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I Forge Iron

AML

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Everything posted by AML

  1. Busy, but not dead! I have no idea where it came from beyond what is stated. You'd need to consult a historian.... Googled this on pintrest so they made at least of them.... good luck
  2. Lol! The takeaway from all these tales is that life would be simple, except for people. Course, that cuts both ways as people can also be the best thing, too. I picked up the flat bar after work yesterday. We're taking a family vacation out to the maritimes on Thursday so I think with all the chores I have in preparation the project is on hiatus till we return. But I'll keep you posted and put up some pics once it's out of the garage and vertical.
  3. Funny - I was toying with the idea of parabolic mirrors on the back side but my wife thought that would be too obvious!
  4. I knew this was the right place to ask the question . Using the KISS principle, I think I'll use the flat bar as that will be easiest. To add rigidity and strength, I'll weld in flat bar as in the attached side elevation drawing. It will create some visual interest and solidify the rear wall. As to noise...don't get me started. Let's just reflect on Robert Frost's "Good fences make good neighbors" adage. When he was building, I had suggested to the neighbor he clad the two sides that face us but he declined. Now noise and light pour through, into our yard and house. Oh well, it's a free country. And there is no code on screens and planters! noname.pdf noname.pdf
  5. Thanks for the cautionary note, Ian. While I want to drown out the noise of the neighbor, I don't want to kill anyone. I had thought of tying it back into some ground anchors and will now think about adding some dead weight to the bottom and maybe reducing the water load, too.
  6. Thanks for the tips guys. Frosty - I'm not sure I've got anything secure enough to fasten a form to so I can bend it without it letting go and snapping into the truck! But I like the idea. I have to think that through. Maybe a tree stump and a come-along.... Glenn - You've convinced me to add a bit more cross bracing. Weave and weld fillets or cut and weld butt joints? AML
  7. Arftst - If I clad the plywood radius with some 18 gauge mild would that help, or you just don't like the method?
  8. Thanks Glenn - I will get some flatbar for cross bracing. I was thinking of using 1" x 1" square stock for the arc. So it matches the visible thickness of the other angle. Tube would be cheaper but probably harder to bend? I figure I need about 40" per piece.
  9. I've scoured for answers and found one that seems reasonable, but I thought I would run it past you guys before committing to it. Long story short, I'm building a water wall to drown out the noise of loud neighbors. I made a newbie design error and need to fix things up. I figured that since most blacksmiths weld, but not all welders smith, this was the place to seek wise counsel: The contraption is made from 1x1x1/8" angle. Imagine a 24" deep x 24" tall x 8' wide planter/reservoir and then the wall runs up 7'-6" from the top of the planter. The wall section is three sections, roughly equal in width. The front and side panels of the planter and the middle section of wall have 18 gauge sheet steel stitch welded into place. The other panels will have plywood and on the wall, some light gauge mesh. So when I was pulling it out of the garage today to flip it around I decided to stand it up. Oh dear it is big! While I'm not worried about the wind (it's have about 25 cubic feet of water in the bottom, those angles that are the wall sure looked wonky - not quite spaghetti, but some additional support is needed. So, I'm thinking of adding a 24" radius arc to join the wall and the planter on either side. This should help stiffen up the front to back. I was thinking about cross bracing the back for side to side. Here is the hot metal part: I read about a method of bending the steel around a double 3/4" plywood jig. Sounds like a good idea, but for the fire hazard. Anyone used this method of have a simple method? I will need 4 of these pieces. And I'd like them to look the same! Thanks for your input Aaron
  10. I passed on another one for $60 (Cdn$ -probably about $50 USD) in comparable shape yesterday, too (might still be available). Shipping would drive that up, but depending on where the other fellow is maybe I can help him out. As to the spring, from looking at it, I guess it keeps the floating front jaw snug to the bearing ring (not the correct term, I'm sure...but you know what I mean!) Otherwise the play is sloppy. A snug spring probably makes one hand operation easier as you're not fiddling to level the jaws. Today I hope to finish cleaning the garage to make some space and then cut two sections from an 80 year old Elm that sadly came down last year - one for the anvil and one for the vise.
  11. Thanks Thomas - I will start with the simple first and see how it goes.
  12. Hi all I am working on getting the critical bits to start this hobby. Anvil (check); Vise (maybe check!), forge (next). I was trying to read what I could on refurbishing an old vise and see multiple references to a post BP0060 which is on refurbing a vise, but can't seem to get a live link. Any technically savvy blacksmith advice appreciated... The one I got to day for $40 seems like it's in pretty good shape (even some grip left on the inside face of the jaw) but I think the spring needs to be re-worked (need to get that darn forge built/bought) and the movable arm bolt is the wrong size and era. The result of the latter item is that the front jaw drops - I think there is too much vertical play. Is there a preferred method for truing that up? Any advice on the spring. One other thing is that it appears the bolting plate is a different brand (Smart) than the rest of the unit (Endurance - made in Canada - with a serial number) though it fits snug. Wonder if the spring is the wrong one?
  13. That is very cool...er, well, not "cool" but hot, you take my point. That makes it even more interesting. I guess each one is a little unique. Thanks for the info!
  14. thanks for the advice. I took a hand file and cleaned up a few of the high spots on the horn and face. Looked like someone was using a punch on it or something. In any case, I appreciate the warning! Not sure if this is a good anvil 'cheese cake' shot or not, but there it is. Another thing I was wondering: are the square openings on the end of the base and underneath from casting or are they used some way in anchoring the anvil to the base? Thanks AML
  15. Hi all My name is Aaron, I'm new to this and really grateful for all the wonderful information you all have shared. When I was young this was something I wanted to try. I've worked wood (construction to carving) and stone but the idea of working metal has eluded me until now. I've started putting together my "kit" and today I picked up a "1-1-13" PW. I had the luxury of choosing from 10 old anvils ranging from about 90# to this one at 153#. I read up on what to look for and, similar to stone, I have some familiarity with the clear ring. This one rang clear and had the best bounce of the bunch. Decently flat on the face, though pocked a bit and the corners are a bit rough. The horn is also pocked and a bit messed up at the tip - like someone was driving a pipe onto the end - anyway its only on the bottom, so I could probably carefully file it down. I felt it deserved to be cleaned up a bit and more importantly, to be put into service - soon enough! Since all of you are more experienced and have seen more anvils than me, I was curious about a couple historic things: 1 - What does the "D" at the bottom of the anvil represent (Please don't say: "down"!) 2 - What about the iron cross on the base of the leg? Thanks AML
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