nc_cooter

Built stands for the new anvils and set them in my forge area.

You can see my first anvil in the lower left hand corner of the pic.

Now it's time to try 'em out.

I use a clamp on reflector light with a 20 watt bulb. Place a piece of wood in the hardee and clamp with the reflector almost against the face. My borrowed anvil was kept rust free for 3yrs this way. Will do the same with my"new" anvils.

Thanks skunkriv.

Did some research and found the Mousehole was made between 1820 and 1835. The Hay-Budden has a serial # of 20904. No date yet.

Haven't posted much lately. Back in Feb. I had an accident and lost half of my left pinkie finger and had nerve damage to the ring finger. Basically I am down to two fingers and a thumb on my left hand :thumbdn: . The good news is I am right handed. After throwing myself a good pity party, I began to re-learn how to forge and use my Coote grinder. I was slow before and now even slower. Also have to watch those numb digits. Burning flesh has a distinct oder.
More good news. For 3 years my forging has been done on a borrowed 70# farriers anvil. Better than nothing,but not a lot.
Saturday, my wife and I drove about 100mi to an antique tractor show to search for an anvil. A number of people said the vendors usually had some to sell. After 6hrs of hot, humid searching I had see one no horn anvil and two beat up cast iron ASO's.
Driving back home, we noticed an antique/junk yard and stopped. After an hour of looking at more junk than antiques, I was ready to go when my wonderful wife found two anvils behind a rusty wheelbarrow.
After lots of wire brushing and a number of 120 grit flap disks, here they are. Yup, bought both.



The left one is a 127# Hay Budden and the right is a 119# Mouse Hole.


Hay Budden



Mouse Hole



I also found a shop mascot. A cast iron cooter(turtle).



They are in pretty good shape and both have good rebound and ring. I am one happy camper.

I use canola cooking oil from "WallyWorld". Much cheaper than peanut oil. It has a high flash point and works well with 10XX series steel. It should be preheated to 120F prior to quenching. A definite NO on the 30 wt.

A stainless steel steam table food pan with a lid makes a dandy quinch tank. They are available in sizes up to 5gal. If you can't find a free one, new is about $30.

A smith get's kicked a lot less than a farrier

One word, WOW !

How about some pics?

There wil be some happy folks this Christmas.

Nice looking RR spike knife.
While I am not an"expert" knife maker, I have been making knives for about 2 1/2 years. I use 1095 and O1 steel for the blades. All my blades are hand sanded to 800 grit with blocks and W/D paper, then finished with green compound on a cork belt. Then I etch the blades with ferric chloride, buff with 0000 steel wool, and a final etch with hot vinegar. This results in a nice dark gray blade that still has a shine and is less prone to surface rust with normal care and the finish can be easily repaired.
This is why,
Mirror finished blades don't get used much, for fear of scratching.
They don't get sharpened for the same reason.
Most are stored in the sheath and will eventually tarnish.

I want my blades to look good,but most of all, to be used by the buyer.
This is not "the right way" just my way. Your millage may vary. :D

Thanks guys. I am definately hooked on forging.Got a lot to learn.

Well, I finally forged some knives. Still have a lot to learn, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

steel: 1095
blade length:3 1/2" to 4 1/2"
Handle:Curly maple, micarta, deer leg bone
Heat treat: 3 normalize and edge quenched in 150F canola oil.
Etch: FCl and vinegar

The first 3 were given to some deer hunters to test for the last month and all 3 sold. The fouth one is my EDC.



Your comments are welcome and thanks for looking.

OK. To tune yours is a bit more difficult, but doable. You need to make sure the mig tip is centered and pointing straight down the pipe. After you light the burner, carefully move the injector up/down and rotate right/left in very small increments while observing the flame. You may have to use a smaller or larger mig tip. Don't give up, it will take a while.

Jeff, is this what your burner looks like?

Sounds like you need to tune the burner. Put it in a vise in a reasonably dark area. Put the flare about 3/4" on to the end. Light the burner and vary the insertion depth of your venturi until you get a stable flame. Increase the pressure and adjust again. It's just cut and try. Once you are satisfied with the flame, loosen the flare and adjust it with a pair of pliers.
It takes some time. Mine works from 1# to 35# with a stable flame. Also the insertion hole in your insulation should taper at the same angle as your flare.

I know it's clean and I hope to keep it that way. During the remodel, I kept loosing tools and material. Got in the habit of putting the tools away and using the shop vac at the end of the work. My wife asked " who are you and what have you done with my husband?" I know it's not normal, but at least I can find stuff. :D

I have posted pics of my new shop in the Smithys Gallery.
The old shop was only 10'x12' with bare stud walls and one 30 amp 110vac circuit.
The new one is 10'x22' with a 8'x10' forge shed, insulation,new lighting,110/220vac and AC.
Your comments/suggestions are welcome.

The hardie in my new anvil measures .970". Should I buy 7/8"hardie tools or grind 1" to fit. In other words, how tight/loose should the fit be?
Thanks.

In a previous post you mentioned using Sikaflex 11Fc to mount your anvil to a steel plate. Could you explain Sikaflex ? Is it a silicone based product?
Thanks in advance.

Here's a copy of the idle/full piping schematic for propane burners. I use this same set up on my two burner forge.

I plan to attach my new 70lb anvil to an 80lb+/- piece of mild steel by drilling and tapping the plate and using straps across the anvil feet. Would I gain any advantage by using JB weld between the plate and the anvil?
The anvil stand will be made of 12"X12" MDF stacked and held together with two 1/2" all thread rods running vertically through the pieces. The thought is to be able to adjust the height by adding or removing pieces.

Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the welcome.
I am near Shelby, NC.
I plan to attach my new 70lb anvil to an 80lb+/- piece of mild steel by drilling and tapping the plate and using straps across the anvil feet. Would I gain any advantage by using JB weld between the plate and the anvil?
The anvil stand will be made of 12"X12" MDF stacked and held together with two 1/2" all thread rods running vertically through the pieces. The thought is to be able to adjust the height by adding or removing pieces.

I use canola oil from wally world to quench my 1095 blades. It has a high flash point and is cheap. Preheat to about 130F and it works great.