GrumpyBiker

Well a friend brought a full set up from an F250 in to me before our shift.

I suppose it'll last me for the foreseeable future.

Talked to an officer at work who off roads (4x4) on the weekends & builds his on rigs.

He said he has a few extra leaf springs he'll bring in for me.

So I'll give it a go.

This is my current forge.

I did put an opening in the back for longer pieces.

Is making my own still doable ?

Got started on the clean up on this.

I'm going to need a spring as well.

missed a mount & spring on Flea-bay for $25 today.

lost track of time & missed out.

Sorry if I post too many photos but I always prefer to post pics versus a wall of text.

under way comparison pics

3 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

*shiney*!  Are you going to wipe it down with boiled linseed oil?

Is that the recommendation?

I also need a spring for this.

do we have any members who make & sell replacement items for these vises?

Started the clean up on my leg / post vise today.

I like that idea as I'm not really ready to go "permanent" with the placement of anything just yet.

The screw is still in great shape.

I've come across a few that were pretty sloppy & worn.

they looked better than this one but this one functions surprisingly well.

guess some folks saw the rust & ran

$25 ??? That's dirt cheap.

I know I've seen the prices go up since "Forged in Fire" has become popular.

And if you want sticker shock look on eBay. 

This is the Vise I got for $42.

will take some cleaning but it's fully functional.

The rest was;

$6 for the longer rail section

$9 for small rail

$4 for the hammer

I was out at a couple places today and saw this hammer.

I wasn't sure what it was , being new to this hobby (well, hobby for me).

but at $4 I thought WTH?

Any ideas as to what it is or if it's usable / useful for metal ?

I found a Leg Vise today for $42 at that price I had to buy it.

However it does not have the bracket / mount .

I've seen these spring & a modern mounting bracket for sale online.

Are there other options for mounting these vises ?

Still on the first one! LoL 

but cleaning up this one took a couple of grinding disks , flaps & cutting disks !

But given the $35 I paid for it I think it's with it .

Not yet.

I figured I'd work on my other Anvil while my shop is a mess from the latest project before getting going on a metal project.

Ive also been picking up tongs & hammers so I'd have some starter tools.

9 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Nice stand,, I like the anvil also.  Good job on the horn..  Are the timbers through drilled and bolted also? 

Yeah, the banding is hiding the counter sunk bolt heads.

Theyre gorilla glued & lag bolted with steel scrap in the voids.

I know function is more important than form, but I do have to look at it!

and sometimes I like to just be out in my shop. Not doing anything but being around my stuff.

If that makes any sense.

They know how to separate you from your money for sure.

I never bid against an Amish man at an auction.

Began cleaning up a small RR rail anvil.

I will this weekend.

Heading out to Berlin (Amish Country) for some R&R in the motorhome.

That'll give me something to kick back & watch.

7 hours ago, JHCC said:

Hey, GrumpyBiker! Is that the northern part of central Ohio, or the central part of northern Ohio? I'm in Oberlin, and would be happy to meet up some time.

(FYI, I'm primarily a hobbyist, but also a former professional woodworker.)

@JHCC

I'm East of Marion .

northern part of central Ohio.

@ThomasPowers

I've been watching videos from DF blacksmith on YouTube.

dont know what the forum thinks of this individual but I like how he hits the basics & while using the correct terms he also spells it out in laymens terms for us new guys.

I'll look into the library.

8 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Your expense comment rather floored me because if you take a shovel into the back yard and dig a scoop out you have a forge! 

But you'd be assuming I have anymore knowledge about Forges than my cat !

My first notion was to go looking for Forges for sale and the ones I saw (Propane) were $300-$500 so for this unknowledgeable newbie, that's a decent investment into something I didn't know if I'd like or be good at.

Information is king & I didn't have much .

I'm glad to have stumbled onto this forum.

looks like there's tons of info & informed folks I can learn from

I'm just looking to stay with Propane for fuel as I can shut it off & leave the shop.

I have a 10' line so I can connect to my 20lbs LP tanks but it's just hooked to a TS8000 torch head.

I'm still working full time , 21 yrs as a prison guard so a lot of what I do has to be done in 2-4hr stages.

I like my hobbies to keep my sanity.

I always love to learn new skills & im amazed to find out just how much there is to blacksmithing (not so much for my little projects) especially at the levels some of you guys are at.

**if you guys like photos I like to post'm 

Howdy, 

I'm new to anything & everything involving metal working.

I picked up a couple railroad Anvils a couple years ago and decided I wanted to incorporate some hand worked metal accents into the furniture I make in my woodshop.

 So everything I'll be doing will be on a small scale.

I'd held off for a long time as the cost of any type of forge gave me pause as to whether I wanted to invest $$$ to get into this even slightly.

 Don't laugh too hard but I saw the YouTube videos on DIY Can Forges it got me interested due to the cost.

 I made one and have already begun looking at larger Forges with multiple burners. This winter may be the time to get something actually usable.

bio stuff, US Marine, VFW8054, Love Harley's, Sig Sauer Pistols & building ARs, Love Motorhoming, Woodworking & carving

I'm also on the SigForum under the same screen name & avatar.

that's about it.

New guy here.

(New to anything & everything concerning metal working.)

Just made this stand for my RR rail anvil.

Some old banding from a whisky barrel & hand cut nails from another project.