @$$ log home, and he forged some awesome strap hinges for them... Phil forged me some holdfasts (for woodworking) with bass clefs on the leaf, I play upright bass. Do you know Jake the Russian that lives off the grid? He forges a lot also. I don't know Jake, since I don't think he has a computer.:confused: Phil's a good smith, no doubt. Again, welcome to IFI, I still have training wheels on my hammer! :p