ThomasD

My brother’s girlfriend’s grandfather was a blacksmith here in Victoria, Australia. My brother, a carpenter and furniture maker found this lovely railroad track anvil in the house once owned by his girlfriend’s grandparents. Nobody knows where his gear ended up, but for one reason or another this little piece survived. I love the little step, and the sway that seems to indicate that it had been well used. Would I be wrong in thinking that it looks like it could be wrought iron? Anyway, thought you all might enjoy having a look at it. Cheers.

Cathy, I really like your sculpture. Tiger reminds me of one of my dogs, Ada. She is half kelpie and half blue heeler, her ears are the shape of a kelpie but she is stocky and strong like a heeler. You can really see that Tiger is a heeler in this sculpture. And I think what you've really managed to capture is the expression of a sheep dog, the way they wait in anticipation, you can see the intelligence in their eyes. Well done. Tom.

Yeah mate, don't grind it, don't weld on it, just use it and enjoy it. You have a better anvil than most beginners and you've acquired some tongs and hammers in the process. Time to stop worrying and start learning and enjoying. Good luck.

It is hard to say from that, or any photo. What is the asking price? Are you able to obtain photos emphasising the condition of the face? Without testing it out in person it is not possible to say how much rebound is left on the face. That being said, PWs are good anvils and 75kg will certainly be sufficient, so if the price is right and there is enough life left in it, it could suit you well.

For $4/lb I think you should definitely wait for an anvil in better shape.

I couldn't agree with you more Thomas; you can never have too many clamps.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. As I mentioned, I always intend to add a lip, I just want to feel it out first to get an idea of high high I want it, what material etc.. An extension of the 'measure twice, cut once' philosophy. It's easier to weld on than remove. As Thomas Powers said above: Kozzy, I actually think that is a fantastic idea. Well done.

Hey everyone, I'm a bit of a lurker here, having only posted once or twice before. I thought I should contribute to the content as I use the forum a lot for inspiration, ideas and information and find it extremely useful. This is my improved rivet forge. My blacksmith friend from up in the high country who I obtained the blower and stand from had already welded the feet on, which I think is a great, simple improvement on the original splayed feet. It's very sturdy. A friend and I spent the afternoon putting together the new fire pot and surface. The fire pot is 250mm x 200mm at the top, 100mm x 100mm at the bottom and is 125mm deep. The surface is 550mm in diameter. (10"x8" top, 4"x4" bottom, 5" deep, 21" dia) The construction is all 5mm thick mild steel with the exception of the 100 x 100 bottom plate which is 10mm. It is TIG welded together. The blower is a buffalo forge co. number 210. It may look a little rough but it runs beautifully. I'm not really interested in cleaning things up for aesthetic appeal, though I admire it when others do it well. I have quite a small shop in an old shed in the bush, so the rivet forge serves me well. I intend to put a lip around the edge in sections for banking fuel up against but decided I would use it for a while first and decide exactly where I want them to be as to not block the steel's path to lay flat. I want to feel it out a bit first. For the moment I use charcoal that I make from off cuts of Australian hardwoods. I'm happy with the way it turned out and the fire burns beautifully. Thanks for looking. I'm interested in hearing your feedback and suggestions. Cheers, TD.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the info, Frosty. TD

Hello everyone, I often enjoy browsing this forum for tips, inspiration and to have a look at the gear people make and acquire, but this is my first time posting. I got an interesting hammer today from an old fella who lives down the road here in the central goldfields of Victoria, Australia. I would describe it as a forward weighted ball pein I suppose. It weighs roughly 2.8kg (6 pounds) and measures 200mm (8") in length and 50mm (2") across the face. There appears to have been a makers mark at some stage that has since worn away. I just wondered if anyone has come across one like it before. The second image is where I believe a makers mark once was. I should have placed something in the photos for scale as it is much bigger than it appears there. Thanks, T