nc_cooter

m brothers, yes. The forge is entirely home made, including the burners and runs on about 2 psig propane. It's been in use for about 5 years.

Matt, it's 138#.

Finally got around to making a proper stand for my Hay Budden anvil. About a year ago, a friend gave me a very large piece of oak log for an anvil stand. It was almost 34" diameter on the small end. Not having a chain saw large enough to square the beast, it became a drive way ornament.
This week I was told to, use it or move it, by "she who must be obeyed". With the aid of two steel wedges and a couple of home made wooden ones, I finally got it to about 14"x16" on the small end.
It is about 12" in the ground and really makes for a sound base.
Here are the before and after pics.

I started my journey to blacksmithing by making knives on a belt grinder. I built a gas forge to do my own heat treating. Grinding knives from flat bar was fun, but sometimes I didn't have the size stock i needed. I started looking for an anvil. I put the word out, ran ads in the paper and asked everyone that even might remotely know of one. No luck for the first year or so. Meanwhile, I used a piece of RR track.
After about a year and a half, I found a used 70# NC Tool farriers anvil. The cotton was getting higher. Being self taught, I made a lot of mistakes. I joined some blacksmith forums, asked a lot of dumb questions and read a lot more. The learning curve was very low, but I kept improving.
About 2 years went by and I found a 138# Hay Budden in excellent condition. Then in a matter of days I got a 126# Mousehole for free. I was definitely walking in high cotton. ( the 70# went to a friend)
The journey started about 6 years ago and continues. I still primarily forge knives and BS tools, although I am beginning to make other things.
Last year I fell from a ladder and broke my shoulder. Old folks don't bounce to well. They tend to break. I am still pounding metal, though I have had to greatly modify my technique. (thanks Mr Hoffi)

Not rare at all. I have one, purchased from Blacksmith Supply. Not a Hofi , but not bad for $20.

I use 40LB tanks and don't have a problem with ice. Around here, any tank 100LBs or less, must be carried in for refill. I am too old to wrestle a 100LB tank. Over the years, I have acquired three 40LB tanks. When I connect the last tank, I take the other two in for refill. Cost of refill was $26 each last month.

I have some of Glen's tongs also and have been using them for about two years. These are a bit different. They grip the stock along the side of the tong ends instead of between them. The grip jaws are offset. This gives more options on how far up you grip the stock. It seems to offer a more firm grip.

I have been wanting to try a different type of tongs to hold blades while forging. I made these this week end. They seem to work well so far. Anyone use this type to hold thin stock?

It do look plum snakie. I like it.

Paul, you or anyone can feel free to copy/modify anything I have " invented".
The "roaster pan" is a stainless steel steam table pan that contains the oil I use to heat treat the knife blades I make. It holds about 4 1/2 gals. It sits on an angle iron frame with adjustable height legs above a dual burner hot plate. The oil has to be preheated to 130F for heat treat. My slack tub is a stainless steel beer keg.
Here are some close up pics.

Here's some pics of my shop.

1. Exterior
2. Forge area- Hay Budden anvil- Gas forge
3. Forge area- Mouse Hole anvil- welding equip
4. Small mill and lathe
5. Grinder

I have had a Coote 2"x72" grinder with a 6" wheel for five years and I love it. For me it's still the best bang for the bucks.

The best all around fire extinguisher is an ABC rated dry chemical. Water or pressurized water fire extinguishers should be used with great caution in a shop. The reason? ELECTRICITY!
My shop is in a shed building, separate from the house. That being said, I have a 2 1/2 gal pressurized water and a 10 lb ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher in the 12'x24' hot work part of my shop. It has a crushed stone floor and all receptacles are 6' from floor level.
The 10'x24' wooden floor part of my shop has a 10lb ABC and a 5lb ABC dry chemical.

Beautifully done!

Nice intergral Buddy. Classy look.

Thanks guys.
Doug, don't break anything except bad habits. I had to go back to the basics. To gain back some strength and work on my hammer grip "Hoffi style", I would lift a 2# hammer while watching TV at night. I tried hitting a piece of wood , but the "feel " was wrong so I used some hot mild steel. Look at each hammer strike. In the beginning, 5 minutes was all I could do. Bruce is right about a bad hit, it will get your attention quickly!

I broke my shoulder in Sept. of last year and finally I am able to do a little forging again. Here are some pics of what I have done since early June.

All comments are welcome.

I second the canola oil. Preheat it to 120f.

I decided to give my home made gas forge a new coat of ITC100. The forge has two 3/4" modified sidearm burners using about 2psig of propane. I rarely use the second one. The open interior is 6"x18" with 2" of kaowool insulation.

The first burner lit normally, but when the second burner valve was opened the "dragon's breath" turned red/orange. I shut the main gas valve immediately.

I disassembled the second burner and found the charred remains of a small mouse. I have no idea how long it was in there, but it has been at least 6 months since the second burner was used.

The forge now sports two flip down covers of 1/2" mesh wire cloth.

I think you got a great deal on that vise. Size?

About a month ago a used JET 9x20 lathe followed me home.($400) It needed new belts, 2 new gears, a good cleaning and alignment. I added a wheeled base to raise it to a more comfortable height for my old back and eyes. I still need to get a drill chuck for the tail stock and some HSS tool blanks.



It will make a good companion for my Seig X2 mini mill/drill.

Dan, we used black walnut hulls to blacken steel traps back in the day. The crushed hulls were simmered for about two hours in a cast iron wash pot, stirred with a wooden paddle. The traps were placed in the pot and soaked for about 30 min. About a pound of bee's wax was placed in the pot and allowed to melt with no agitation. A piece of wire was used to lift each trap slowly so they got a light coat wax and then hung up to dry. They could be used for the trapping season with no rust even though some were used in water sets.

Stuart, was that Dudley made at the Doright foundry?
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Same as chyancarrek.

Nice first one. Now let's see number 2! :)