Rojo Pedro

Nice. I like your treadle hammer too

Yes congratulations on retirement for sure!

My plan is 6 years from today (yesterday I turned 59)

Dont forget, steel can be found for free if you look around.  

Almost every house, yard, cabinet, road side has some rusty steel laying around. I hike a lot and find all kinds stuff. 

Even little bits can be forged into pretty things especially when starting out, just make sure to read through this site and learn to identify steel. In rust we trust. Have fun. 

Good one Mr. Anvil.

Everything stated above. you can get started for less if you just want to try it.  A wash tub or wash or box of dirt forge can work pretty well for next to nothing and you probably have the rest like a hammer and vise grips. an improvised anvil is the way to go until you get bit by bug and want to upgrade.

You can get a decent propane forge online for a couple hundred. That and a bundle of Kens tong blanks, an improvised anvil and some scrap steel can turn you into a very good smith in short order..

Good luck, have fun and post pictures   

Safety third.

cool link George

Maybe look into to didymium glasses used for glass blowing and torch work.

Quick search says that they specialize in blocking yellow light from the burning sodium in the glass but work to block a wide spectrum of ir and are pretty clear.

The wife has a pair and I will give them a look this weekend

Hooks can be as simple or fancy as you like. And they make good gifts and sale items. 

Tools same thing. A draw knife from some coil spring is a good intermediate project. Practice heat treatment 

Cool video JLP. I find it interesting that your anvils are curved from end to end where my is dead flat. Perpendicular however, my anvil has a slight but noticeable dip. Almost like it shrunk in the middle while cooling.

Maybe a machining issue, It had machine marks on it when new and I would guess it was milled after heat treat ??

Really like the roses too. Love that they are stainless.

I  made a hook from a spike remnant, another center punch from a coil spring and heat treated a couple blades Ive been working on. Good times

Real nice Frazer. Now you need one with the opposite peen direction. 

I got my paperback copy of DRM for $8.50 at a used book store in Willcox AZ (boyhood home of Rex Allen and yours truly)

I too love the illustrations, everyone looks so cheerful.  I do have some trouble trying to figure out whats goin on in them however

Thanks Les. It tested as medium carbon with the water quench showing a little tighter grain and broke like glass. Oil quench test was very hard to break to the point that I thought it was going to bend but was very springy and eventually broke. I went with oil for safety and it is super sharp. Will see how it lasts.

Billy the handle is pretty comfortable as the ridges are close together and I sanded it a bit. It fits the hand surprisingly well. 

It was done for novelty but I might make a sheath for it. Everyone seems to like it. 

Dang!  Whats the specs on those bad boy?  Lift a locomotive to change a tire?

Cool score Nodebt. That anvil looks in great shape. 

Whats in the back with the pulleys? 

I made a pipe wrench knife, a center punch made from a 1/2” coil spring and couple of unfinished scribes from a 1/4” spring.

the center punch may be my best heat treat ever and I set the spring aside because it was so successful.

real happy with the knife. I have about 4 hours total and I have come a long way with my little 1”x30” belt grinder. Thanks for looking

Did this last weekend. Super sharp but medium carbon. Fun to make. Yup its the 7/16” , cant find a 10mm…

To me, one big plus for the So. German pattern is the built in swage. I find that I use this area quite a bit.

Downside - there is no step and I have missed it on occasion especially while brushing.

no new info here but thought I’d post a pic

Too cool.  Bet it works a treat. Thanks for sharing

Nice anvil. Post some pictures when you get her set up :-)

Nice work.  I need a set

Super cool. Don't know how you could have made that pulley without it

Love those hawks fellas. Very nice work

Lived in the desert most of my life and no thanks to snow!

Beastly!!   I would love to put a hammer to her.

That is one sweet lathe Justin, !!  have you been using it much?

I have my eye open for an Atlas/craftsman or SB in the 9-12" range but might want to think bigger.

Limited space is my current issue and the fact that I more want than need. I have even been eyeballing those little china lathes (with great suspicion)