Tubalcain2

I don't know who you are, but I agree that Chris a very skilled smith. I have no authority on this forum, but I would ask that you , pureluck, would express your opinions in a kinder way. I hope you do not take offence or see this as a personal attack on you, i just want our forum to stay a friendly place.

i agree w/ Thomas. I happen  to know a blacksmith by that name. was the guy u met tall with brown hair and braces?

I am suffering from acute anvil envy.  congrats on a spectacular find.

i would definitely suggest that you use half inch round for the barbecue fork. that's what I use and it works great. as to the shoe horn, keep in mind that your steel will be considerably wider when u flatten it for the in-the-shoe part. half inch round will be about an inch wide when flattened to an eighth of an inch thick. if you don't think that would be wide enough, i would suggest upsetting the last few inches of half inch stock before u flatten it rather than using larger stock and drawing out the whole handle. without a power hammer, that would be a big job.

jhcc does have a point that drawing out is easier than upsetting, it just depends on how much you have you draw out. personally, I would rather upset 4 inches for the horn then draw out 18 inches of heavy stock for the handle. anyway, that's my 2 cents.

 Where I live there is miles of it, laying end to end on big beams. the hard part is to get out the big nails that hold it there. 

i agree with c-1. (for once)

fishers are cast iron with hc steel top plates. decent anvils, and like frosty said, very quiet.

I use a 3 foot diameter whit oak stump, and it works great. 

that just might be the best anvil you will ever forge on. prepare to have your hammer fly out of your hands and through the roof when u hit it. soderfors have some REBOUND. i have a 160 lb soderfors and the only thing better would be a 260 lb soderfors.  congrats on a beautiful anvil. 

That face is in remarkable shape. may I ask what u payed for her?

looks a lot better than my first project.  way to go.

I have never welded cast iron, but i know an experienced welder who has don it successfully. he said to heat it with an oxy torch before welding and then again afterwords to relieve any stress on the joint. it might be something to look into, anyway.

I have a 160 lb. soderfors and i agree with frosty that they are the best anvils around. the reason they ring so loud is because they are awesome!

I agree with frosty. it is better to save up and get an anvil latter than to go deeper into debt over one. 

I agree that a ss bowl is less than ideal,but I think it would work if it was lined right.truth is, u can make a forge out of  almost anything if u insulate it enough. my very first forge was a 24 gauge ss grill lid lined w/ mud. ideal? no. good? no. workable? ubetcha. anyway, tha'ts my 1.5 cents.

cast iron rusts to easy to use as an outdoor ornament . maybe a paperweight.

awesome find! that anvil is a beauty.  

if you are using regular mixing bowl i would make your cement at least 1.5'' thick. if you use something heavy like a break drum u can git away w/ less or none at all. 

I have never tried ref cement with stainless, but i don't think they would bond. does anyone else know?

refractory cement works great. just make sure u don't use the cheap stuff. you want it rated for 2500 deg. at the very least but the higher the better.

next to a hammer an oxy torch might be the most versatile tool you will ever own. definitely get one. unless, off course, you want to be the least efficient blacksmith on the planet.   

Emersons are heat treated all the way through. That's a stink'in nice anvil.Just make sure you don't hit it with a hammer or anything. You don't want to bruise it.;]