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@Frosty Friend, I have read this several times and I am having trouble visualizing your description. Can you possibly reword this a touch and maybe I can grasp it. because it sounds like a terrific approach... if I can figure it out... LOL. "The sawhorse directly over one set of legs." A sawhorse with 4 legs and placed over or to the side of the anvil? Won't this tip over? English is a tough language with all its nuances. thanks in advanced.

In your living room by the fireplace on a block with wheels lookin' all purty. buffet stand many a times...

@bluerooster The sandwich idea would fit right at home with Japanese blade construction. Give a search on the web for details. Will it help with micro fractures... well... for a kitchen knife you'll maybe get away with it. heavy use, not so much. good luck.

oh my that is nice. Would enjoy hearing the story of how you found it, more details = more fun. I'm guessing our new friend is a picker and won't be here long, which in no way is meant as a disparaging remark. If it weren't for pickers, there would be even more fine anvils, guitars, you name, lost to the junk heap. I'm sure she will find a good home and the OP will have been deservedly well rewarded. Cheers.

oh that's good! And then any slight wave that is left at the tip maybe just grind down on the vertical since we've elongated the face a tad. I have a very large (280mm) Japanese style cleaver (chukabocho) project in 1080 that has vexed me for quite the while. I may have to revisit it soon. -18c here makes for less than comfortable time in the shop.

Looks like there is still enough material to keep on trying to get the edge right. Why not throw it back in the heat and have another go at it? Granted, I always have a tough time keeping cleavers straight. there is so much face and once you get one area correct, the other goes wonky. Nakiri size is easier. good luck.

JHCC, those pics are dynamite and a shop to be envied. cheers.

Love it. hanging a new handle is such the rewarding activity. I often throw to the side nice straight grained firewood when it pops up. then when bored will rough shape into rectangles, waiting for its new home. can never have too many hammers. just look at my avatar... even if many of those were hung in a hurry with whatever branch I could find, LOL. I call them " future projects."

that looks like a massive hand sledge you have there. what weight is that and do you use it regularly? is your shop outdoors? Looks like a lot of light streaming in. but I see el machines as well, so maybe not... cheers.

All good info, thanks. One would think that using a forge outdoors would be the best. but every time I have done that it seems like I can never position myself up wind... kind of funny constantly dancing around trying to avoid the fumes. On the topic of stoves. We ended up with an odd piece some years back. A range that has 2 el plates, 2 gas and an el griddle, coupled with an el oven. never had seen both on a range before, but I will admit the that for simply boiling something up, el is quite handy. oTherwise, cooking on an el plate is no fun. zero control. Good point. I wonder how long the particulate matter stays airborne? I do a fair amount of metal grinding and usually wait a minute or so before removing my mask. To be honest, I truly like the way steel smells during grinding... LOL. masking is relatively new for me, it wasn't until by chance I heard about the possible hazards. I even know of a few guys that are masked up during their forging. That is a bridge too far for me.

Is the reality simply that there will always be some degree of smoke/dust from the active forge indoors? Every shop I have ever been in has the smell of burnt coal and misc residue near the forge. Never thought much about it before until one of my kids pointed out that my clothes have that smell afterwards and that it can't be healthy... Does anyone have a setup where there is good air quality in your shop? If so, how do you go about achieving this?

Nice. how do you go about making that crescent moon shape? the only way I can make such detail is with a dremmel.

here is the pic:

A Really nice one you have there Frf and a bit unusual in my area. Here's another one that has popped up. Pretty darn clean, a good weight and roughly $800

impressive. It takes me two heats to make a decent hook with hot punches for the holes. Can be done in one, but it is so much nicer to work with soft metal at heat. And when you're doing a lot of them, I set up one side of the forge with the first heats, the opposite side is the second. No down time and no fishing around.

I'm a bit late to the party, but gladly chime in. The double horn is a bit more unusual than the London pattern for Söderfors. For some reason around here in Sweden, when the double horn version pops up, they are usually beat to xxxx. Yours is a very nice example and since you seem to like Kohlswa, this is the obvious choice. In regards to splurging on your purchase. I absolutely believe that having a tool, in this case your new anvil, that you love, makes the whole process of doing what we do that much more enjoyable. I sometimes go out to the workshop just to stand and look at my favorite pieces. The wife thinks I'm nuts... You will have the company of a terrific piece of equipment at your side for the rest of your life. For what is probably the difference of just a few nights on the town dining-out.

Figured that some of you might enjoy seeing a 200kg Söderfors. The anvil is a local sale (roughly $800) to which of course I will not divulge the who or where so as not to run a foul with the moderators. A funny stand and its on wheels, which is apparently heavy as well. Cheers.

would be interesting to see them in action. How do they work? They seem quite large.

Biggundoc, The biggest difference you would find would be in petrol prices. Here it is close to $2 a liter. BUT, one generally doesn't drive as much here as the average American presumably does. Aside from that, your grocery bill and all else would look about the same. However, we are one of the last State controlled liquor retailers. Meaning that there is only one outlet for purchases and some towns/villages don't have one. So you have to drive to the nearest one which can be over 45minutes away in the next larger town. [Political content removed] But as with all things, there is the good and the bad. It is all about finding the balance that works for you. Personally anything north of Stockholm is too nasty weather wise. I would stay south of Stockholm if one could choose. Cheers.

Bigundoc, You're right, a lot of fine American steel made its way over here. Many post war, service HD Flatheads are still on the road here. Very cool. On Sunday's with nice weather you will see a lot of vintage Detroit machines, totally restored, cruising down the way. Since salt on the roads is popular during the winter months, these vehicles don't go out into harsh elements and have a pampered existence. But not today, we just had a snow flurry 20 minutes ago... LoL.

LoL, I'm guessing the taxes you'll end up paying for the sale of California real estate would by a few shops here. As far as I know foreigners can own property here. The problem is with staying any length of time for non residents. Political content removed.

The area is know for its steel production and was a hub of action up until early/mid 20th century. I called and spoke with the listing agent for shttsss&grins and the whole upstairs is laid out as a conference room with toilets and a small kitchen. The county doesn't allow for residential use, but would allow for B&B. He said that most people interested would be using it as a storage facility. What a shame. The roof apparently is in need of repair. Since you guys liked that one so much, here is another one that has been up for a while. It comes with the complete inventory. A funny side note, you very rarely see a Smith with a true Rounding hammer in his collection here in Sweden. Not the preferred profile around these parts. The Soderfors shot is for Frosty. Love it when you see a well polished-from-use face. Even with the welding scars. Cheers.

Do you ever see shops going on the market? Here in Sweden it happens, but usually it is just mentioned and almost ignored. Like the farm with a full Smitty gets a "... and this extra building that used to be a blacksmith shop can be renovated into something usable..." I always laugh at that one. Sometimes though a full-out facility is up for grabs. Here is an exceptionally nice one next to a small river for a very reasonable price. the exchange rate of SEK is around 8.5 to a $1. So asking price is about $55-60k Thought that some of you would get a kick out of seeing this. Just look at that equipment!

Wreckster, time to try out your new hobby and use that anvil. make a fire, put a piece of rusty, scrap metal in it, wait until it's red, pick it up with some pliers, hit it with a hammer on your terrific looking anvil. Don't try to make anything, just hit that metal. You will know after a minute or two it you are bitten by the blacksmithing bug or not. Wear some ear and eye protection and have some fun. cheers.

what does it look like at the roof? interested to know how it works when you fire it up and if the pipe is wide enough for good suction. Have fun.