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It is something.. it's a nice old forge that if it could speak would tell of a birth a life and now maybe a new chance at helping someone else fulfill their desire to heat metal and bang on it.. or it might become a plant holder which to me is a death sentence. ... If you are looking to sell it put 100.00 on it and be willing to take less.. or find a local blacksmith organization and see if they want it..

It's all good.. it's a group conversation.. Besides that.. I'm slow on the uptake.. Nice.. I have much respect for you.. Much tougher than I am.. The People are lucky to have you.. Clips also? Heel caulks? Here in the Northeast.. there are just about more farriers then there are horses.. Joking mind you, When I started there were maybe 125 in Mass.. You could be on the road for days and never see another shoeing rig.. Now I see other rigs all the time.. Within 20min of driving time I can hit 5 different farriers Homes..

The hard facing welding rod is the best suggestion.. Stainless is very soft.. 304,308,316,409 all soft... It can be hard faced.. It also does have a tendency to work harden some..

Ah, not quite sure what you mean.. But, just to be clear.. a riding heel is a western style of riding boot with a slanted tapered heel usually designed for the wearing of spurs..

God bless you.. Phew.. Your a man after my own heart.. I show up in heels and the owners want to go for drinks instead of shoeing.. Not that you have to answer as it's a personal question but what are you charging for a New set of size 7's with borium.. Fronts or all 4? I stay away from drafts unless the people have stocks.. I do a ton of mini's now.. a few miniature donkeys and a bunch of show horses and pleasure, both western and english. My specialty is barefoot though started about 20 years ago.. I ran into the guy I apprenticed with this past spring with his new apprentice after not seeing him for 15 years.. 2nd thing out of his mouth was" So I heard you are a barefooter now".. YUP.. Next words" You are such a loser" Why are you wasting your talents with barefoot as you are the finest shoe shaper I've ever known".. Was the proudest moment of my life.. :).. Thankful everyday he shared his gift with me. I learned so much those 3 years and then I learned a wheelbarrow more the next 5.. By the way.. There is a reason you don't see a lot of old aged, football players, boxers. sumo wrestlers. Kickboxers in the professional capacity.. It isn't because they aren't very well skilled.. It's because you simply can't do as much since ya just get slower.. 27 years this year.. as a full time Farrier.. 38 year forging metal.. I am always amazed how old I am getting.. Used to take me 5-8 minutes to trim all 4 feet on say a Morgan or Q horse with size 1 feet or even size 2 feet.. Now it's 10-15min per horse..

Which one? I'm tall for a farrier at 5'11" and as a farrier the shorter the better.. I love what I do with horses and it very rewarding, especially when you take a lame horse and get them healthy again.. and horses are awesome and honest. Some of the best to hang out with and happy to call all my friend..But it isn't for the faint at heart.. There are just easier ways to make a living..

Thats funny.. Before, during and after my 3 year apprenticeship I never thought I would be a farrier either. I did it to add to the title of " General Blacksmith" (ooh, look at me I can do it all).. here i am 27 year later.. Smithing.. all forms of it are far easier than working with sharp tools, slippery feet and awnry horses.. Wresting with a 400+lbs anvil everyday.. Give it a try.. :).. I love my job.. Just not the work.. Or is it the other way around.. I love my work, just not my job??? Guess it depends on the day.. Mind you for the most part. I work on good horses which stand very well.. Usually ground tied, but just the same its a very abusive job simply from position under the horse, the weight you have to carry, the knees being bent deeply, and the back from being all hunched over.. .

first off. this is probably located in the wrong area.. but since I'm here.. It' worth is only what someone is willing to pay for it.. it's not in good condition.. The forge pan is cracked, the tuyere is split apart.. Basically as it sits now it is not usable.. It would need a lot of work.. It was originally designed to work with clay as the forge liner. This was more than likely an Agricultural model vs used in a full time blacksmith shop.. Though it has some size to it so maybe a combination of both though back then most were running brick forges.. I'm sure someone will be along who might have more info.. Buffalo forge I have quite a bit of info on so this isn't in my files..

its like anything the human body is only designed for so many cycles.. Each person has their own limits.. I started smithing at age 10.. by age 16 I dropped out of school because I didn't fit in. wasn't challenged enough. etc, etc.. Anyhow, by the age of 17 I had started forging a lot.. I was in search of knowledge and worked constantly to get better at forging.. Real forging not just mushing iron.. 10+ hours a day as long as I had coal.. I did professional smithing for 8 years.. (professional = making a living full time) i used to spend 10-14hrs a day standing at the anvil forging steel into anything and everything.. Anyhow, I got burnt out.. People Lost vision. I took off 10 years of forging iron. My shoulders and elbows hurt about 2 years after closing up shop though I was still hammering/shaping horse shoes.. The only time my shoulders, elbows and wrists feel any good is after a few days of smithing.. Real forging.. then I can actually raise my arms above my head with full joint rotation.. So, as to anvil height.. It's what works for that person but most people simply get locked into what the anvil is resting on and then it stays that way for 20 years.. Back before I got lazy (when I was smithing full time in my 20's.) I was far from lazy and kept adjusting the anvil height (and leave it that way for months) till I found worked best overall and put that into my main anvil.. The sledging anvil was about 3" shorter in height.. Now with how the anvil and stand are mounted in the trailer I can adjust height both with floor height and I have extra guides on the stand so I can loosen the bolts, slip wood boards underneath and change the height up to 3".. I get 6" usable adjustment but changing floor height so this is 9" of total adjustment.. Perfect for a new student who is looking for the right height.. Which again changes depending on type, and size of materials.. Because of the amount of time I have forging and working moving metal I can tell almost instantly if I like the anvil height or not.. But this also applies to forge, blower and vise height.. Which are just as important. Also power hammer height which most we designed around people born in the 1800's and were much shorter than people today for the most part..

NICE.. That will make a great anvil like object.. Looking forwards to seeing it mounted.. The composite wood bases would work perfectly..

SQ tube also depends on wall thickness.. Different wall thicknesses offer different side profiles.. Steel shot inside the tube is much cleaner Vs sand but not as cheap.. if you use anything loose like sand or shot you have to cap the ends after filling and compacting to get the best side wall support.

I'm with ya.. Funny thing is with being a farrier the blacksmithing is a much easier gig.. If someone wants real crazy try being a farrier..

Thanks Robert... I got a little crazy.. Thanks Kindly.. Heart punch and heart drift.. clean up with rat tail file.. Thanks,, Me too.. Be nice once I can get the brain to get back into focus (it wants more options when only one is correct).. The arms are working well (muscle memory).. but the thought process is still a little slow.. Of course I'm 10 years older so maybe that plays in..

Well after this past week today was a great day to get out in the shop and do some making.. Since I offered to make the forge tools for the NEB group it was a good day to get started.. I made 4 handles all of a different design though 2 share the same concept.. Well maybe 3 if you consider a twist a concept.. The 4th tool was just to have at it and push the boundaries.. Feels good getting the cob webs off the old brain and things are starting to make more sense again.. Lot less hits on the anvil to maintain cadence and lot more work being done at each heat.. Anyhow, I made the 3 rakes today and 4 straight pokers.. The rakes were a lot of fun to make and the last one was especially fun.. a few more forging days and I should be back in pretty good shape.. I'll add the shovels to this thread at another time since I still need to make them.. still not sure on handles.. Shovels can take a little longer to make since I have to make all the parts.. Ah..

Nice job on the rake.. Like the handle and twist design, you spent some time on it cutting in the line in the handle and such.. I find it is less tiring in use with the offset hook maybe you will find the same thing.. In overall reality the handle design (comfortable, plenty of leverage) can play a more important role (straight vs looped) but the tool as a whole makes or breaks the design.. Nice execution.. Thanks so much for sharing..

Excellent work.. Love seeing artistry..

the video is crappily done.. I did it a few years ago to show an online group how to make chain.. Really the best part is the very beginning and the very end where I test the chain I just made.. There is/was actually 2 videos the 2nd one was better.. I actually took off over 10 years from the blacksmithing.. Didn't touch a hammer or anything so the skill set is only now starting to come back.. At this point I have forgotten more than I know. Getting the new trailer up and running will allow for me to have somewhere to work till the shop is up.. anyhow, i"ll make a new video and post it. We'll get you something else to watch..

I posted a video on chain making somewhere.. You tube or else where a few years ago.. Also one on tong making.. Really a lesson is best. I gave a lesson to a guy at the last NEB meet and he got his first forge weld under his belt..

to correct this it just get another nail in the crotch at the split.. there is another nail under the group of S hooks.. Yes it was successful.. Thank.. Thanks.. You'll get there.. keep practicing and a lesson or 2 and you'd have it solid..

Had to test out some new welding flux..Made this from 3/8sq and 1/4" sq.. Few S hooks and nails thrown in for the fun of it..

Sorry if I sound grumpy.. OK.. I'll try this one more time.. Torque is the amount of twisting force as measured in ft lbs, inch pounds, Newton meters so on, and so on.. A lever with a fulcrum.. IE : Balance beam.... 100 lbs at each end with a pivot or fulcrum in the middle with this beam exactly in the middle should be even both sides.. If you don't change where the fulcrum is on the board supporting the 100lbs on each end. But make one side of the board longer.. Now because one side is longer that 100lbs has a greater weight advantage.. This mechanically adds more torque to the area in contact with the pivot and as the stiction is overcome the longer end will start to move towards the ground.. The same is true if we keep the board centered and instead of having 100lbs at each end of the board we have 100lbs at one end, and we put 200lbs at the other end.. Now if the board is 20ft long and we move it from the middle and we move it 10ft towards the 200lbs side the beam with the weight will now be balanced.. but one side will be longer than the other but still in balance.. So, by offsetting the hook to the back side of the shaft.. You are actually moving the pivot point.. While not that far it does add up.. So, again.. it doesn't matter whether the hook is offset or not in use.. But, you can add more torque to the shaft and since the pivot is not moved further along the lever you can put in more less perceived torque when you turn the shaft and get more power at the end.. Vs at a 90D to the shaft.. But, since it's the handle you are holding that can feel good in the hand the hook end plays very little into how your hand feels on the handle and perceived power being put into the handle to turn the rake.. I don't use a rake as my only forge tool.. I use it to shuffle around coke and coal but usually just to pull clinker out, break up large coke lumps but that's about it. Oh and poke holes in the top of the fire.. My recommendations are to make a handle that is comfortable that you can apply ample power (CONTROL) to and it doesn't make your hand tired.. Remember when you work, each items you have to use should enhance the job at hand and not tire you out any more than needed..

Boy, what is a girl to do.. Please go back to the drawings.. The distance from the fulcrum to the point is the difference.. if the handle is in the center.. Or the pivot. then in theory you would gain a small advantage vs a bent 90d straight off the shaft.. Since the fulcrum/pivot point are the same as the center of the shaft.. A bent back and hooked rake has the leverage point behind the pivot instead of in front of it like a 90D poker.. So in theory you have moved the fulcrum more towards the center of the hooked piece vs to one side of the shaft. Okay.. I can see you guys simply don't get it.. While yes, one could say a swept cast iron spoke was done that way to offset some of the forces of the casting cooling.. it's not only castings that were done that way. and it goes way beyond why cast iron has swept spokes.. It also has to do with torque transmission, etc, etc.. . It has to do with how a swept spoke will lead a socket/shaft around vs a straight spoke.. A swept shaft on a handle will pull or push in a straighter action than a straight shaft which will create more of a side load as the shaft center pivot since the handle is mounted to the opposite side.. Really the whole thing is irrelevant.. Just sharing the knowledge but you guys have to be willing to do some homework on your own.. The tire thing works on the same principle.. Anytime you move a pivot onto the other side of a pivot,fulcrum, etc etc.. the force becomes less on the other side.. It will ease the work at hand.. I don't know how to explain it any simpler than I all ready have.. Don't believe me make 2 poker's exactly the same except put the hook on and learn for yourself.. Sorry but really I've had enough of the whole thing.. Make pokers how ever you would like. It's all good.. Sorry, and not to be rude, but this isn't something I find important enough to spend any more time on.. Thanks for all the replies..

Buzzkill, Any luck? I"ve watched old video footage of many a forge being oil fired even back into the 1920's The most recent was of an axe company in Maine that ran into the 60's.. They used oil fired forges.. There has been more technology that has gone to the way side as modern innovation has taken hold.. Funny we still use coal forges, wood forges, gas forges right.. When will a solar forge be developed??? Anyhow, I'd love to see how they used to do it.. I still have a gasoline blow torch which I used to use all the time.. It's only since i moved into the new house that I stopped using it simply because the leather finally wore out on the pump.. I think anything can be safe (lots of things were used for 100years safely) as long as you understand the procedures and/or the assumption of risk is taken into account.. From what I understand, the oil can be be fed via gravity though it is ran through a heat exchanger of sorts before it reaches the fire.. But again I lack 98% of the information to be helpful..

Like Frosty said.. Looks good.. As for the welding heat thing.. You can also use a long straight poker with a flattened end with a little flux on it and as the metals come up to tempurature you can use the straight poker to see where it sticks.. When you get ot the right temp the poker will stick and you will have to twist it off.. Sure sign you are there..

German made Trenton.. I have one in 155lbs... They are a nice anvil.. Enjoy.. Welcome to the group..