TwoRavens

There's a steel supply house here in northern Delaware that sells drops for $0.65/lb. I was sorely tempted last weekend to pick up a 107lb piece of 5.5" round stock for use as a shop anvil, but I ended up passing on it. I may check back in a week or two and see if it's still there after next payday.

Yeah, it's probably mild steel, but since at this point I'm just looking for something to use as an anvil, I'll probably just let it work harden a bit. I've been eyeballing the 4x4 stake anvil from Old World Anvils as another option, since it's quenched and tempered 4140. Pretty similar to your stake anvil, in fact, but straight-sided. But we'll see what happens with this piece first. If it works for awhile, great!

TP/CRS: I just got a piece of 3" round steel stock ~8" long (15 lbs or so?) from work to use as an anvil. It's an old counterweight. It rings nicely, so it's definitely steel. Just a question of type/grade. Either way, it's going in a stand and becoming an anvil. I've read the JABOD threads already, and since we've got 2 cats in the house, litter is something I keep in stock. Just need to find some time to make a box out of scrap lumber. The good thing about woodworking with hand tools is that I can work at night when the baby's asleep, so hopefully this is going to be a quick turnaround! Steve: Yeah, it all depends on who's around you, I find. We've got a good group here, for the most part. I'm stoked for Pennsic this year. Didn't get to go last year because my wife was about to have our first kid, so we'll be camping with an almost 1-year-old.

Charles: No thralls, though I do have a minion-in-training (he's only 9 months old, so it'll be a few years before he can safely swing a hammer ). Thanks for the welcome! I've seen several threads mention that the search box is garbage, and I've used it a couple times; enough to know that it *is* in fact garbage. JHCC: I did read it. It made me happy. I am clearly in the right place. TP: I'm in Caer Adamant in the East (whole state of DE is one shire, which is kind of awesome). My persona is Viking (Hallbjorn Tryggvason) and my wife is 10-12th C. Irish, so I'm working on putting together a Viking smith setup. Probably won't ever win any A&S awards, but hey, it'll be fun. Woodworking wise I do a lot of small stuff: cutting boards, turnery, and the like. Working on a couple viking chairs for Pennsic this year, and hopefully a table if I can get enough shop time. Edited to add: I will *gladly* take a more medieval direction. That's why I'm getting into this crazy hobby!

Hey all! I'm in...Delaware. (The state, not the town in Ohio, and bonus points if you get the reference.) Just getting into smithing as an extension of my woodworking hobby and involvement in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). I do a lot of woodworking with medieval tools (or their modern equivalents) and wanted to get into smithing to try my hand at making my own, plus some other stuff. Been browsing for awhile as a lurker and finally decided to sign up today. I don't have much metalworking experience aside from working with tool steel in my saws/chisels/plane irons/etc, but I'm definitely excited to get into it.