JHCC

SLAG was talking about getting a wooden barrel from Molson. I just happen to have a stainless steel Molson keg that a coworker found in the garage if a house she’d bought.

Here’s my Molson slack tub:

I know folks who’ve installed water trough heaters in their slack tubs. I’m not worried about mine as much, as it’s a former beer keg in stainless steel and built to withstand pressure.

The bosh is the reservoir for the water-cooled tuyere on my forge. It’s the vertical part on the left in this photo: If it were to freeze, the ice expanding could easily pop a weld and make the tuyere leak. We don’t want that.

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It’s too cold to do any forging today, but I did take a minute to siphon the water out of the bosh, to keep the tuyere from freezing. I knew I was saving that old CPAP hose for something!

Yes, “valenky” is usually translated as “felt boots”. See, for example, Max Hayward’s English translation of Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

They say there are three signs of approaching senility. Loss of memory is the first, but I can’t remember the other two.

Another trend these days is to offer information and training through “webinars“, which for some reason are almost always scheduled right after lunch. Last year, I got two consecutive emails — one asking me for feedback on a webinar about estate planning and taxes, the other asking about a recent hotel stay — which I realized could have had the same review: “I slept very well”!

You can always send foundryguy a PM to discuss price and sales privately.

Addendum: I have since welded a tab of 1/4" plate to the back of this tool, which can be gripped much more securely in the vise.

Steel sample?

Very nice, Lionel h. Good to see a nice Mousehole (aka The Undisputed King of Anvils) put to use.

Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet. please READ THIS FIRST!!!

Nice project. Why not start a thread for its restoration?

A much simpler solution is put a layer of latex caulk between the anvil and the base. Not only will it secure it solidly and compensate beautifully for any irregularities of either anvil or stand, but it will also significantly dampen the anvil's ring (which is much easier on the ears).

Also, welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! (And also, if you're considering anthracite, read this too.)

Having smithed in a two-car garage using a coal forge with no hood or flue, I cannot recommend it. Even with (barely) sufficient ventilation with the door open and a fan running, you still get soot everywhere. If you're not able to install a chimney, I would recommend either a gas forge or putting the coal forge next to the door and running out a flue that can be set up and taken down for each forging session, thus:

I gather that traditional Japanese hilts often include a layer of ray or shark skin attached with rice glue and wrapped in cord. However, these hilts are designed to be removed and replaced regularly, so a water-soluble starch-based glue might not be best in your particular challenge.

The clear superiority of forge time does not render other means of learning valueless, and these should not be denigrated. Properly used, forum discussions, reading books or magazines, listening to podcasts, watching videos, visiting museums, and sketching ideas can all contribute to making one a better smith, as the theoretical knowledge thus obtained both informs and is informed by the physical experience of actually molding hot metal with hammer and anvil. The challenge -- the common pitfall -- lies in succumbing to the temptation to confuse broad theoretical knowledge with actual practical expertise, to forget that true skill is only earned through repetition, attention, and sweat. Another good reason for the occasional smith to be able to rely on mechanical means for heavier work. Thank goodness for the treadle hammer!

Yes, there's an important distinction between "facing the screen when you could be facing the anvil" and "facing the screen when you can't be facing the anvil".

Keep a grill and some hamburgers ready in case the authorities show up.

I built my anvil stand from I-beam.

I don't know what your farrier supplier is charging, but I see that TFS has the 300 lb blacksmith's anvil listed on their website for $1,432. If memory serves, Holland Anvil (IFI member "foundryguy") has a 190 lb anvil for a couple hundred less than that (plus shipping). The price-per-pound is a lot more, but you're getting H13 tool steel rather than ductile iron.

Cannibalize the parts from a trashed shop-vac! Attach it with duct tape!