Winston

On 3/21/2011 at 3:36 PM, arftist said:

Don't lose your temper.

Is this from blacksmithing? Does referring to ones composure as temper refer back to blacksmithing? Maybe it just refers to temperament.

What kind of anvil is this? 55#

Just gave. Not much but every bit helps.

This site has been worth way more than I donated. I hope everyone who has learned something from here gives atleast something. No donation is too small.

Thanks, I am always looking for a new procedure on a cross. Especially out of RR spikes since I have a ton. I like the fact it is easily made self supporting.

What distance is your white mark from the tapered end?

What do you put on your hammer handles?

I have been putting my linseed oil mix and it seems to seal, smooth, and add extra grip.

I would like something darker though. Not that it should matter, but I like to look at a dark hammer handle. It just feels more used. Maybe it makes me feel like I have actually been using them.

Add Japan Drier. It is a chemical additive that speads drying.

I use Linseed oil, Turpentine, and Japan drier. It definately dries faster, but depending on temperature and thickness of coating, it can still take over 24 hrs. I also wipe off the excess to speed the drying. You are probably not looking for a protectant just a 'look' finish. Thin works fine.

I forget what the mixture quantities are. I have it written down somewhere.

It is because of the type of people blacksmithing attracks. Do it yourselfers with a streak of cheapskate in them.

If we did not want to do it the hard way we wouldn't be blacksmiths. The "make it yourself" aspect attracks a lot of us in the first place.

I would have to say the fact it is a hobby for most also plays a large part here. When something makes me money I never gripe about price. I only see an asset. When I am doing it for fun, it hurts to spend anything.

Looks good. I like the texture.

I have to say, me being a Baptist I read "copper baptismal" and thought, "WOW! a solid copper baptismal!" I overlooked the "font basin" part. Of course since we dunk I was looking for something significantly larger. I am impressed even if it is smaller than I thought it would be. :)

I do not know of anyone who sells proffesionaly on ebay but I would say that everyone I know who has sold on ebay has done this atleast once. Including myself. I was selling something for my wife and my sister said let me bid on it. I let her. I did not even think about the ethics of it at the time. She outbid everyone and won. I had to relist and sold it for less than the max bid before my sister started. I guess I deserved that.

I have to say I believe this is a VERY common practice.

And for those who do not know, never bid prior to 10-20 seconds the auction ends. It NEVER helps to bid early. I usualy try do put my bid in with 5 seconds to go.

The weight marks are on the other side and are clear. 1.1.17

I have not spent a ton of time seeing if I could find other words. With the Wright so clearly marked I don't see how the other text could be so hard to find. When I get time I am going to clean it up and see what I can find. Thanks for the answers.

I bought a Peter Wright anvil. Well it has "Wright" stamped on the side. Yet in all the pics I see of Peter Wright they all have a shelf at the front and back of the base. Mine does not. Do I have a Peter Wright? If you look in the pics you can see the base, and where "Wright" is stamped, yet I cannot find the "Peter".

I posted in the other thread about the Southeast.

150# $200 Peter Wright, Alabama, Edges chipped, sway back. Bought 12/2010

Well unless I change my mind again I think I figured out what I am going to do. I am going to radius (grind) the not so bad side and just try and fill the bad side edges with my regular MIG wire. Yeah, Freddie I had already come to the same conclusion. I figure it want cost me anything more and if it does not work I can always hardface it anyway. I will preheat though. I have welded several things to large chunks of metal only to see them crack off as it cools. I always preheat.

Maybe in the mean time I will find one of those killer deals on an anvil like I hear about, or maybe I can get the 230# Hay Budden back from my family member. I wish.

I would save the money and buy a better one if I could. I have been trying to spend $300 on a good condition 135# + anvil for over a year. If I could have I would. So the way I figure it, I spent $200 on this I still have $100 to spend and I will be in budget.

This is not my first anvil. I was using a good condition (no chips, clean edges) 230# Hay Budden for about 2 years. It has since been reclaimed by its owner. I use an anvil a certain way and would prefer to have a tool designed how I want it, and not just work with what I have got. I have gotten used to my anvil positioned a certain way and the side that is chipped the most is the edge I use most. The chipped edge peice is as wide as my finger. If it was like the other side I would probably just radius a little more and use it. I could work around it, but I just don't want too unless I have to. Here are the picks. You can also see the belly which is less of a concern for me.

I looked at the pics after uploading and the surface looks worse than it is. A grate was painted on top making it look a lot worse in the pics.

If I could afford a "Real" welder then I could afford a "Real" anvil, and would not be worrying with repairing one. Besides the miller 210 is a great machine for a hobby.

I have read a ton of articles, but only found one that gave any info on MIG. I have also looked at the prices of the hardfacing wire. I was shocked. But it is cheap enough that if I can repair my anvil, and I will still be under my anvil budget.

Peter Wright 146#
Repair edges, they have been chipped off both sides, front to back.
I have no doubts as to being able to preheat the anvil and I used to metal fab full time.

Who has done it? IFI wont let you search a term under 4 characters so I cannot search for MIG.

I found an article on the net talking about using a MIG but it said you need one that put out 250 amps. I have a millermatic 210. It puts out 160 amps at peak duty cycle. I am not sure how amp ratings work with welders though.

Here is my experiance. I have been looking for an anvil for about 2 years. 1 year hard. I live in alabama. I would gladly pay $2/lb for a good anvil. All I find is rough, chipped edged anvils. And for those that say that $3/lb is high for a good clean anvil, I have not been able to buy one for less. They aren't taking my $2-2.50/lb offers and somebody is buying them. I just bought a 146# Peter Wright for $200, but both sides are chipped off front to back, and was glad to get it.

In your situation I would definately rather have a good big shop 10 min away than a small shed at the house. If your house property was large enough and the shops were comparable it might be different. Bigger shop trumps most other things. Space is extremely important to me. I have had a shop about 10 minutes away and loved it. I now have a twice as large shop at my house and like it better. To me being at the house is a plus (no probs witht he wife), but space is a lot more important than being close to home.

Here is the most abused anvil I have ever seen. The seller wrote "...shows signs of use." Evidently he does not know what an anvil looks like.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hay-Budden-Manufacturing-Co-Blacksmith-Anvil-97-5-LBS-/110614042294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c11c56b6

Thanks. I am going to look at it this week. After talking to him I am hoping for $200. Funds are tight right now no matter how good the deal.

I got an old guy who sent me these pics of an anvil he wants to sell. He said it was 145#. It is 2 hours away so I would like to have an idea of what kind it is before I go and look. He is asking $400, but I do not plan on paying that. What kind is it likely to be?

Thanks,
Winston

I love the bowls. It looks like you let the copper tarnish then polish the high spots. Do you put any clear coat on it to preserve the finish or do you let it continue to tarnish. If no clear coat, what does it look like after it continues to tarnish? Does it continue to keep its depth?

Winches can be worm drive or planetary geared. The worm drive is tougher and used in most commercial or industrial applications. Most newer winches you see on the front of a pickup are planetary geared.

Ya'll are as sensitive as a bunch of old women! Worse than kids!

I know that gloves sound good, but once you have tried to quickly remove a too-hot glove, you will think twice before using them. At least bare handed you can let it go quick. Just learn to think of all metal as hot.

I use ear protection more than anyone I know. I also hear better than anyone I know my age. Yet I do not always use them when smithing, it just depends.

I have worked with metal for years and after getting metal in my eye one time became a firm believer in eye protection. Yet, I did not wear eye protection when I started forging. I guess when I started forging I did not see anyone wearing eye protection I was around. Soon after I had a piece fly off and burn my eye lid good. If my eye would have been open I would be Popeye right now. Now I always wear eye protection no matter the inconvenience.

I make some crosses using a random cut twist. I just drill a hole in the back and angle it towards the top. You can then use a finish nail to hang it and it is not visable. I have also used a piece of hack saw blade with a hole mig welded to the back of some of my projects this will lay flat and can be hung on a nail.