Pault17

how about cool door knockers?

Congrats on saving the farm Patrick. My dad's family went through a nasty internal family "will" problem some years ago and the sides still haven't made up. The "bad" member even apologized and restituted many years ago as well.

Great joss for you!!

As they say in the South, so I have been told, "Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!"

As most of my stock is scrap that is found on the side of the road and elsewhere, I use tongs almost all the time. My favorite pair of tongs are a pair short wolf-jaw from kayne & son. I used another smiths longer set and was amazed at the comfort. I also make extensive use of my first pair made following Sean Conner's anvilfire blueprint (very, very simple to make and teaches good tapering and drawing skills). They are flat jaw and I have been known to drop but never fling a piece of warm steel. I also have been using more and more the long, very thin set of tongs that I made (my second set). the jaws and reins are drawn real thin and I first thought they were a good mistake to learn from. However, after using them a bit, they actually hold lighter stuff well and work good as pickup tongs too

I am currently eye-balling the gstong site thanks to multiple comments in this thread.

I have a tendancy to "dance" around all sides of the anvil, depending on what I am working on.

Sam,
you could write this up as a blue-print? I like the "simple' idea, and even though many people tell me I "need" a power hammer, when the power is out, the treadle still bangs:D

Love your forge. it reminds me of mine. Great start!

Sam,
you are an inspiration. Thanks for the pics.

I may be called lazy, but I think they would make great Christmas presents:D

All,
I searched the forum with no luck in finding what I was looking for.
The same place where I dug up my first anvil and leg vice, my father in law gave me the remains of an old manure spreader wagon, along with any metal dug out of the side of one of the hills on his property. Among other things, I have two rims about 3 to 3.5 feet or so in diameter, 1/2 inch thick and three or so inches wide, with rounded edges. I cut out and brought a ten inch piece to the blacksmith shop at the fair and all of the "old" smiths said that it looked like wrought. I gave it to one to check out, as my forge is no way big enough to heat the piece up. Is there some way I can test to see if it is wrought. cutting and bending to break?

thanks for the words

I bought this one at borders and really like the way it is written out from an experienced point of view that seems intended for the beginner/beginner-intermediate. She really shows how things can be done and the tips and tricks are great. The photography is really well done as well.

I made a hook at a country fair about twelve years ago at an outdoor demo a local smith had set up. He invited anybody to come up and give it a try using 1/4 inch round. He had his two young sons acting as apprentices and blower crankers. I made a hook that he thought his son had made:D and asked if I wanted to give it a "real" try. I wanted to but didn't follow through at the time.
About two years ago my in-laws retired down out way and one day as I was walking sround their property, I dug a little worn out 75 lb anvil and a small 4-inch leg vice out of the hill side. Pop said I could keep it and that is where I began.

Terrible. I wouldn't show those in public to anyone!!
Send them to my house and I will dispose of them quietly for you:D


I llike you style. reminds me of some of the old Randall knives. Very functional and beautifully made! thanks for sharing

I had a chance to stop by the fair this afternoon after work. worked from about 5 until about 9 or so. I had two of my older children with me, so I had to get them home.
Coal can get metal hot quick. I have never actually seen it sparkle like that:o
I worked off to the side and leached off the heat of the main demonstrator. I made a handful of hooks, leaf keyrings and small overhand knot keyrings, which I handed out to various children whe kept asking "what are you doing now". I even had the (mis)forturne of being interviewed by a college radio show reporter. She asked all kinds of questions about why "we" liked blacksmithing, isn't it a dead art, etc. I pretty much answered by quoting the forward in Charles McCravens "blacksmith's craft" book without knowing it, mixed in with information I have long gleamed from the Forum here. Thanks all of you for the answers to her questions!!!
One of my daughters snapped a few pics of "me in action" It was warm and a little muggy there too

ecart,
I will be there satruday morning as well. I talked to Parks Low this afternoon and will be finishing the day out tomorrow afternoon as soon as I can get there.
It will be interesting to work with coal. never done that before.

lisp, list, fist, fast, fact, pact, pace, face, race, rice (I like this), mice, mace...
brain just quit:o

I know I probably broke the rules, but I needed a change of pace from regular work :)

I have two. The smaller one was a seriously abused one that I dug up froma hill side at the inlaws retirement home/property. I also dug up my leg vice from next to the anvil. I stubbed my toe on one of the feet of the anvil and started digging.

This one is my russian special. The stand is a full sheet of 3/4 inch plywood. The center block is wide enough to hold the whole anvil. I had to add 3-inch blocks under each of the feet when I realized that my back-aches were from leaning over the anvil.

I have three - two bean cans and a "balloon time" forge. The bean cans are lined with one inch of kaowool, while the balloon forge is lined with two inches. One of the beaners has a 1-inch brick floor and the ballooner has the same. burner for the beaners is a propane torch from home depot and the ballooner has a rex price shorty

Another good idea for a gasser body is an old 7 or 10 air tank, new for about $25-35. cut the frotn off and hinge it. cut a port in the back, bolt or weld on legs/supports, line the bottom with a layer or two fo fire brick and fill the rest with a double layer of kaowool. You could also just kaowool the whole thing and do that neat poured refractory floor thing. I like to coat the wool with several layers of satanite or like material, then coat every thing with a nice layer of itc100. To dry out/bake the inside I did the expedient of putting a bare 100-watt light in the cavity for a day or so. It was really amazing how hot it got in there and how little heat got out.:)

Amazing M. you are way ahead of the curve as I see it. At the last local abana chapter meeting I went to I met two programmers, one database manager and one senior chemical engineer.

All of them make the money to allow them to "play"

I semi-regularly use a small flat 3.5 inch wire wheel in my drill press to quick-clean scale off things. I have a few things grab and leave my grip, but so far have been luck with no loss of limb. I have read many of the various stories and the one with Paw-Paw was the scariest to me. I don't have a bench-mount grinder yet, so the temptation is not there. I also typically use a flap-disc for rapid removal, on my 4.5" grinder.

John,
thanks for elucidating some of my feelings for me. Tom, I envy (in a positive, non-covetous way) your collection and ability to grow it.

M, Thanks for setting the story straight. I have been getting more and more curious about your wants and desires regarding iron-banging. I lurked for almost a year on this site, following conversations and threads, going through the blueprints, trying my bestest to absorb all of the knowlege and experience I could from this site and anvilfire, before even working up the guts to post a question that wouldn't make me look too much like a total wannabenoobie.

Reading through some of the past questions you have posted, I realize that you are looking for the quick answer and instant knowlege. My suggestion is to pretend you're a doctor and get some patience. You are young and have a much easier time and better cranial capacity for learning new stuff than an old gasser like myself. Make use of the time wisely.

My first set of tongs link removed at the request of anvilfire, which I still use on a very regular basis were designed by a then-10 year old. I figured if he could do it, I most surely could. (Thanks Sean, yours was a brilliant work of simplicity.)

Be cool and say a prayer. Answers are out there

KevinD and all,
I have mentioned, in the past, that I went with a rex price shorty (Welcome to Hybridburners.com) burner. Looking at his price list, it is the least expensive of his line ($118 for a complete burner). I have been using mine since just after christmas with absolutely no problems.

I could have built one but had to make the decision of "build burner or bang iron". Eventually I may build my own or just go with a coal/charcoal forge.

solvarr,
there is a local ncabana group based in the triangle. I went to my first meeting with them this past saturday to clean up and prep the smithy at the fiar grounds. Stop by if you get the chance.
The local group meets every even month on the first saturday. pm me if you want more details.

Thanks Peyton. To all the Va smiths - consider it borrowed. thanks for the recipes:D