Pat Roy

everybody nose blacksmiths can't spell anywae.

I don't understand the fascination for RR spikes. If I desparately needed some I would find a source of new and buy them. As far as rail goes, how much do you think a person can carry? Find what you want at a metal recylcler.

You also need to think about  the layout of your equipment inside the shop, storage of raw materials and how large the pieces are that you might be putting in the fire.

1/4"x6", what are the final dimensions you want? I would go out and buy stock of the correct size and save all the work.

If I got my wife an anvil she'd start spending time in the shop. Shortly she'd start making rules about cleanliness, orderlyness and such. Then I wouldn't have a shop. Not going to happen.

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95SS, you are okay with your equipment. I built my fire box out of 3/8" plate and used a Lincoln 135. Bevel the edges and make multiple passes. That is how the big boys do it on heavy iron. I have been using my fire pot for 9 years with no sign of degredation.

Brian, you should be fine with a Lincoln 140. Bevel the edges and make multiple passes. I used a Lincoln 135 on 3/8" plate and have been using my fire box for 9 years with no signs of degradation at all.

I have used hop hornbeam for a hachet handle, hickory not being available here in Maine. I wish I had some wood working tools and the skills to go with them. I have used some handles obtained from the hardware store (sacrilegious I know) and that has worked for me.

What ever method you use, practice on some scrap pieces first. Have you thought of using epoxy or some other type of adhesive?

DanBrassaw are operating on the same frequency. I have been using the fire starting method he descibes for years and it works every time. We also have the same ideas about using newspaper for fire starting and add inserts for recycling.

I use a plastic bucket, about 5 gallon capacity. Anything I drop in it accidentally can easily be retrieved after rolling up a sleeve. Generally that size bucket is big enough although working a lot of heavy pieces that need quenching in a day results in pretty warm water. I don't dump and clean my bucket out, just top it off as needed. There is some residue on the bottom, but no harm there.

Nice detail.

I would just go to the steel store and buy what I need. But I guess a grinder with cutoff wheel work. You'll use up wheels this way.

What's the material thickness? What size is this piece?

I like Ken's approach to the problem: exactly similar.

Well, that's a pretty votive candle holder.

Whenever I'm making myultiples of an item or a few that have to match I think about making a jig. It also depends on the complexity. That piece you have would demand a pretty interesting jig. It looks like square bar and tapered on both ends plus lots of curling. 20mm seems a bit large. If it were only a few I would free hand this one. Good luck.

I have done some repousse on steel sheet, yes it is possible. Let us know how it works out for you and photos would be great.

I have Autocad Lt which is 2D and okay for simple work. I also have Alibre Design which is 3D but I don't use it often enough to be proficient. I have used Google Sketchup but not lately and I would have to warm up on it again. Mostly I do hand drawn sketches which are kind of rough. I just took a basic drawing class at the local college to refine my skills and I enjoyed it. I'll soon see how it works out in the shop. I guess I should look into Sketchup again especially since I didn't know about the plug-ins. Thanks for the tip Frosty.

Thomas, in your specification for coal what is the unit of measure for the 14,542 BTUs?

It looks like a Hay Budden generally. The identity would be on the side not shown.

Is the leg supported in the square tube or just rattling around in there?

I wouldn't buy an anvil based on that photo. You can't tell what condition the surface is in or how big/heavy it is. You need something you can do work on. Cheap isn't the most important criteria. I would prefer to buy something I could put my hands on. Good luck in your search.

If you use too little vinegar you may deplete it before the job is done. The immersion idea is pretty good as long as you don't have sharp points and edges working on the plastic bag. A 3" pipe won't hold some of the items I want to de-scale. I do filter my vinegar as I return it to the jug, I've been using a paper towel.

Diesel?

I don't speak the language (or read it) but I learned from this video.