ironartforge

This one appears to have the added bonus of being able to hold a shoe vertically but I have to agree that it is very light for any serious work.  I have several of the traditional styled caulking vices and they are invaluable to have around the shop.  They also hold surprisingly well with little pressure on the treadle.

On my way home from church I noticed the local Fire Department loading a dumpster so stopped to inquire. They said it was all junk and to take whatever I wanted. I got the siren off the building roof, several old Scot air tanks, a lot of aluminum plate, about 50 pounds of brass fittings, and some turnout gear. Plugged the siren in and it works fine...  It was a good day for dumpster diving.  

Wolfgang forge has these that are laser cut. I bought one and find it very handy around the shop. 

So I have modified my old storage that was way overcrowded and tried to make room for all of my stakes and hardies which had been accumulating in boxes and crates.  I thought this cart would hold everything but it doesn't.  It's not the worst problem in the world to have but I would like everything to be more organized.  Does anyone have a good storage system that they use?

 

My 50 lb Clay Spencer tire hammer is 6'9" to the top of the tire.  Conversely the 75 lb Iron Kiss is 6'3" and the 50 lb Little Giant is 5'11".  This is measured from the base of the hammer.  I do like my anvils a little high so all of my hammers are on pedestals of some height to bring them to a comfortable working level.  With my 12' ceilings a few extra inches doesn't matter...

The anvil on the tire hammer is 38 1/2"

A hack that tall would be better suited to hand hammering in my opinion.  In the power hammer there is a lot of twisting moment if you don't have the hack exactly vertical when using it.  I try to keep mine much shorter to eliminate this.  

This has all the makings of the start of an Acme anvil obsession.  Next thing you know the Acme anvil museum is in your back yard...

...particulary how does it get power to turn the big flywheel? There is a weighted arm under the edge of the firepot that looks like it attaches in some way to what appears to be a one way clutch in the hub of the flywheel but i dont see how the shaft is driven.

There should be a swivel on the arm off of the top of the forge where your wooden handle is mounted. The handle then would connect to the eye on the weighted arm and turn the flywheel. Easy enough to fab up. Then all you need is a leather belt from the flywheel to the blower. Great price you got on this one...

You can also look here http://www.blksmth.com/mild_steel_firepot.htm for ideas. Good luck with your forge build.

I'm also in Maine and find that to be a very high price for the anvil. There are plenty of anvils available for $1/lb that are in decent shape. Very clean crisp anvils can be bought for $2/lb or less. PM me and I can give you a few leads...

I'd stay away from the shocks. The rods are usually chrome which can have all sorts of nasty consequences...

Ironart, is there a brand name on this vise? You said "another manufacturer" in your first post.

BB Noyes & Co. Greenfield, MA

Ironart, is there a brand name on this vise? You said "another manufacturer" in your first post.

Greenfield & Wilcox if I remember correctly. I will have to look the next time I wander past it...

I've rolled thick walled 1" at that tight a radius with minimal collapse but 1 1/2" would really be pushing it. I'd try the sand and cap method. Just be sure to use good dry sand...

No need to go to all that trouble. A couple whacks with a 16 lb sledge will blow that concrete right off.

Tried that method. Apparently they used some good hard concrete...

Concrete removal (the fun way), get a 1/2 cement bit, drill into the concrete a ways, shove favorite firecracker into hole, light with wick ,run. It may take several tries to move a little, but its the fun way

It may take something a little bigger than the average Black Cat firecracker but it does sound fun

You have a fork lift so why not just drop the concrete side on a stiff hard lump, say a piece of RR rail. You have a powertool right there in the pic, it'd sure be a shame not to use it. For final cleanup CLR is perfect, it'll remove the concrete quickly and convert the rust back to steel/iron.

Frosty the Lucky.

Frosty - I tried something similar with little success. There's plenty of other anvils around the shop to use so there is no hurry to get this one unshrouded. I think freezing it off may be kind of a fun way to do it. But then again there is that explosives suggestion...

We have another pattern ferriers foot vise at the Threshers shop and this time I have zero pics, sorry. Perhaps in the future I can get some taken.

Thought I might add another style to this thread.


(It has a broken base but was closer to the door than the good one, lazy..)

This style makes more sense to me. The movable stock stop is in the center and is used with the jaws of the vise. The swage block is integral and the jaws interchange with different types. The way I use these vices, I find that the stock stop in the center is much more useful.

Its an adjustable stop for heading bolts.

I figured something along those lines but have never seen one with anything but the caulking swage...

Railroad service or Mill service...Guilford used to have both.

They are from old farriers that used to be in the area. I've never gotten anything out of any of the mills in town....

I've been trying to get a Little Giant to follow me home for a while now. Finally this 50# found its way to my shop along with a new swage block and a big post vice. The cement encased anvil has been laying out in the field for a few years now but has finally made it into the shop. Now to drill some holes before cold weather hits and freeze the cement off. It appears to be @300 pounds but has a real soft top and no markings. A good day...

I have a few step vices like the one below. I have never figured out what the adjustable block beneath the caulking swage is. Is it meant to used as a stock stop when the swage block is removed? Anyone have any ideas? I have one from another manufacturer that has it on the opposite side where it makes a great stock stop...

Looks like I have yet another tool to make for the shop. That's OK I just picked up another big block that needs a quality stand...

I've had alot follow me home recently. Most recently two foot vices, a parrallel jaw vice, two swage blocks and a diffuser for a wood boiler inlet that was shaped to cool for the scrap pile.

Well KYBOY, I'm in southern Maine and it was in the 60s today. We haven't had measurable snowfall in over a month and the ground in this part of the state has been essentially snow free for most of that time. People are doing their spring yard work 2 months early(except me, I was in the forge). You have me beat on the coal deal though.

Maybe if we forward this post to Ring's he will drop the prices some? Amen for our easy winter in Maine...

...Heavy ones can/will bite, Went to move mine (heavy) Grabbed the jaws,They slammed shut. OUCH
2 stomps will reduce 11ga alum to about 18ga cold. Will reduce your palms the same...

I was talking to someone in my shop one day while leaning on the foot vise and nonchalantly put my foot on the treadle. Crushed my wedding ring into my finger pretty good. It was probably quite humerous watching me try to hammer it back out on the anvil while holding my other fingers out of the way so I could get the ring off my finger. That's about the time I gave up on wearing it... I have two of the Green River #3's. They are great for demonstrations and portability around the shop. I usually find them for $100-200 here in Maine. Mine do mot have upsetting blocks but do have caulking blocks in two different sizes. I like that header that's on the one you posted. Much more handy than the caulking blocks for the work that I do.

I find myself doing that with alot of tools. Shop time is limited and time spent making tools takes away from time forging projects for customers. I do sometimes find that I could have spent less time making the tool when compared to the time researching, searching for, and purchasing it. I now try to buy only tools that I can't make or tools that will pay back dividends timewise. Of course if I happen upon a good deal...