JHCC

All threads eventually end up somewhere in the vicinity of Thomas's weird library.

Here's the mount on my vise, which is held to a vertical piece of 4"x8" I-beam by two U-bolts (the kind that hold leaf spring packs in place) and some purpose-made brackets. Nothing fancy, but solid as a rock. The I-beam is notched to fit the U-bolts: (This was before the brackets were forged; the top U-bolt is holding onto a piece of bent heavy wire.) Here is the top bracket, forged to hold both the post and the spring: And here are both top and bottom brackets, made from whatever came to hand, even if it didn't match: A little cleanup of the corners with the angle grinder, and Bob's your uncle.

When I was in the furniture business, I went to a customer's apartment and saw a similar Barbie (this one pilloried) that he and his girlfriend had been awarded for being "Best Couple" at a decidedly family-UNfriendly gathering. Let's just say that there was other furniture in the apartment besides what we'd sold him....

Sure, but does it come in a sling-back?

Depending on the height of the heel, you'd probably have to adjust the height of your anvil stand as well.

The little bit of stall mat that he put at the bottom of the socket is also pretty unnecessary: without it, the end of the anvil will eventually dent the top surface of the bottom boards to match its own shape.

@Christian N, take a look at this video, which shows someone building a stand for an anvil with stock very similar to what you describe in your original post. If I were in your position, I would very seriously consider giving this a shot: it's easy to build, can be made with minimal investment in material (especially if you can scrounge scraps of 2x4 from a construction site -- with permission, of course!), and is stable and effective as a stand. I would recommend putting a couple of different radii on the different edges, rather than leaving them as sharp as in the video, but this is otherwise a very good design.

And suddenly it all makes sense why TP asks "Traditional to what period?" every time someone says they want to do "traditional blacksmithing"!

Blunt peens are generally better than sharp peens, so you're good.

So, you thinking forge or tempering over?

Was this a punch you'd made, or one from elsewhere? I second what @Latticino says about a soft hammer; I have a ~6 lb hammer with a wrought iron head that I use for almost all my (solo) punching and drifting.

In the "It didn't follow me home" department, my son and I were in an antique/junk shop earlier today when I spotted an old 4-in-1 farrier's rasp and asked how much in was. On hearing the reply, my autistic-son-without-a-filter came right back with "Ten bucks? That's OUTRAGEOUS!" It was embarrassing as all get-out, but I can't say he was wrong.

Welcome to the wonderful world of haptic learning! Frosty's not the only one doing that!

Looks like a good start. Now, turn your attention to the handle, and get those stickers and the glossy finish off. Those can give you blisters right quick.

TOB, take a look at the threads on JABOD (Just A Box Of Dirt) forges, especially @Charles R. Stevens's original thread. Good info there, which should help a lot. Definitely good instincts there. Encourage them! (And it's good to see her wearing safety glasses and having her hair back, but also encourage her to wear full-length pants, with the cuffs over the tops of her boots. She does have boots, right? She does NOT want a piece of hot scale or a punching slug going down into low-top shoes!)

When I worked in the art restoration studio, one of my coworkers articulated "Farrell's Law": that the longer you look for something, the shorter the amount of time between asking a coworker if they'd seen it and finding it yourself.

If it's square and straight, just make a dog-head hammer or some kind of top tool.

For example, the Okinawan kama derived from the humble sickle, and eventually blended in perfectly in both agricultural and martial environments. One might even call it a "kama chameleon".

Also known as a boring Buddhist horse.

I'm thinking more Odysseus chastising Thersites, but whatever.

You disparage Homer at your peril, sir!

It's a whole different kind of earwax!

You've corrected me so often; I'm just happy for the opportunity to return the favor!

Not near me, but plenty of smithing folks in the area. Good luck, and maybe we'll meet up at Quad State. Good stuff. Also check out Mark Aspery and JLP Services Inc (IFI's own @jlpservicesinc).

Hey, GrumpyBiker! Is that the northern part of central Ohio, or the central part of northern Ohio? I'm in Oberlin, and would be happy to meet up some time. (FYI, I'm primarily a hobbyist, but also a former professional woodworker.)