JHCC

Looks really cool, Aus. Thanks for showing us. The thing with the handwheel and the screw? Obviously a mechanism to move something manually over a fairly short distance. I could see that moving carriage being bolted to a sluice gate or the like.

S7 is overkill, especially when you're starting out. My hot cuts so far have been made of torsion bar and leaf spring (both 5160-ish), and the most recent was from a heavy jackhammer bit (probably 1050 or thereabouts). You don't need the shock resistance of an S-series steel, nor the expense.

Yes. As much as possible, try to keep the heat localized to the area you want to upset. However, be careful about quenching back other areas; improperly quenching tool steel can cause cracking. Also, speaking of jackhammer bits, if you can get the kind with a collar, those are great for hardy tools. Here’s my most recent hot cut, made from just such a bit. (This was after forging and heat treatment, but before I ground in the edge.)

Odd looking anvil. Can't tell if it's cast or welded up from solid stock. Price isn't bad, but unless it checks out perfect (good rebound, etc), I would steer clear. Never overinvest in an anvil you're going to regret.

Your forge looks good. Your fire is probably too small, so yes, build it up some. We sometimes say that the burning part of the fire (not including unburnt fuel) should be around the size of a small melon. The temptation will be to increase the fire by adding more air, but charcoal is really sensitive to overblowing. You'll actually end up blowing the heat right out of the fire rather than into your workpiece. So, keep the air low, but build up the fire above what you have now. Hang onto that brass; it has other uses. In short, you're making all the right mistakes. Keep it up!

I'm not particularly good at upsetting, but the best success I've had comes from remembering the wise words of Alexander Weygers and Rowan Taylor: "Little corrections, little corrections. With the little corrections, we avoid the big corrections" and "When it comes to upsetting, think short and hot." In other words, only heat the part you want to upset, and correct it the moment it starts to bend. However, that fire weld turned out great, and that last ankh looks fantastic. Maybe just stick with that, since it works so well.

By the way, the flat wire brush I picked up a couple of months ago from the industrial surplus place -- the one with 5" long wires -- is absolutely fantastic for getting the slag off the welds.

I’ll take the bathroom scale out to the shop and weigh it later, but in the meantime, that new top section adds about 45 pounds (9” x 6-3/4” x 2-3/4” (less the volume of the 1-1/2” square hardy hole) x 0.283 lbs/cu. inch). Before the loaner became available, I had planned to buy one of those inexpensive units you mention. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much money from selling my concertina as I had originally anticipated, so that idea got shelved.

And that day is not far away: the renovations in the college’s theater building are moving along very quickly, and they are going to want their welder back when the scene shop reopens. This is why I’m trying to get as many projects done as possible while I still have it. In the mean time, my welding has gotten a lot better: (Which, considering how bad it was before, isn’t saying much.)

Ten pounds, and yes. However, it’s a loaner, and there’s no gas cylinder with it. In retrospect, I probably could have rented a tank of shielding gas. It’s been good to have, and I’ll miss it when I have to give it back.

Since I got the welder, I’ve used about 15 lbs of wire to make this, the treadle hammer, the new forge and bosh, and some other bits and pieces.

Welcome to IFI! If you haven’t yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Plenty of Vermonters here (including this exile), including some folks who are active in the New England Blacksmiths Association.

I hope you’re looking at “Sold” listings, which reflect actual sales rather than what people hope they’ll get. Remember, there’s no shame in selling your vise and using the money to buy other tools. After I built my JABOD, I traded my old rivet forge for a frankenvise and some cash.

Finished welding up the extra mass on the striking anvil/portable hole.

That is a very nice vise, but please don't do any hammering on it. Filing, twisting, bending, yes. Hammering, no.

Feral F, welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Then head over to the Introduce Yourself section and, well, introduce yourself.

Lateral stability is a critical -- if frequently overlooked -- aspect of vise stand design.

Or a welded or riveted strap that would loop over both anvil and stand and get wedged in place. Easy to knock out the wedge for repositioning, if you want to access a different face.

Have you seen this thread? Lots of interesting things that can be done with a chunk of rail without having to bother with welding. Fun is a legitimate end!

"I would go cheap on the hammers and forge, buy at least two decent pairs of tongs, and then save the rest of my budget for the bigger tools." -- LouL

Bingo. One milligrump.

Definitely this. There are a couple of good videos on YouTube of making a swage to forge acorns; that would be a good way to make oak-themed novelties for him to sell or give away to valued customers.

There are some good threads about this, so take a look around. The short answer is, look at the track from every angle and think about it as a collection of angles, curves, surfaces, and edges, all of which can be used in a wide of applications.

Somewhere on an Alaskan sandbar, there's a group of abandoned PCs doing just fine on their own. Fasten one end of your bottle opener to the web of your RR track with a pair of vise grips or a C-clamp, grab the other end with your twisting wrench, and go. In this case, it might be better to keep the track horizontal, so that you (or an assistant) can sit on it to keep it from twisting.

That was a horrible deal, and you just got yourself a load of overpriced junk. If you send them to me, I'll be happy to dispose of them properly for you.