tanglediver

Did I mention I've been using wood as fuel? This won't be my final solution for a forge. As I say, it has gotten me started. Neither did I post in an appropriate location. Thank you _ for your direction.

Someone here asked me today after my afternoon session, "What, are you a blacksmith now?" Well, no. I am not, and I said as much. The ever-so-humble drum forge, my first. Long story made as short as possible, after finding an identical blower (finally), I whipped up a cheezy stand "for testing purposes". It operates, I can heat metal, and I call that "a start".

Welding spring steel in a hardened state will likely yield less than optimum results. I tried welding two scrap leaves together on the edges. We have an abundance of leaf springs. I used no preheat, no normalizing of any kind, I just hauled off and hit them good and hot with the Millermatic 200 and 'it seemed to stick'. That is, until I dropped them on the scrap heap and my pretty looking welds all cracked up like graham crackers. Most striking anvils I have heard of seem to be topped with mild steel, so as to avoid chipping. Sure it will mushroom eventually, but mild steel is easy to fix. Good luck!

I have used one of these on the job for over a decade now, as reliable as the sunrise!! I'ld rather run it than the mig machine I also have at my disposal. Nice find for the price!!

Thanks very much Waddy! The plate is 1" thick and 12" square in size and I paid $46.98 for it. I made the feet out of scrap bits that I had just enough of and drilled holes in them just in case it eventually needs to be anchored to the floor/ground. Like you, I need to be able to move this rig for use at my day job. This could be used in a mobile capacity because the bolts are easy to remove for separation. Today I welded the eyebolts shut so that they don't distort over time with use.

I squeezed in some shop time at work today, and repurposed a couple of scrap 3" axle tubes. The base plate I bought on the way in to work from my local steel supplier. I still need a clamp mechanism, which I started here at home afterward. Still have some design to work through. This one may find itself left at work for the time being once it's workable. This does not mean that I trust anyone at work.

Ah! What you need is an anvil call. It's like a duck call, but with a bit more 'ring' than 'quack'. Anvils can't resist while in migration season. M.G., my condolences to your blue hatchback and its suspension, may it r.i.p.

Nicely done Pedro! That's a good roof pitch if you ever get snow...

I got started back, after a funny winter break, and hung a pull up bar in the doorway .

The story I always got is that coal formation takes umpteen millenia in the earth to happen. It occurs in swampy, boggy, marshy, muddy, goo mess. And no one (that I'm aware of) has ever seen it actually happening. Is this the case?

As a fisherman and boating enthusiast, MayDay takes on a whole different and somber meaning. ~~~ From wiki:- "The "mayday" procedure word was originated in 1921, by a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. The officer, Frederick Stanley Mockford, was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the expression "mayday" from the French m'aider ('help me'), a shortened form of venez m'aider ('come and help me'). It is unrelated to the holiday May Day." ~~~ But, Happy May Day!!

Well, allllllrighty then, .....cast iron, mumble, mumble, mumble.........

Never give up, never surrender!! Tons of potential, perfect candidate, worth its weight in .... peanuts anyway. I'ld definitely hang on to it. Prime candidate for an anvil repair day at an ABANA event.

Let's see, where was I? Oh yea, chickens.

The misinformation and power grabbing has me more concerned than any virus. I'ld rather be fishing...