Derek Melton

I am beginning the build of a TA Toler style 20 ton mini hydraulic forging press. One of my specific goals for this process is to use it to forge a larger rounding hammer for myself. I don't often have a striker available so I'm hoping this Press will help. Anyone else out there use one of these small presses in hammer making? If so any advice pictures or other information would be appreciated. I plan on making dies that are mirror images of my top tools used in hammer making. The attached picture is not my press but one I found on the Internet and similar to what I'm planning. Quote

I am beginning the build of a TA Toler style 20 ton mini hydraulic forging press. One of my specific goals for this process is to use it to forge a larger rounding hammer for myself. I don't often have a striker available so I'm hoping this Press will help. Anyone else out there use one of these small presses in hammer making? If so any advice pictures or other information would be appreciated. I plan on making dies that are mirror images of my top tools used in hammer making. The attached picture is not my press but one I found on the Internet and similar to what I'm planning.

I have a small, one burner propane forge that I've been using off and on for about 15 years. Lately, as I've gotten deeper into blacksmithing work I've been perturbed by the amount of propane I believe I'm wasting. I've started to turn the gas off as I reach to take the work out. Once the forge is up to heat, it will easily re-light itself with a quick turn on the tank knob and it doesn't seem that I lose too much heat. I'm curious, does anyone else forge in this manner? I know traditional coal forges conserve coal by simply lowering the air flow into the fire. I was tired of just burning propane while hammering and walking away from the forge.

I started 'beating the bushes' to try and find anvils about 2 months ago. Since that time I've collected 3 very nice anvils for a total of 4 in my possession now. My original anvil was an 81lb Peter Wright, then I found a 125lb Kohlswa, then a 126lb Sisco Superior and just yesterday a 130lb Peter Wright. I simply started asking around. I bought some scrap metal for a hyrdraulic press and the guy had an anvil tucked away. I bought some forge parts from another guy and asked him and he knew a guy who had one, etc. Just ASK everyone you know. EVERYONE.

I'm in Central Mississippi.

Cleaning up nice. It has a really cool patina if it has a swayback it's very very slight

I think this green had faded some, there was a layer under it and a white layer under that. This thing has a VERY loud ring to it once I placed it on a couple of cypress blocks. The edges are fairly rounded but uniformly so. I rarely need a very sharp edge and have another anvil with sharp edges if I do. The rebound got significantly stronger on the cypress stand as well. It's a keeper for sure.

Went to a scrap yard to try and find a forklift tine to turn into a striking anvil and the owner showed me an anvil he said he had been keeping aside for himself to eventually try blacksmithing. He recently got bad news about his health so he said it was time to part with it. Marked 1-0-18 and painted a hideous green it looked to be in great shape. I asked him a price and he said 300$. I jumped on it and decided to inspect it closer on the way home. Rings loud and true, sends a ball bearing back into my hand. I'm in the process of stripping the paint and so far I see no areas where the multiple layers of paint was covering a flaw. I think I got lucky here at $2.30/lb.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/31181-brazeal-style-hammer-round-stock-questions/ Thanks That was the thread. I just made a 1.75 rounder this week in Lyle Wynn's tool making class. For my first hammer I'm wanting to make a larger one. I'm going to start with 4.5 inches of 2 inch thick 4150 hydraulic shaft. I've got a 13yr old son that is going to strike for me. I've been having him practice on driving a rail spike into an old stump. So far he's hitting way more than he's missing.

Thanks, I'm wanting a 4lb(ish) rounding hammer and I think I'd need 2 inch diameter by 4.5 inches long....

I stumbled across a post the other day about the appropriate size billet and length/diameter billet to use to come up with a particular size rounding hammer, I believe there was a formula does anyone know where this is?

Yeah, I kinda figured. However, if someone wants to trade me a Nimba made in the USA anvil for one of these sorry Swedes, I'm all ears.

That's the first time I've ever heard that. Interesting perspective.

Yes! I was fortunate enough to be able to buy them both. I paid 2ish-3$ per/lb for them. The Kohlswa had the top resurfaced in hard welding rod, it was done well, the corners and the face are both good and the rebound/ring is excellent. My only complaint is that whoever did the repair on the Kohlswa didn't keep the hardy hole clean so I've got some work to do there. The Sisco was in excellent condition minus one 4 inch long chip on one edge, which is fine, it's since been radiused and cleaned to give me a nice soft radius on one side. I believe the SISCO came from a farm somewhere in south Louisiana, I've read that SISCO's were imported into either New York or New Orleans in the early 1900's.

I've had an old 81lb Peter Wright for about 15 years or so. After a long hiatus from forging I decided it was time to get back into it and felt I'd like a larger anvil. I put feelers out and was very fortunate to come into two new-to-me anvils, a 125lb Kohlswa with a really nicely reworked face and a 126lb SISCO Superior Swedish anvil. The two anvils are nearly identical with the SISCO being slightly larger in length and width of the face. Anyone out there have experience with SISCO anvils? I can find little info on Google but I did find an interesting flyer out of an old catalogue for the brand. Here they are. Left to right, SISCO, Kohlswa, PW.