Irondragon Forge ClayWorks

Welcome Larry, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST

We have a club member who has his forge setup on a flatbed trailer pretty basic forge, slack tub, anvil, leg vise and work table. He sets up a 10X10 easy up for shade on it.

I would look into a portable smithy built on an enclosed trailer. JLPServices has built a dynamite one.

Welcome to IFI...have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST Without pictures it will be hard to help. What burner plan did you follow? What size burners? What type forge?

Possibly, also could be a sawyers hammer. What is the weight?

I now see why every time someone has a survey done on adjoining property to ours, we loose a couple of feet. Our survey was done in 1980 using the chain & rod system and the surveyors located corner stones put in place in the early 1800s. Now everything is done using GPS and who knows what measurement system. Ain't technology grand. (end of rant)

Welcome to IFI... looks like you off & running. Your HB looks to be in good condition to me, a wire wheel for the rust and hot steel on the hardened face and she will shine.

Also not knowing what your budget will allow, it's hard to make suggestions. We settled on a KMG and it will do everything we require of it at a lot lower cost.

My Star is the same way oil migrates to the clutch shoes and it slips. I use brake cleaner occasionally to keep it running right.

Just a note... Using the @Tag is frowned upon. Using the @ name on the forum

It would make an expensive boat anchor or door stop, that's about all.

Also shows that you don't need a London Pattern anvil. Loved the forge welding right in the fire and the team work/timing of the strikers.

Welcome to IFI, we won't remember that once leaving this post, hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show it. Have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST It will help you get the best out of the forum and stay in good graces with the moderators

Not knowing where you are located, I suggest looking for some places that do old farm machinery restorations. In my area there are two I know of Tired Iron and Rusty Wheels, with many members and they are always looking for parts & pieces to restore those old machines. Never know it may be more valuable to them than an anvil. There are a bunch of web sites supplying antique parts too, Yesterday's Tractor is one I know of and have bought parts for my old tractors from them.

This is one of Bruce Wilcocks videos on anchor forging, may not be the one Thomas is thinking about though.

Welcome Ralph 1911 Have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST

Welcome to the forum, have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST It will help you get the best out of the forum. It's not an anvil or swage in the traditional sense but could be used for one. To me it looks like some kind of counter weight for a piece of old equipment. Very heavy is a relative term. To my wife 50 pounds is very heavy but to me 250 pounds is very heavy and in anvil terms 500 pounds & above is very heavy.

Grinding or milling the hardened face will do more harm than good. It appears to be a serviceable anvil as it is. The dip (we call it a swale) can be an asset for straightening stock. I would suggest using it as is for a year before deciding to do anything with it. You may be able to find some markings, if the paint & rust is cleaned off with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. Some anvils are marked on the side of the next to last picture and on the front feet under the horn.

Using the wrong charcoal. The BBQ briquets will work but like you experienced are not ideal because they contain a lot of fillers and glue to hold their shape. Pick up a sack of lump hardwood charcoal. Most stores sell it.

That or he has someone mill the faces, which we all except a few know is a bad thing.

I saw one in operation and to my way of thinking the ram was way too slow for forging, it can be done though but I wouldn't want one.

Yep, to make an omelet, ya gotta break some eggs.

Yep...

Crazysmith, if no one has welcomed you to the forum let me be the first. Like Mikey said refractory cement is no good in a propane forge unless it's a brick forge and you are sticking the bricks together. If you want to harden it up use Satanite or Kast-O-lite 30 (available here) then coat that with Plistex. Also if you haven't read this yet I highly recommend it for getting the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST and browsing the sticky threads to save a lot of headache's. Trying to make a dual fuel propane/coal forge is a mistake as it will do neither well.

This is what I replied to and I have made several springs, one out of wrought iron and the others out of mild steel. Vise springs do not need to be made from spring steel.