Bud in PA

Thanks for the photos John. Looks like all you need is some imagination and patience.

Thanks Thomas, saved me from a lot of aggravation from the missus.

Just starting out I've got an anvil, homemade forge, and a couple of hammers. The better half would be upset if she knew what post vises cost and I bought one. I have a machinests vice with 8 " jaws, and weighs about 75 lbs.. How important is a post vice to someone starting out?

This forum rocks especially for someone of my age, 71, just starting out. If I had to learn this on my own, i figure I'd be dead by the time i learned half of of this stuff.

Thanks njanvilman, I am originally from Hudson County.

I have noticed that a lot of hammers, specially the expensive ones, have a waist behind the faces. What is the purpose of these waists? I have made a round face on a engineer's hammer I bought from HF. It is a 3lb. hammer, and since I have back and neck problems I was thinking that a waist behind each face would reduce the weight. Is this the reason the professional $200 hammers have waists?

It will probably be next week before I can try it. Too many other jobs around the homestead to finish up before I start on that. I've got to get the chainsaw running so I can cut a maple log to mount it on. I've got to finish the leanto on the back of the garage where I intend to put my forge. Too much to do too little time to do it.

I just acquired a Hay-Budden anvil. This is my first anvil. i was on the chat last night explaining my idea of buying a dead anvil and welding a piece of steel on it to get a decent anvil for fairly cheap price. I used to be a welder in a machine shop a time ago. Well a few of the people on the chat tried to dissuwade me. One advantage of being old is the experience, after I realized that they were right I started to look for an anvil again. I found a Hay-Budden that is in better then average condition. The fellow said that he weighed it and got around 100 lbs., I weighed it on my bathroom scale and got 92 to 93 lbs. It is clearly marked Hay-Budden and has the number 89 marked on it. The front left foot, looking at the horn has the number A31572 marked on it. The ring is good and so is the rebound, like I said this is my first one so I'm nol expert on this. The face is very flat and a little discolored. The one edge is perfect while the other has some nicks, the horn is fairly smooth with the point buggered up. I noticed when looking for an anvil that this is common, Was this done on purpose ? The hardie hole is 1 inch and the pritchel hole is about 1/2 inch.. I am glad that I took the advice of those more experienced members, and a big thank you to all who set me straight. Anybody know what those numbers mean? I will post pictures as soon as my son comes by and shows me how.

Well I just posted when I didn't mean to. I live in the Pocono Mountains in north east PA about 3 miles from the NASCAR track. When I finally decided to do this I went on Youtube and saw a video by Dan Brazzell about brake drum forges. Well I use to weld for a living many years ago, so with a brake drum a bed frame some EMT, and sheet metal I made one. Mike I appreciate that. I guess I'm just too dumb to admit that I'm old, although my wife keeps hollering at me for doing what I have always done. Being on a fixed (read broken) income I have learned to make do. I bought my cross peen at HF for about $7 and a 3lb. sledge for about the same. I chucked that one in the vise and attacked it with my angle grinder and belt sander. It almost looks like a rounding hammer. I bought a furnace blower off the internet for the forge. I have a piece or RR track for a anvil, as I found out that I can't afford a real anvil, or so I thought. I contacted a guy on the local for sale list who advertised an anvil for $250. I talked to him and he admitted that it had no ring or much bounce.He offered it to me for $125 and said that he was a scrap hauler. I said that I might be interested if I could find a piece of steel to make a new face. He offered to get me a piece of a fork from a forklift for $40. I told him he has a deal. I noticed on youtube that when these people repair an anvil by welding on it they do a whole rod at once, which kills the heat treating. I learned to take your time and weld about 1 inch at a time on opposite sides and from different directions. Even if it doesn't work, it's still better than my piece of track, as it will weigh over 100 lbs. Thanks for listening. Bud

Hello I'm Bud in Pa I had trouble posting here until my son came by and gave me a few lessons. At 71 yrs. old this electronic stuff is not my best skill. I have always wanted to try black smithing but as usual life got in the way. I figured that if I don't try it now I'd have to wait for my next life to do it.

my son is helping me to learn to use this forum