Irondragon Forge ClayWorks

I looked at one just like yours here in NW Arkansas about 2 years ago. The seller wanted $900 for it. Had to pass, way out of the budget.

Hammerfall, That 1060 looks like grader blade edge blanks. I have a bunch of them and it makes good anvil hardy's. I quench it in oil and temper back to straw color.

Most of my anvil hardy's are made from the cut off ends of drill (sucker) rods. I have about 300 lbs of rod and ends that someone dumped in my city shops scrap metal bin, of course it came home with me.

If you put your location in your profile, there may be some experienced smith's just down the road to give you some pointers. When I was first starting out over 30 years ago, I had the same problem, usually related to the wrong tongs and cold metal. Now I have over 30 pairs of tongs and still need to make or modify one for some jobs.

Today a fireplace log grate followed me home from the trash compactor. 30 pounds of 1/2 inch square stock. All I have to do is grind the welds and start forging.

Funny you should mention melting lead and using mercury. I have been casting lead round balls and bullets for 60 years. I just came in from the shop after casting up 50 .530 balls for my 54 caliber Kentucky flintlock muzzle loader. When I was in the Coast Guard, I was stationed at The Lynde Point Light Station in Old Saybrook CT. Both the inner and outer light's main light floated on 50 lbs of mercury as a bearing medium. It was my job to drain the mercury and strain it then pour it back into the reservoir. It's a wonder that at 74 years old I'm still functional.

After 4 years in the USCG in the 60s as an Engineman (diesel mechanic) can't say as I do.

I think the two heavy steel pieces are tractor or fork lift counter weights.

Take a look at this 5lb Ship or top maul. http://www.hammersource.com/Maul-and-Punch/5-lb.-Ship-or-Top-Maul-high-carbon-steel-heat-treated-32-wood-handle/

At one time I did use old motor oil, (specifically 30wt non-detergent) as a quench. I was told that old motor oil contained carbon from combustion which made it a good quench. I no longer use it because for me it was harder to draw a good temper than when I started using vegetable oil (peanut oil) which has a high flash point and smells better. I can't address the health aspect of old oil but from what I have read it's some bad stuff so I also no longer advocate using it.

I would never use old motor oil for a quench. My choice is peanut oil or you can buy specialty quenching oils.

We have a county trash compactor and take our household trash there every Friday. They have a roll on dumpster there for metal. We made friends with the personnel and they let us "dumpster dive" in it. Amazing what we come up with. A couple of weeks ago we got 4 coil springs and a torque rod from an old garage door...perfect.

Hot punch hammer maybe.

My Grandfather was a blacksmith in the U.S. Army. He served with Black Jack Pershing during the Mexican expedition chasing Poncho Villa all over the SW. When the Army started moving from horses to mechanized they made him a mechanic. How I miss his stories of adventure and blacksmiths advice. Speaking of buggy springs a friend of mine was tilling a space for his garden and ran into a treasure trove of buried buggy springs which he gave to me that I covet because they forge so well and make good knives and tools when tempered properly.

Did the "iforgeiron" search on Google and only came up with 2 very old threads. I hate reviving necro threads so thought I'd show my latest. My wife has an old very large cast iron kettle that has just sat on the ground for years and I've threatened to make a simple hanger for it. Some 1/2 inch old reclaimed bar stock with the ends drawn out to about 3/8 (give or take a little) with eyes. Yes the ring is rebar forge welded. Some short chain and 4 s hooks. The whole project took about two hours. Feel free to jump in and show your stuff. That is unless you're in Arkansas where most yard ornaments are old rusty cars/trucks on blocks or toilets with flowers planted in them.

If the surface rust bothers you after cleaning it off rub some automotive paste wax on & buff it.

You might be addicted if... You pull a tendon in your hammering arm elbow and try to finish a project using only the power hammer.

I've learned that my wife plays me like a fiddle. Actually I enjoy it.

You're off to a good start. My suggestion would be not to use rebar for your tongs. Do a search on Google like this "iforgeiron" rebar to see why. Some rebar has it's place in Smithing but tools are not one of them. Others will say never use rebar but if you find old rebar made in the U.S.A. I've found it's suitable for some projects.

Yep good start for sure. Next thing you know you will be "junk shopping" and stuff will follow you home. Then you will have to build a shop to hold it then a bigger shop. Heat it hot and hit it hard.

Found this Champion while "junk shopping" it was laying out in the back grown over by weeds. It followed me home after leaving a fifty dollar bill with the owner. It was mounted on 3 1/4 inch angle iron and a big truck brake drum base. All I had to do was spray it with WD-40, oil it and put it to work. I use my newfangled drill press but if the Apocalypse comes I'm all set.

The only thing I use wood pellets for is starting my fire. The binders in wood pellets will contaminate the work, just as charcoal briquets will.

I just learned to live with the surface rust. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. Besides that most of my muzzle loading rifles the barrel's are rust browned so I'm used to it. My moving machinery gets wd-40 + oil/transmission fluid rub down.

My forge is made from recovered items. The body is from a semi truck rim (cut down) with a manhole cover ring as the table, cut down grader blade legs, a donated Champion hand crank blower that I had to rebuild. The only thing I had to buy was the black pipe to attach the blower. It's been going trouble free for 30+ years.

I can't help with the gas fired forge because all I ever used is a coal fired one. For me the "secret" is in the flux and I found out with Borax if I dried it in the oven at 200degrees for several hours it worked better. I just posted a reply in another thread about flux.