Hotshoein4 (Mark)

As said, auctions are hit and miss. How much is this anvil going go cost? How much money are you going to miss out on at work? That has to be factored in the price of the anvil as well. If you dont end up with the anvil, you missed out on making a bunch of money at work. It's a gamble, but I feel missing work and paying a fair price for it is probably going to be more expensive. Your call.

Yes, definitely going to need a long soak in the forge. What do you do for tempering?

What's your plan for heat treating it?

A torch works great. Easier than a forge. Just keep working at it. And do NOT hit that stuff with a hammer or against your anvil. Messes them up in a hurry.

Lol!!!!!!

You'd have to temper it too or it would be brittle and break. Quite honestly, I wouldn't bother heat treating. I made one from mild steel and it even works fine. Forge and let air cool. It'll work just fine

Maybe look for some 4140 or 1045. I know there's places all over the states that sell hammer size stock of that stuff

I guess I'm different than others, but I like the got go to a point. I use a point a lot. A very handy tool really. And some sharp edges on an anvil are also super handy. I've done several things that need a sharp edge. Start with a sharp edge and a point in your anvil and decide if you need it or not. You'll find them both very handy

I would do 1" straight square through

Depends on what you're going to be making. The size of material? I find wolf jaw tongs pretty handy. They make them in different sizes as well. There's a lot of different kinds of tongs. You'll need to be a bit more specific

Little keychain for the mother inlaw for Christmas. The rose ended up a little taller than i would've liked, but I works.

@JustAnotherViking, that was a good morning chuckle. Also, so true!

Yes use flux! You can use borax, or there's a product called iron mountain flux. It has iron in it and it makes forge welding super easy. I've had no bad experiences with it. Down side is, it costs a lot more than a box of mule team. Flat stock works well to start with. Make rungs out of them. And after welding, and cooled, they will ring if welded. If not, it's just a thud.

Figure out how much you have in materials. Then in your heating source. Then wear and tear on your equipment. Then, wear and tear on your body. Then, your other overhead costs. Health insurance, rent, educational time spent learning how yo do things. Liability insurance. How much is your time worth hourly. Also dont rule out any drive time. Wear and tear on your vehicle. Insurance. Fuel. There's more for sure. Think of all the small costs that go into making things and incorporate that into your price also. Also price depends on location. Pretty pricey towards the end. Don't be scared to charge. People will pay it. Best advice I got 12 years ago was "charge them until you like them". Believe it or not, it works. People appreciate hand made things. Also, some peoples thoughts are, if it costs more, it must be a great product!

@lazyassforge that is sweet!

I do this on leaves. Makes them look like fall in the Midwest. Great advice.

Worst case scenario, those tools are easily opened up and looked at. There's several places online that sell parts if you need them.

I've also heard to use a mild steel rivet too. People would rather have the rivet wear out rather than the reins. Rivets are easily replaceable

Why would you want to make tongs out of a material that's known to get brittle when cooling in water?

Works awesome for tongs.

Way cool design. Well done

Good tips!!! If I can gather material, I want one at some point

@JHCC That'll be super handy around the shop. I like

Just use 1045. They can quench them when hot and most likely nothing will happen. Some known tool makers use 1045 for their tongs with great results. Tough, yet forgiving. And doesn't mind the water quench. Do some testing and see what works best for you

If you go with Forgemaster, get the Blacksmith dual valve model. You can shut down 1 burner and save fuel. They get super hot. I run about 8psi and can just about weld off that. I'm a farrier, so I have it in my truck. It was my first forge and only forge. Been going perfect for about 10 years now. NC is another brand to look into. They have some great forges. Side ports are the best usually. Front and rear ports, your limited quite a bit. Those are the 2 that I use and have used. Always work great. Honestly for a home shop, I'd like to build one. I feel like that's why some of us are blacksmiths, we enjoy tinkering around with things. Good luck with your choice!