Lou L

You can do some mokume gane (nonferrous/precious metal pattern welding) with quarters or half dollars. Welding quarters is pretty cheap, actually legal but can be tricky. The outcome is a small, pattern welded billet you can make nice jewelry with. If you are using a propane forge it is pretty straight forward compared to using coal.

I think,you misunderstood me. I've been resisting the urge to proclaim this generation "qualitatively different" for some time and assumed the situation was exactly what you said. In other words, I have been trying to believe the same exact thing you posted...that it's just a case of generational nearsightedness...older people just not adapting to the newer generation or forgetting they were the same way those years ago. Total and heartfelt apologies for the poor wording! It sounds crass now that I go back and read it. I was trying to say that I agreed with you for years but that my experience as a teacher/coach and subsequent research has changed my views. Dont worry about your persona...it is fully intact. I've just threatened my own! I'm on a tear lately about this issue and the devastating decline in executive function skills in the youth of the Western world. Other countries have recognized the issue and some have even created old school playgrounds with broken down cars, rope swings and fire pits and don't allow parents to enter so kids can develop normally. In the US, however, parents get arrested for letting their kids walk alone a half mile to the playground.

Frosty, I've been trying to believe what you posted for years now. But it seemed like, each year, students and athletes I worked with were more focused on the trappings of success and less willing to work for them. They wanted to be celebrated and were actually upset when they didnt get constant feedback telling them they were awesome. Soon thereafter parents started showing up making excuses for their child's deplorable behavior, arguing for their varsity letter despite the fact they were not athletically successful and otherwise championing them mindlessly. It was then that I started reading and researching. Turns out that there is a mountain of evidence that environmental factors including sociopolitical, economic, etc...have changed the personality traits (in general) of the generations. It has been measured in a variety of studies and validated that the current generation of young adults are twice as likely to be narcissists. Another longitudinal study of children from ages 9 through their teens identified "parental overvaluation" (child worship essentially) as the direct predictor of narcissistic traits later on. I totally agree the younger generations have always inspired the ire of the older. Ancient Greek scholars complained about the laziness of the youth in their time! I think that a lot of the complaining about the youth (including mine) comes from the place Frosty described. But they are different. Similar to Notown's experience, my friends who do a lot of hiring are having a hard time with the twenty somethings in their workplaces. I was just told of an interview in which my friend asked the first generic question his company (GE) uses to start interviews: "Where do you see yourself in this company in five years?" The girls's response (a young engineer) was, "In five years Im going to have your job." He responded, "I've been in this company for 28 years, what tells you that you can get this high up in five?" "In college I learned things that prepared me to do your job better." She was serious. They interviewed 400 people to fill engineering positions and had to settle on the best ten they could find. They were only truly happy with half of those. That one girl was the rule, not the exception according to my friend. Im not being alarmist. I'm just saying that this generation is demonstrably different from the previous. They actually have a number of strengths as well. There is a whole field of research in Generational Differences designed to help organizations successfully manage people based upon their generational biases. You can check out a really intriguing chart comparing the last three generations here: http://www.wmfc.org/uploads/GenerationalDifferencesChart.pdf I think maybe the internet has made us all a bit more impatient and yet it has provided us more information than we could ever digest. My apologies for prattling on but this is a topic that gets me excited! As a teacher I am particularly close to the topic because I see the disconnect between my student's home life and public life daily and I think it's a topic that needs a voice

There are a number of of threads about testing mystery steel. Google up "spark testing" and prepare for some very non-specific information gathering. You likely have lots of tong material there...and the big rectangular cube could have any number of uses: small upsetting block or anvil, base for the post leg on a vise, etc... If you plan to make something of consequence that requires heat treating then you are gambling. You would have to do some experimental quenches using oil, water and air....file test it...break test it....temper it....break test it....rinse...repeat. Im most definitely not trying to dissuade you from using the steel. In fact, it something sparks like it may have decent carbon in it I think you MUST experiment with quench and temper just because it's an amazing learning experience. The mistakes you will make! I've only done the process once just for the doing of it (I was making a punch) and it was the best bang for the buck learning experience I've had so far in the forge.

Not to steal a curmudgeon's thunder but... my 25 years of coaching and/or teaching have lead me to the realization that instant gratification and learned helplessness are the new norm. I always take the risk at the start of every school year and tell my new students that they have been lied to by their past teachers and possibly their parents. "The lie," I tell them, "is that there IS such a thing as a stupid question." There is actually shock on their faces when I say it. Often students tell me that a teacher should never say such a thing. I go on, after their agitation subsides, to explain what a stupid question actually is. My definition: A stupid question is one you don't endeavor to answer yourself before you ask it. I get some pretty hilarious responses after that. I once had a boy laugh out loud and proclaim that he must ask an awful lot of stupid questions. I had one student argue that I should change the term to "lazy question" because "stupid" was a loaded term and wasn't quite accurate. It was a well laid out argument but I was steadfast in my resolve, explaining that the appearance of stupid created by asking such questions was just as damning as actual stupidity.

I am quite certain that your husband would be overjoyed with any sizeable anvil you acquired for him. I, too, desired a behemoth anvil when I was in my long hunt for one. But, when I laid my eyes on my 150# Isaac Hill sitting on the floor in a tiny thrift shop I fell in love. Because your husband doesn't have any biases (because he is new to the craft) he will be overjoyed with his anvil..and the first time he shapes metal with it he will be in love. As long as it doesn't turn out to be one of the aforementioned ASO's that dents and dings easily, his love for it will only grow. I imagine it would take a very long time for him to develop tastes and needs that will have him looking elsewhere for another anvil. If you were buying for an experienced smith I would preach caution. But for a new guy...not so much. If he comes home to find a sizeable anvil sitting in his shop area he will go nuts. Never mind the fact that he is such a lucky man to have an awesome wife who buys him an anvil! It sounds like you have some great new anvil options near you that should be hard to pass up. Don't fret about the size so much. Those sub 200# anvil options described above are perfect. You know your husband best, though, and if he is single-minded about the size of the anvil you may have to increase your budget.

Don't bother with the flap disk again. It is more harmful to your anvil, by far, than a little rust. Every particle of metal you remove from the thin, high carbon surface is irreplaceable. Instead, just coat it with a little automatic transmission fluid if you want to protect it. Then use it. Grease would probably make a mess on your tools, clothes and your work pieces. There is also no need to use acid on your anvil. It is not galvanized and doesn't need to be etched. It would likely just damage the anvil. All you need to do is oil it and then use it. If appearance matters to you hit it with a wire wheel before you oil it.

Although I'm one of the new people to the craft I can reasonably argue that the television shows weren't the impetus for my interest in smithing. I fell in love with it years ago at my friend's forge on his family farm. However, I was certainly reminded of the desire to build my own shop. However, I think it is safe to say that, in a year or two, there will be a number of dusty anvils and other equipment looking for a home. The trick will be waiting until those guys realize that they bought high and become willing to take a loss selling the stuff taking up room in their yard or garage. Angry wives may be the number one driving force behind the drop in prices!

Frosty, forgot to tell you....I fit the cutoff to the hardy so that it settles in tight about 2/3 of the way up the shaft. The cutting edge sits almost 3" above the surface of the anvil. I guess I was hoping that would be enough.

It just blows my mind how much stuff blacksmiths covet is just lying around unused and unloved. I drove past a place for two months not seeing the 200# or more anvil he had sitting on a dolly in front and sold for $275 the day before I stopped in. Right in plain sight....

Really nice lines. I love the smooth, rounded eye section. Put and edge on it and show us what it can cut!

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about clawing but I have read people describing mixes they make with regular clay, sand and other aggregates like pearlite or something else. I don't have specifics but I know it has been described on IFI in the past. This is a recent one: Claying a forge

I drove right past them (20 minutes off the highway anyway) during the summer but they were closed so I had to drive on home. I can't see their prices online though. The website doesn't work well on mobile...my phone or iPad. Some of the links to pages won't work. I'll check it out later on a computer, thanks.

If that is a real chunk of a 4x4 lying next to it then it looks to be over 14" tall...at least. If you used a pair of calipers on a printed picture of it you have a way to make a decent estimate of its size. That would tell a lot about the weight.

It sounds to me like you just might be a first class scrounged already or are very lucky. Either way, I think you have a leg up on the game! I'm jealous about that coal price for sure....to the point of skeptical. If it is home heating coal then it is anthracite. Those are the normal prices I would expect to see for heating coal.

Beowulf, you will find that almost everyone here has spent a life focused on things other than blacksmithing despite the fact that it is what they truly love. Welcome to the club. Having spent years in college studying the classics (including having read Beowulf...snicker snack...) I can understand. But know all things happen for a reason. Enjoy the journey.

That's more than "nice"...it's otherworldly! Congrats.

The type of coal matters. If you have access to bituminous coal your plans are on solid footing. A brake drum forge will get you started in a matter of weeks or less if you have the time and desire. But if you are looking into anthracite coal (and I'm guessing you are because you said it is inexpensive), then you will find that a hand crank blower won't work. Anthracite needs constant air with decent pressure to keep it burning. I use anthracite with a side blast forge and love it. Plenty of people use it on bottom blast forges as well. Either way, using bituminous and anthracite are completely different beasts. Don't focus on acquiring a hand crank blower if you are planning on using anthracite. Instead , start looking for bounce house blowers, old furnace draft inducers or any other blowers with good static pressure. Look for low decibels (less than 60 is my wheelhouse). You will also need an air gate no matter what. having two anvils already puts you ahead of most of the pack, congrats! Enjoy the hunt for gear!

That's a great anvil. I love my Hill anvil and am so jealous you have one that heavy. I want it to go with my 150#! It's a great anvil and is ready to go to work. If I remember correctly the Hill family was all in the metal business. I can't remember the details of who did what but I think there is a thread about it buried somewhere on IFI. Oh yeah, welcome to the forum! Add your location in your profile and do a little intro of yourself on the welcome page.

Hi and welcome to IFI. This is a great place to learn but be prepared. You will be told to get a beverage and do some hours of reading. You will also be scolded for not practicing safe smithing. Be honest about what you are doing and take your punishment if it happens...the curmudgeons don't like when people eliminate themselves from the hobby. Before you buy a forge do some serious fuel consideration. What is available and within your budget. You can make any coal work with the right design. Charcoal or raw wood works as well. Propane is also an option. Figure out what you can get readily and then get the forge that works with it. You will also want to think seriously about building your own simple forge to get started. You will understand forges in general when you do the leg work and building on your own (with help from this site). Plus, the scrounging you will have to do for materials is the perfect education you will need for smithing in your area. You need to make connections. So, before the curmudgeons jump in here and get cranky pile on more information: What fuel will you use? What do you intend to make? How much room will you have? What other equipment do you have? Etc.... You will quickly learn like I did that the forge, while important, is not as critical as much of your other gear. Having good, safe tongs designed for the stock you will be using is more important. You can get metal hot in any number of ways. You certainly want to enjoy using your forge and it should get quite hot without making you miserable. You also want it to hold the stock you intend to use. However, it shouldn't break the bank. Let an anvil, hammers, tongs and a vise do that for you.

It's really gorgeous. Blows my mind the amazing anvils people are parading through here lately. I need to go a' huntin'.... I want to be in the cool crowd that gives Frosty anvil envy. Speaking of Frosty, his passion for those Soderfors will bring him here sooner than later and you will get some knowledgeable feedback on its authenticity.

It looks to me like a cavalry sword...likely from some Southeast Asian colonial holding of England. I have officially spoken from that place which cannot be named.

It sure feels stout! It definitely presents itself as sturdy and "blockish". I'm now converse need that I should disassemble it, clean it and then put it back together. I don't want to lubricate it over the old crud even if it is only a small amount. Plus, deep down I'd like to find some identifying marks or characteristics. Thanks for the lubrication advice all! This is one situation where learned no the hard way does not make for a good lesson.

Agreed, and trust me, I have learned a TON from others. I just tend to like to test the things I learn in order to figure out the "why" of it. I'm not a fan of "how to" information. I like to make it actionable knowledge...and that requires knowing what to do, what not to do and why both are true. I could easily just spend the bucks on some H13 because I have learned that it is amazing for tools that spend a lot of time touching hot work. But isn't it better for me to try out a bunch of different metals and see what makes one better than the other. That knowledge could fuel some other decision I make on an unrelated project years later. So I am always willing to do something the "wrong" way even after being taught otherwise.

Got a post vise today! The guy asked $100 for it, I asked if he was willing to go any lower and he suggested $80. I know that they are often unmarked by the manufacturers but I would love to find out the maker. It weighs 60# and is 40.5" tall. The leg is slightly bent so it may have been 41" when it was new. The worm gear definitely needs some grease....I'm considering taking it apart to give it a check up.