Charcold

I think initially he posted trying to advertise, i'm sure every other forum on the net that's blacksmithing related got a similar thread. If you want to make a successful channel in this day and age you need to rise above the chaff, not tell people "they don't understand the common man". Not that basic videos are inherently pointless, there's just so darn many of them already.

One nice thing is if anyone from the site ever makes a proper how-to video they have a link to a poorly done one ready to go to provide an example of what not to do!

A wire wheeling never seems to hurt any anvil. If you can get numbers off of the anvil, especially after wire wheeling, you may get an exact year ID and/or maker.

For sure one of the cooler looking forge shells i've ever seen.

if it's in good shape 2$/lb for that mousehole in my area is a steal. thats a common price for "lesser brand" anvils around here, so for a mousehole it would be very nice. If it were me I would have a contingent with the seller that he's willing to drop down the price if there is notable damage. It would suck to waste hours digging out an anvil that's near useless from being used as a cutting table or with a cracked heel.

I am lucky to have our almost 200 year old homestead as my "scrap pile". Most of the barns were built and filled between 1920 and 1950, and we're left as is in the 80s when my grandfather retired from farming. On my last trip down I finally got to the barn room that holds all the scrap old snowmobiles, in a rack on the wall that i've overlooked my whole life was a lifetime supply of 1/2" rebar in 20 foot sticks. Must be at least 100 of them. Turns out my grandpa over-ordered when he did all of the concrete in the 70s and they've sat inside and dry since then. Also had about 30 feet of a 1.5" braided cable that I can use at will but it's quite rusty and would need to be unwound and cleaned before I gave welding it a go.

cool use of something most people might overlook, I may give these a go at some point!

I don't see anything "wrong" with a rebar youtube video, that's why there are LOTS of them already on the site. I don't see any that have a rebar to mild steel comparison or short description about where to get both and what sizes to use. Not to mention a video with rebar, mild steel, and a high quality steel for a 3 way comparison. But this is your choice, as i said cheap and dirty only videos are abundant, its up to you if you want to set your channel apart of slowly grab your market share of the saturated market. Given that your tongs look quite nice you could even do a follow up video introducing one of the more important black smith concepts, make a tool to make a tool. Or make a pair of mild steel tongs then compare using them both and show some differences.

I've seen similar techniques used by fantasy writers. They cant be asked to do 6 months research to get specifics down for blacksmithing or the properties of a magical weapon, so they post their idea to a forum and let people who know brainstorm it. I'm sure this is common with many authors, and video platforms like youtube are the modern book even though they are more analogous to pamphlets with the limited information they contain sometimes.

When you decide you want to make a new blacksmithing video, post the subject here first. Something like: "I am going to make a video on mounting a railroad anvil, what type of information do you all think would be key for beginners? What have you seen too much of already? What haven't you seen discussed at all?" etc. Then people can give you bullet points to potentially include onto your videos such as , alternative anvils, optimal track anvils, proper knuckle height testing and how to tell when your anvil is too low or high (such as back pain in a specific location), tools required for certain jobs at the start of the video, a shot of the finished product at the start of the video, resources for more in depth discussion that can be linked, literature to potentially buy and read, etc. To put it bluntly, there are a LOT of people who are beginners that are not qualified to give advice without referencing a lot of sound material from experts. If i made videos I'd certainly be guilty of this as well. I and most people simply don't have the expertise to post videos and be anything but common, the market is heavily saturated with these video channels already. If you are serious about taking your video channel farther, you need to do quite a bit of upfront research, draw on experts, and make small tweaks such as a tripod and potentially more editing. If you simply want to make videos that fit into a largely saturated market, you're not going to see much success, that's the way it is. You can't just open a pizza joint in New York without a niche that puts you above all the other 12 places on the block. Now a civility check on myself, I apologize for being rude in my first post. To be quite honest by the time I re-read it it was beyond the edit window. I was going to change "The main gripe I have with this video is that it spreads the idea that track anvils such as yours are worthwhile" to "spreads the idea that track anvils such as yours are the best use of the material and time it takes to make them." (Borrowed and lightly edited.)

You don't seem to actually take criticism very well, so this will be my last post in the thread. What I was specifically saying is that using the EXACT same supplies (a piece of track and an angle grinder) you could have made a better anvil. If you didn't make your anvil at all that changes things a bit, but a video on a vertically mounted track would have been better. All of your points on beginners being able to try this hobby cheaply have nothing to do with what i said at all, i'm talking about a change of plans with the same supplies, not putting any more money into it. I noticed in your video you talked about sourcing track and other supplies for free from people you know, that's a great piece of advice. But any beginner who thinks after seeing your "anvil" that they should replicate it, because you offered zero alternatives, will be heading down a less effective path that could be easily corrected. If you read up a bit on the history of the discussion of railroad anvil generally and the amount of misinformation that's attached to that subject you may start to see where negativity on the subject comes from. But overall if you want to post cheap and dirty content dont expect praise for it, that's not a mean spirited statement, in the youtube world there is a place for cheap and dirty DIY videos they're quite popular and can help get people started down the right path. This just isn't a forum where less than ideal information goes unchecked, that's all. this just seems like you didn't understand me in the slightest. i didn't mean to suggest spending any more money than i assumed you spent.

What I was saying specifically is that you could have done better with just a change of design, and then suggested a way to get more valuable info into your videos to separate you from a lot of the "this railroad track anvil is all you need" videos, which are VERY abundant. You clearly put in some time grinding and cutting, putting that same time into a vertically mounting piece of rail you could have done better. For someone to make a railroad anvil like you did it tells me you didn't research outside of youtube, that flies quite well on youtube, but it will get you negative attention on this site. If you looked into making a railroad anvil you'd have seen many people saying not to do what you did. But, you did NOT grind out a perfect horn, so you didn't put an excess of time in. To speak frankly however, I'm curious what your intentions are long term for your youtube channel and blacksmithing in general. To put it plainly, you posted a cheap and dirty guide on a blacksmithing forum, which is bound to get negative attention. I'm not trying to be mean, I just want to see less videos on youtube with what i've found personally to be misinformation, as there is a LOT of it out there. We get many visitors to the site that have been told a lot of wrong info, i was one of them. Which presents an interesting situation, a new person gets "yelled at" for information they are just passing along from a bad source. It looks to me that you're trying to build a brand somewhat with your youtube videos, I suggest you do this by doing a lot of research before projects as in my view cheap and dirty youtube channels are a very dense market.

The main gripe I have with this video is that it spreads the idea that track anvils such as yours are worthwhile. I'm sure that anvil took you quite some time, between the angled cuts and grinding for the "horn" and cutting out the webbing underneath the anvil and making that hardy hole. All time that could have been spent making a far more usable tool. Don't take this too hard, but youtube is full of "DIY railroad track anvil" tutorials by a LOT of people who likely haven't even spent a year using one. This to me is akin to asking someone how they like a certain car the day after they drive it off the lot. See here for a potentially new design if u want to make a 2nd anvil: Another good idea would be to mention the wide range of other anvil substitutes that can work as well or better than railroad track such as seen here. From what i've read almost any large chunk of non-cast iron will beat out a track anvil that's laid down. On end i generally the preferred method and the method i used for my first anvil.

Not to derail the topic, but just a curious question of mine. This anvil and a few other Fisher's ive seen have what looks to be a gusset underneath the heel. Any info on this feature generally? Why more anvil makers didn't strengthen under the heel on london pattern anvils? etc It just seems like a smart addition, but i'm guessing either the forging of it is incredibly difficult or that it hampers the functionality of the anvil by making use of the pritchel/hardy more cumbersome. Anyhoo, nice anvil for sure!

I personally would want something like the Le Pig anvil, just because casting gives you a unique opportunity to make something you'll likely never be able to buy. I would also guess that a mold without the feet with a consistent overall thickness may give you a pricebreak, but I know nothing about mold making or quoting such things.

The whole thing comes off like a power trip. I mean most people, regardless of skill level, can't just "go pro". Being a professional who smiths for a living is incredibly difficult and takes a lot of work and a deal of luck. But coming from another hobby, disc golf, where really bad form is present in beginners: there's nothing you can't fix with practice and patience. I've seen people who couldn't drive a disc more than 50 feet and their form looked as bad as im sure this guy's hammer swinging form was. After some instruction they progress quickly.

From a handmade wares table I like to see prices as well, if for no other reason than avoiding offending someone by offering less than their material cost let alone the labor. From a junk seller at a local flea market, no prices means a potential bargain is in play. I just pray that I ask "how much is this" and I hear back "well, i'm not sure since i don't know what it is". I bought a pair of "black smith tongs" that were actually farriers clippers, which i got a discount on for educating the seller.

The thing is when you say "but I got to get help from somewhere" that's not exactly what's happened here. You've ignored or discounted MORE advice than you've followed. And as people have said this is a blog about school and work, not rebar tongs. In my estimation, and i could be off, you seem like the type of person who cannot follow a plan. you NEED for it to be your design, your way. This will lead you into a lot of projects that don't turn out. If you made the box of dirt and it didn't work its because you didn't follow the directions perfectly. The pipes too big or small. the blower is too big or small. the parts u used arent the kind listed, etc. Much like a recipe you can't make substitutions on the fly and hope it turns out the same. If you're making fried chicken you can't use rib eye. realistically i REALLY think you need to read a book on blacksmithing. that has been clear since you said you plan to cast your own power hammer base.

This whole thread is starting to look like an angry ex member of the site that's come back to troll the community. I don't normally put on my tinfoil hat and get into conspiracy theories but even as a young man when i was seemingly allergic to good advice i'd have never blown through this many suggestion. u couldn't find wrenches so you took a torch to it? Box of dirt nightmare? Good gracious... It's literally this simple: find a design, follow it to a T. That's it. If i read the "i can't spend" excuse one more time... In my estimation you've already wasted a pile of money ignoring advice and being bullheaded. You can't afford 5$ components but already have a pallet of coal delivered? I'm no expert, far from it, but I do know one thing. Do what others have shown to work before you. Reinventing the wheel just causes you to spend too much in the end, wasting time going in circles.

+1 for leaf springs, or even lawnmower blades. Flattening out a spike for your first project is a good way to hurt your shoulder that's not yet in shape for that much repeated hard pounding, source: my shoulder after my first project. or simply get a piece of round stock, make a square taper on one end, square section in the middle for a twist, round taper on the other end, and make an s hook. that's about the first 5 lessons on the ABANA program all in one project. And you'll have a hook to hang you 2nd project on, the coal rake.

My best advice for knifemaking, especially ones you plan on using for something like hunting and such, resist the urge to make a knife for as long as you can, within reason. Burn through about 10-20 projects that aren't knives, specifically geared towards beginners and teaching how you make certain shapes. How you heat metal properly, what temperatures to work it at, how to hold and swing your hammers, what part of the anvil to work off of, how to use tooling in your forge to work on less heats, how to remain safe when forging, etc. There are a good number of books that walk you step by step through this process, I have Art of Blacksmithing and Complete Modern Blacksmith, both titles are great and have good diagrams with projects. If you don't want to buy a book the ABANA Hand Controlled Forging program is available in PDF free online. I'm still quite the newb myself, but looking at the forums and seeing people say "this is my first project" and post a knife that looks like a prison shank, but worse, makes me cringe. Compare that to beginners who post actual attainable beginner projects, hooks, coal rakes, plant hangers, nails, etc. Not only does their work look better earlier, which builds confidence, but learning itself has a curve. The quicker and more efficient you learn basic lessons the faster you'll progress.

have you posted your design? or are you copying one from online?

It seems like you're on a strict budget, usually with 20$ or so to put into the hobby at a time. And it seems like you not listening on multiple occasions has cost you extra money in pipes, blowers, etc. My suggestion: post your exact budget, post exactly what you have currently, then wait for people to tell you exactly what to do to get up and running. then follow it exactly. Otherwise you're destined to keep wasting money on bad forge designs or bad blowers. for instance, most secondhand stores sell blow dryers for like 2-3$, and you spent 20$ on a heat gun that won't work for your forge. Now you're talking about modifying it, which could ruin it. we're on page 13 and you don't have a forge yet. that may be why people are calling this a blog.

To add to that, I've researched farrier schools in my area and they seem both affordable and incredibly worth it. They not only cover basic smithing and farrier techniques but more importantly teach you the business side of it all.

I wish you success, but i'd feel irresponsible if i didn't say your plan seems unformed and short sighted. If you're just blowing off teenage steam and not going to do some of these things I get that. But if you think dropping out of school to hopefully bail enough hay and find people who need blacksmithing work done is a good life plan you may be in for a very rude awakening. At the very least draw up some kind of business plan, research how to price items and figure out what items are demanded in your area. My guess is horseshoes are NOT one of them.