George N. M.

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Good anvil, very similar to my larger anvil. DO NOT try to machine or smoth the face. It is perfectly usable as is and you run the risk of cutting through the hardened steel face plate and ruining the anvil. You have a very good chance of turning a decent, usable anvil into an unusable anvil shaped object suitable only for a boat anchor or a large door stop. A little irregularity on the face will not affect how well someone can forge on it. There have been too many anvils ruined by someone thinking that they should machine the face perfectly smooth. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Nice anvil but the probability of it being former US Army from WW2 is lower than it would have been for WW1 because of the higher proportion of animal transport in WW1. However, the Engineers in WW2 could still have had anvils and forges as part of their equipment. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

It is a truism that you will work harder and in worse conditions for yourself than you would for any boss. Ask any farmer. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Yes, a paycheck and benefits can become a set of "golden handcuffs" which make it difficult to break out of a situation which has become unpleasant. I have known plenty of folk, myself included, who have stayed or tolerated bad situations because the alternative looked worse. Sometimes it is other folks' expectations that send people into situations they would not choose for themselves. I knew people in law school who were there because of their parents expected them to be there. Or partners/spouses who expect/demand certain things. Or a feeling that you must provide for your children at a certain level (usually the maximum possible). That said, exploitation, like abuse, takes two people. A person may decide to tolerate it because the alternative seems worse. This is not an uncommon dynamic is careers or relationships. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

My Thor's hammers are a bit different than everyone else's. They are actually miniature hammers, kind of like the movie version, but the twist is that they are "Thor touched" because the wood of the handles is from a tree struck by lightning. Some years ago Martha and I were camped in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming and a big thuderstorm came through. The next morning we discovered a ponderosa pine several hunderd yards away had been struck and blasted off a piece of wood about the size of my leg. I've been using it for Thor's hammer handles since. When I explain how they are "Thor touched" at my sales booth many folk think that is very cool. I probably sell more than if they were the usual inverted T shape. I've been in the SCA long enough that I can do "creative anachronism" with the best of them. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Depending on what you need you might check out how much international shipping from US suppliers. Don't know how timely it might be though or NZ customs. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I've always heard the campfire cooking setup with 2 verticals and 1 horizontal as a "gallows frame." I make something similar but with the tops as open spirals (think a turn and a half of a coil spring) so that they can be locked together as a tripod or unlocked for a gallows frame. When my son, Thomas, was little he would pretend to be scared and run away when I was making "tommy stickers." Also, I always sell miner's candlesticks with a candle in them. Without would be like selling fire steels without a piece of flint. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Here is the link to the heart project, if you haven't seen it:

Boy, that is a tough one because kids vary so much in maturity, attention span, situational awareness, and physical coordination. There are 8 year olds who make good students and 12 year olds I wouldn't let in the door. The safety concerns are enormous and appropriate supervision is really tough. I hate to rain on the idea but I wouldn't think of it unless each child had an adult with them and they all had proper PPE. It might work as a parent and child activity but it would ahve to be pretty structured and small numbers. The standard beginner's project is S hooks but others may have other suggestions. There was just (within the last 48 hours) a recent posting of a heart shaped stake for flower/garden decoration which looked like a cool behinner project. Good luck but keep safety highest in your mind and don't be afraid to back off/down if there is any possibility of child getting hurt. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

One interesting thing is how the same item can be used in different ways. A leaf with a key ring is a key fob but if you put it on a thong or a chain it becomes a jewelry pendant. I have sold a lot of Thor's Hammers with my touchmark (Anglo-Saxon G rune) the back and when folk who have bought one come back to the table they are often wearing it touchmark out. When I told them they are wearing it backwards they have told me they like it that way better. I'd have never thunk it. I always have a stack of business cards out but they have seldom resulted in a future sale. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dave, a definite improvement over your last outing. I don't have much to suggest except you might thing about hanging some items, e.g. pokers or dinner triangles, from the top of your booth to free up table space. You cannot have too much inventory. Whenever you sell one of X, replace it with another one from the box under the table. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

TW, if you were fewer than 900 miles and 13 hours away I'd think about it. I do have hopes of meeting up with some of the IFI folks once my wife thinks it is covid safe. GNM

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Nice score, probably a fair price. You are just the current custodian and it will probably still be in use when your grandchildren are old. I hope you find the craft as rewarding as I have for the last 44 years. It is a great stress reliever and has gotten me through both good times and bad. Like many forlk, you have been initially attracted by knife making but there is a lot more to the craft than just that. I, personally, don't make many knives because knife making involves lots of bench work and I'd rather be hitting hot iron. I suggest that you invest in some good reference books (plenty of suggestions on IFI) and watch good videos on You Tube. I like Black Bear Forge, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), Crist Centered Ironworks, and Torbjorn Ahman (from Sweden). There are some truly bad and dangerous blacksmithing videos out there. If it looks sketchy, even to a novice, it probably is. Contact you local ABANA affiliate. There is nothing like in person instruction or watching somethng live. But if you see something demonstrated try it yourself as soon as possible. That develops both muscle and mental memory. The kinesthetic muscle memory will last much longer than just a mental impression. And, most importantly, be safe. Use proper PPE and keep your wits about you. Any distraction can contribute to an accident. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand.

Close only counts in horse shoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons. ;-) GNM

Since this was a very unique query let us know how itr all works out. While not strictly balcksmithing related I, for one, would like to know how it goes. Best of luck. GNM

if it is chromed you may be able to remove the plating in an acid bath. I'd use hydrochloric/mueriatic and soak it overnight. There are a number of threads about removing plating chemically. Do NOT remove it with a wire wheel because you will then be breathing in the chrome dust. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Handling/porter holes in a cast anvil or anvil body would be used to lift the still hot anvil out of the mold and move it to the next manufacturing station, finishing, grinding, or furnace to heat before weldinga high C face plate on. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

DK, if you just want to get metal hot as quickly and easily as possible look up JABOD (just a box of dirt) forges. A solid fuel forge may not be right for you but you can probably get a functional forge going in less than a day, including trips to the lumber yard or big box store. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thomas, the piano joke is OLD! In one form or another it may have been around since pre-history. Vaudville is probably only its most recent incarnation. GNM

There is also the possibility that you have low grade coal which has a LOT of non-combustible impurities in it and is generating an excessive amount of clinker. You could also have gotten coal that is contaminated with rocks which will not burn. However, as John says, it sounds to me more like a fire management issue. Even if your coal is generating more clinker than average all that should mean is that you have to clean out the clinker more often. Loss of heat means loss of air to the fire and that means something, probably clinker, is obstructing the air flow. Try some different fire management practices and I think the situation will improve. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

HH, There are a number of ways, I think, that bench vises are constructed. I think my bench vise is constructed like this: There is a female "nut" inside the back part of the vise and a male threaded rod which extends through it in the middle of the moving bar that is part of the front jaw. the front jaw is attached to the screw and moves with it. If the vise were frozen trying to pry the jaws apart would mean you are exerting force along the length of the threaded rod and trying to tear the male and female threads apart. That is not to say that the sliding part that moves with the threads couldn't be rusted together too. When trying to disassemble something unfamiliar I try to figure out how it had to be assembled at the factory and try to reverse the process. BTW, we don't have wild hogs in this part of the world (too cold probably) but I wonder if you have to take any precautions when handling a carcass or cooking the meat to avoid any disease (trichinosis?). Also, how does wild hog taste compared with domestic pork? I'm sure, like most game, it is much leaner. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

HH, make sure that while you are trying to free up both vises that you remember you are trying to loosen the screw, not the jaws. The jaws will follow the screw. The exception being the post vise and if you can back out the screw separately from the jaws and the pivoting jaw is frozen at the pivot point. You don't need much of a spring on the post vise. All you need is a bit of force to move the pivoting jaw away from the fixed jaw for the first inch or so. After that gravity takes over. I imagine that there is much more of a rust problem in S. Texas than there is around here or Thomas has in NM. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Chad, I'm going to jump in before Frosty makes a joke or comment about burning rubber tires as a forge fuel. The thing that introduces air into a forge or furnace is a "tuyere" (pronounced "tweer" AFAIK). A "tyre" is the British spelling of what is a "tire" for Americans. Tuyere is one of those odd French words that came into English in the late Middle Ages. BTW, your new tuyere looks almost exactly like the one I made recently for my small coal forge. The old one lasted 20 or so years. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I'm assuming that you are talking about the interior of the barge, not the outside which is in contact with the river/other water. Correct? Is the metal to be coated clean or is there rust and junk on it? Is the "base plate" the bottom of the barge with air on one side and watr on the other? How much headroom and ventilation is there in the spaces you want to apply the coating? Even with these questions answered I'm not sure I'll have a suggestion but someone else may have. It is a little out there for a blacksmithing forum but there may be someone with a pertinent suggestion. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

John, I hope that you are improving. Back when I worked in the steel mills when a welding tank was exhausted the guys simply chalked MT on it and wiped the chalk off when it was refilled. GNM