Black bear 89

41 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

That looks like a wrought iron body with just a steel faceplate. I have a Hay Budden with the full steel above the waist. That's not one. You will usually see a weld around the waist usually ground down but evident and no signs of a face plate. So what do you mean by separating steel from the wrought? That's a major concern and I'd pass. I'd pass at that price alone anywhere around my area of the world. 

Well I have no experience in identifying these kinds of things but it appeared to me that there was a textured change at The waist which I thought was where the wrought iron was forage welded to the steel

45 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

So any luck when you asked around the Arizona Artist Blacksmith Association?

 I am not a member don’t you have to pay dues or buy a membership? 

27 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Stop by and I'll tell you how to get to a scrapyard selling large chunks for 20 US cents a pound. (up to a 40000 pound piece of a scrapped navel gun!)

Or you could ask the local smiths where you can find something big to hammer on.

Where are you located?

Well I do have these 12 x 8 x 1” in beds I was going to set  in 2 12 x8x8 masonry columns  and this old POS  but I’ve always been limited and really want to start some bigger projects just built my first real forage And I’m eager to undertake some larger projects

 I’m in Arizona  and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the genuine article in my area aside from the rebound test is there anything else I should look for ?

Well thanks for all the insight guys  i’ve decided to opt for a smaller propane tank forge which I’ve completed the fabrication on just waiting on refractory and found a hey budden 235lber in my area  but now I have a few more questions first of all I have weld welded nails to the inside of the forage for anchors for the refractory it’s thermal expansion of concern  I.E Well this crack the refractory when the thermal flux  occurs  and when setting the angle for my burners to avoid the chimney efect do stilwant the torch To be pointed at the floor of the forage

 Found a hey budden  235 pound Anvil in my area asking price is 1600 have not looked at it in person but seems to be in good condition is this a fair price and is the tool steel separating from the wrought iron a concern when it’s tooled from the waist up?

I was planning on using an engine hoist and quenching it in a mud tub  but yes it is cast-iron so you can’t forge cast-iron? I hammered out some 2 x 8” inbeds into a makeshift anvil  but I was really hoping to restore this anvil do you have any other suggestions for restoring a cast iron Anvil Would it be possible to forge weld onto the surface of a cast iron anvi or would it be easier to just mill the surface I would appreciate any insight you can offer on this subject 

 I have an electric kiln I was hoping to convert into a forge However the inside diameter is nearly 20,000 in.³ even if I were to close the inside diameter with K wool and refractory  it would be a very large forage  if I were to follow the one  Burner to every 350 in.³ rule I would require far too many burners Would I be able to reach forgeing temp with say  2-4 burners   Would ribbon burners be a more viable option ? I realize a smaller forage would be more efficient but I have an Anvil that’s in rough shape that I would like to re-Forge