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I Forge Iron

RobS

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Everything posted by RobS

  1. Is there a reason the butcher and smith share shop space?
  2. The weight is 428lbs. +/- a couple lbs actual weight.
  3. At the mill I worked at, we used a cross/straight peen hammer. The faces were pretty squared with only a slight rounding.
  4. Pretty sure I've seen similar scenes in cast bronze plaques. They look like negatives. Possibly for casting?
  5. RobS

    Chili Forge

    It's nice to see a company with integrity. I see they give you credit for the burner design and mention your books.
  6. You may not need a new blower. You just need a blast gate or similar to close/reduce/redirect air flow when needed. You need air management. Any blower you buy will need the same air management.
  7. Turn the blower off when you're not at the forge. Turn the air down unless you need higher heats. Use smaller fires unless you need it. Hard to say what the solution is without seeing it and what your doing with it. If your forge welding billet after billet the coal usage may be normal. If your heating small hooks, knife blades ect. then you're using way more coal than needed. Heads up on cost. Most blacksmith groups have an inside scoop on where to get coal. A 50lbs bag cost about $8-10 outside of ebay. Even less if you can buy in bulk.
  8. Handling holes or no, the porosity showing all over the anvil looks like a poor casting. My guess is a replica.
  9. My first impression from the photos is that it is cast iron. The bottom almost "looks" forged, maybe a bit too much. But the sides look very porous. Face almost looks like you can see the grain. The plugged pritchel hole looks like the same material as the anvil. Maybe the plug is a casting flaw if the anvil was cast iron. The rear foot and underside of the heel both look to have casting line remaining. Looks like a cast iron anvil beat to look forged.
  10. I thought about building my own 2x72 but my project list was already long enough. I bit the bullet and bought one from Oregon Blade. I figure when the project list shortens a bit, I can still build my own. Then resell the OBM grinder or keep it. The resale on a well kept commercial grinder should be pretty good. If you got the skills and time, build your own is the cheapest way to go.
  11. It doesn't look familiar. It does have some odd looks, but it may just be the photo. The heel looks long like a more modern anvil (post 1835) but has no pritchel hole (pre 1835). Also does not have that blocky look like early anvils. The heel looks thin like the face has been ground down. The hardy hole looks like crisp edges on the inside like the face has been ground down, or never used. The feet look short. Like maybe the base was ground down a bit. The feet look like they should be square like P.W. H.B. Trentons ect. Not the pointy feet like Mouseholes. Almost looks like a casting line on the front foot under the horn. Check it over really good. It may be a fine anvil. or it may not be. The watch out with painted anvil is body filler under it. Not so bad on the body, but on the face it may be hiding something bad. As always, clean it off and check the bounce.
  12. My first thought when looking at those little owls was Kiwi. The beak is way off, but the overall shape and front view of camera angle may have tricked me. Also the last photo with angle of the camera, are those "crows feet"? I need a better scrap pile or maybe a better imagination. I would love to make some of that scrap art as good you all. Nice work, vert cute.
  13. Check the "free" section of craigslist. There is always someone trying to get rid of wood. Call tree service guys. They may even cut a piece to your requested size. Most likely free, but a box of sweets or beer would probably make you some good friends and future supplier of free wood.
  14. The serial number picture looks upside down. 78934? Is the number on the left? Hay Budden?
  15. Looks cool. Is it a wall hanger or does the client plan on using it? Any guess to what the final weight might be?
  16. So your Sledge hammer anvil is no longer any good because the 4x4 post it was sitting on split? How about grabbing a bigger chunk of wood and trying again? I bet there is plenty of "free firewood" ads in CL. Grab something 10"+ in diameter. You wont split that unless you drive something shape into it. The 3" pipe you drove into the 4x4 probably is the cause of the split. Drill and chisel a hole in the wood for the sledge to sit down into snug, not wedged. Or you can use more dimensional lumber. Just build it bigger.
  17. It was probably modified after it broke... but you never know. People do weird things. "Rare antique Trenton clip horn anvil farriers knife makers 79 pounds collectible" Funny thing is I remember seeing this a few months ago. Oddly it is still there... Must not be rare enough.
  18. Efficiency usually costs money. If you are a handy type person you can reduce the costs. 1. Buy or rent a small rock crusher. 2. Find a cement mixer and some milling balls and make yourself a ball mill. 3. Find a jack hammer, weld a flat plate on the bottom of the bit. Put your coke in a drum and smash. 4. Use a hand tamper. For sizing. Find a screen with holes the size of what you want to run in your forge. Take a couple pieces of wood and make a shaker screen to sort the larger from your intended size. Unless you start buying the size fuel you want to burn, there will be extra work on your part.
  19. Metal ID tags attached to tools/equipment is common where a business/institution need to keep track of assets. Where I work, everything is tagged. Anything bought with funds from the capital projects budget has to be tracked with asset numbers. Everything from computers to giant air handling units in the building. Your anvil could have came from a school or business.
  20. If I were closer to CA. I'd take on that challenge. Nice vise. I like the looks of the plate too. but... The screw looks amiss.
  21. it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I would give $200 for it, maybe max $300 if I'm feeling saucy. Also, if it is in northeast US. In Siberia someone might pay 10,00 rubles. Location? I might give $100 for the vise. Then again you might find someone desperate to buy their first anvil that would pay $400-$500. Depending on location.
  22. You are donating a blacksmithing related item to the club fundraising raffle. The money made from the raffle is added to the club treasury. Item could be anything you have made (hooks, candle holders, hammers, tools, etc.), materials (hammer handles, handle materials, steel, etc.), books, and so on. Basically anything blacksmith related that someone of some level of skill might find useful. Some clubs ask that you pay a $5 fee to the raffle if you didn't contribute an item. Now obviously, you aren't expected to donate hundred dollar items.
  23. Another thing to note is that quantity effects prices. The more you order, the less the price for each stick. At least with my supplier. I assume many suppliers have the same practice.
  24. I bought some steel a couple weeks ago from a local supplier. Only 2 suppliers near by and this is the cheaper of the 2. Also this supplier is the only one that carries a selection of tool steels, aluminum, brass, stainless, etc. They do deliver for free, but the order has to be big enough to make it worth the trucking. No $20 orders being delivered for free. They don't have a set dollar for delivery. But over a couple hundred dollars and they are ok with trucking. Here was my last order.
  25. I think a small part of people jumping into knives instead of campfire sets, corbels, etc is they want to be remembered. To be a part of history. A good quality knife has a better chance of being handed down through the generations than a set of brackets for a shelf. It can be usable or a display piece. Someone can look at it and say my great-grandfather made this.
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