Tolate24

I like this idea, as a part time mechanic, and even less time at the anvil...I can mess up a good hammer once in a while.

Guess I'm going to have to try my hand at leather work next. I do have another leather project in mind so this will be my practice run.

It took a bit of practice but I got it after 2 attempts. I finally got it with a fire that looked like it should be in front of a tent with me roasting marshmallows instead of heating metal haha. It was kind of comical I should have taken pictures, but hey whatever works...

I am using a hand crank blower I should have clarified that in the first place.

I do like the wood shavings and paint thinner idea, my dad is sort of a carpenter. Thanks notownkid. 

Also I think a large part of my trouble was not a deep enough fire. I'm going to try putting fire bricks around it so I can put a bit more coal in it this time.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and your time. Hopefully I'll have some nice forged items to show you all soon.

I like the design. I may have to try a few of these for practice. Look good, I like the colors in the handles, just adds a little to them.

I just got it up and going. Took a long time but it burned hot and I messed around with some scrap for a bit. I think I got it figured out now. I had a pretty good fire going then loaded it up. 

Hm alright I've got some lump charcoal I'll try an get that going hot first.  Thanks DSW

So I went to an open forge with a local blacksmiths guild Thursday night, it was great! I learned more in just a couple hours than I'd learn in a long time alone. One of the guys was even nice enough to give me an old forge he don't use anymore! 

But apparently I missed the day in boy scouts where they taught you fire lighting...or coal is harder to light. After a couple hours of trying various different things the coal hadn't even hardly began to take. I tried dry pine cones and small sticks like lighting a camp fire and surrounded it with coal until it got going then fed the coal to it.

I never was worth a crap at lighting a camp fire either....

Any tips? I'm using anthracite, nut size.

For a grinder or something like that by the time you get it to the desired height its a little tippy.

We use one at work for our hydraulic hose cutter it works....ok, but like I said it can be tippy. I would guess pressing on a grinder would be a recipe for disaster, just from my experience.  

Yes I plan on it. Can't miss an opportunity like this.  Anything I need to know or bring along for this deal?

Another vote for chevy..I have a few. Like 7..

Hm I was wondering if an air mattress blower would do the trick. I think I have one of those laying around...good to know.

Very nice place! Looks like a good size shop to. That's definitely my biggest issue is shop space...

Pretty good tour guide Frosty! Nice scenery. where's the shop tour vid? 

I will try and make It to the museum on thrusday for sure if I'm welcome to join in the festivities haha. 

I love hawks and yours are the best ones I've ever seen. When I first saw the Norse I was amazed (loved the leather work) but holy cow the level of detail on this one is crazy. This is the kind of stuff that makes me wanna keep practicing. 

Thanks for sharing!

If I flip a pizza I'm mad and I have a mess...

Your crust is a hamburger patty? This I gotta see.

Sounds good to me! Just let me know what's going on. Thanks!

Very nice video. Great finished product. It looks like you could build them in your sleep. Nice shop to, I'd love to have some of them tools at my disposal. 

Not to get off topic but this made me think of when you drive past the local fast food place and you can smell their fryers cooking away.

"Stop into Frosty's for a fast delicious treat" (or something catchy along those lines)

I agree with Frosty though cruddy old drums are a really bad way to learn to stick weld. Pick up some clean scrap and burn some sticks. 

From Hillbillysmith's post I own the Fabricator 181i and it's a fabulous machine. You can stick/wire weld with it and it's super easy to set up. Napa sells them with a bunch of goodies to get started and sometimes a mail in rebate for a free auto darkening helmet for $899.

I don't recall who said it now but I would also suggest buying more power than you need. You can always turn it down.

I see a lot of talk about "taking things from the railroad" thought I'd add in my 2c.

Recently in my hunt for coal in my area, I cornered the local railroad mechanic. (I work at an auto parts store so he's in frequently) He didn't really have a good answer for the coal situation, but he was telling me that sometimes if you can talk to the road master for the area, they could possibly help you out. He explained that if coal gets dumped out of a railcar by accident or whatever may happen, it renders it useless to the RR. So possibly you could score some used spikes or something that way. He said the RR is unbelievably wasteful.

It never hurts to ask, I get tons of free scrap and things by just being polite and asking the right person. In fact i scored an anvil for free on Friday. My coil spring, and leaf spring supply is also nearly endless haha.

Ya I noticed that some of them mess around a bit between the heat and the anvil and end up losing a lot of their heat. 

I wondered if it wasn't a rythm thing. Glad to hear from someone who does it. I will have to try it! Hopefully be hammering away tonight, finishing up the handles on my tongs.

Yeah that's today's plan hopefully, I have a good drum in the shop. Still scrounging around for an air supply, I'd get hung out to dry if I took the hair dryer haha. May rob the blower off my wood stove for the time being. I was trying to come up with a way to use my wood stove but Im not sure I can get air to it the right way but I'm going to look again. I picked up some charcoal last night to use for now.

I've been scouring the site learning everything possible, some of you guys on here are amazing. I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn from all of you.

Man that rack looks awesome. I cant believe how smooth those rings look. Your tools look good to. 

So I got a little anxious and was messing around with some 3/8 square stock and my rosebud on the torch and made some duck bill tongs on the new anvil just for fun.... I need to get a forge of some sort up and going haha. 

I really like this idea, this will have to be a project down the road after I get a good forge set up. That's something I haven't read into yet, the tools for the top of the anvil. I can't wait to start making tools. Thanks for the idea!!

Thank you for the insight on the pounding.  It's kind of interesting really, It don't bother me I was just curious. I'm just happy to have an anvil to pound on! Haha

This one will stand tall and proud in my shop that's for sure!