Thief_Of_Navarre

Yeah that's nice. Just needs a good clean!

At under £1/lb its a bargain. Very hard to tell maker unless it's marked or has telltale signs (a PWs feet for example) as there were literally hundreds of makers who worked to largely the same pattern

7 hours ago, JHCC said:

There really is nothing better for polishing an anvil face than hammering hot metal on it. 

And it's not as boring as wire brushing!

9 hours ago, JHCC said:

The woodchopping scene still makes me cringe....

It's intended

Ha, unfortunately not! My name is reference to the film Ladyhawke

Yeah like you said should be 105lbs. Still high IMO given your area! I'd wait for your trip and see what opportunities present themselves

I was kinda thinking it might be like a tempering purple than a my-little- pony purple, but if that's what it takes to keep your stuff safe from thieves who am I to argue!

There's a few of us here from sunny england! Welcome Aboard '_'

If your hammer control is okay you should consider drawing out with the ball pein of your hammer aswel; smaller surface area moves metal quicker!

This video pretty much sums up drawing out;

You will probably want at least one dressed edge. A well dressed edge will serve you better than a sharp one for drawing out. Nice anvil, looks almost new bar the surface rust!

*edit* Just in time! An example of a dressed edge on an otherwise sharp anvil.

I used zinc strips to level mine out; in theory they act as a sacrificial anode to stop my anvil rusting as much. The bottom of mine is flat, just not even!

I'd normally concur but in the UK I've never seen a PW with above 80%, and I've seen a few having been born in PW county

Nice cat!

On the positive side you have two tools now...

Both. Keeps the energy from shifting the anvil about and stops a lot of the ring. Especially one of the beautiful/intolerable cast steel anvils. A soderfors will deafen you inside a year without a decent mounting / magnet / chain solution. My brooks is on a rubber mat with a chain and a couple of HDD magnets; just about quiet enough with ear plugs!

Somewhat reassuring tie rods are tough as heck!

I know. Thoroughly ashamed!

My 168 brooks London pattern is my favorite but my French double horn anvil is easily the most useful.

I concur with Black Frog and the rest of you though; the German style ones are ideal. I love the upsetting blocks. Saw a kohlswa in that style, but at 330lbs I didn't have the means to pick it up; it went for a steal @ £0.70 a pound. I cried into my beer a few times about that one!

I had to google tijou

Looking good so far dude! Keep up the good work.

Possibly so, I thought the image was clearer than that but it might just be a different picture of the same vise.

Power tools = check out reviews

Blacksmithing tools = make your own or buy decent old stuff. Ex-MOD surplus is a great way to go; I have bought two practically new anvils at £0.50/lb, hammers, files and hardy tools galore. 

PPE = I like Bolle personally but there is better out there if you have unlimited funds.

There is a picture out there in the ether of a post vice with a different face on each jaw. I saw it on Pinterest.. Wouldn't know where to start with search terms; two-face vice maybe?

4 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Aus is the wrought iron bottle opener problem with the punched and drifted hole?  Wrought iron doesn't like that. Old books show such things more likely to be done by drawing out a length close to finished size and bending it around and forge welding it in place. (and then you can etc the piece for the WI wood grain look...)

Hmm, might have to give the WI bottle openers another chance. I have managed to punch WI since, but it's extremely time consuming when you can just draw out and weld like you said; or even leave the end open like a tin opener!

Only thing I wouldn't scimp on is PPE. I'm not saying you need top dollar stuff, but definitely get yourself some basic earmuffs, some shade 3 welding goggles (they reduce IR from the forge to safe levels) and an apron. Gloves you can take or leave, but personally I wear kid skin tig welding gloves that are cuffed at the end; nothing worse than getting hot stuff in your PPE!

Speaking of Wayland, I fortunately live 10m drive from Wayland's Smithy; a neolithic and later Saxon burial mound reputed to be where the smith god shod horses on the road. The local tea rooms have a bit of info on it!