HammerHeart

It depends on what species and the sex. A theraphosa stirmi (Goliath birdeater) male is around 90$ I got my female for 250$ the P. Metallica female can run you 400+ in some states. And then you have Aphonopelma chalcodes (Arizona blond) an adult female is about 40 bucks : ) 

I know this is off topic but I have been keeping tarantulas for 4 years now and it's the same thing happening. They will have a 250$ female listed, and some sellers will send you a 40$ mature male at the end of his lifecycle just because there's little to no differences between the two. A mature male might have a year or two left in him when a female has 15 years. You can ventral sex the tarantula but you have to be there. There's many Online sellers who are just plain out crooks.

Cast iron ( mature male at the end of lifecycle)

Cast steel (the expensive female you were wanting in the first place) 

And Thomas Iv also seen the "tough durable hardened cast iron is suitable for your every need, the best cast steel anvil ever made!" Sells that's been happing. It's a shame.  

I had a hard time with understanding the difference between cast iron vs cast steel when I was very first looking into buying an anvil. So it's understandable. 

Cut a 5" wide slot across the top of a stump and then bolt pieces of angle on each side to secure it. Here's a very....rough version of my idea. Sorry about the drawing. Haha

Thomas I know this is down the thread a way but I actually used the second piece In my vise as a fuller to get the peen on the hammer. But after I heard all the news I figured it wouldn't be safe so I was gonna toss it on the shelves, but if it's safe to use I definitely will. And as far as zinc and coated steels I'm going to do more research so I don't make a mistake I'll regret in the future. Thanks for the help everyone. 

Alright I will probably toss it aside and just use it as a dust collector : ) i seem to have alot of that today. I would rather play it safe, I use to be careless and not worry about anything. Ever since my two boys have been in this world I try to be a safe as possible. I cant raise them if I'm not here! So I think I'll stay thanks everybody for the advice. And to the guy that forges them all the time, good luck buddy I hope everything stays ok. Thanks guys!

Here's some more pictures of this mystery metal. Not sure if the rust tells anything on the cut sections. You all might be able to tell something about it. 

Thank you guys for the replies I truly appreciate it. I can't believe I didn't think to do a harden test piece, that really blows my mind that I didn't think of it. I also talked to a fellow about it being chrome plated (after I already forged it) but we had no way of figuring out forsure, I didn't get any fumes or weird color flames. Then again I'm not that educated with that stuff either, Iv heard about galvanized and zinc coated material but chrome never crossed my mind. I'm going to avoid the piece from now on though. Better safe than sorry : ) 

Made a cross peen today. Iv been needing one with a thicker peen so that was my project. I'm not sure what kind of steel this but it seems like a high carbon pin, maybe from a dozer or something? But it was a pretty smooth day in the shop so I'm doing good. : )

Cast iron, My apologies. The step horn anvil is harder than cast iron but softer than a tool steel face anvil. But its fine, it's a really handy anvil and does what I need it too. 

On 1/27/2020 at 8:36 AM, Goods said:

Shoshinjoe, the garden tool is fantastic. I’ll have to put that on my ever growing list!

Hammerheart, those are pretty cool and even a little scary. Is  hatchet really the right term for those, and is there an intended use?

Thanks! And I'm honestly not sure to be honest. Uhh Maybe veggie choppers is more like it : ) 

Yeah Thomas that's why I don't let not knowing what it is keep me from using it daily. The quality and story behind the anvil is more important than the make of the anvil. And pnut the whole anvil is softer steel but tougher than cast. My arm and Hammer has a clip welded into the side and a cut all the way through the top plate and I use those "tweaks" that the last owner made for alot of my work today.  : )

Same here man (i doubt we will ever know any solid info on my anvil) I use the "step" horn for many many projects. It's a softer steel but better than cast iron. And your right about the OPs anvil, looks like repair instead of intentional. Having a mini horn, or a bick is a really handy tool. He will enjoy it, good for tight bends, and eye work on hatchets and hammers.

Anytime man. I hope everything goes well with the vehicle, I know the struggle, make sure you keep me updated on everything bud. 

Hey man I'm very proud of you, Iv only known you for a year or so but one thing I do know is that your a good person and you have been fighting hard. One day we will meet up and we can finally make you some good tools : ) congratulations brother.

Apologies for bringing back any old threads, but I have an anvil that favors this one you have here, mine could be an aso I'm not really sure it's just a really useful tool with that fancy horn. You will enjoy it. 

i use to have my vise mounted onto the table but after a while of working the height felt more aggravating to me so I had to make a change to make working at the vise as comfortable to me as the anvil. 

In my prayers buddy. 

That's pretty slick man. I love looking back at my past creations. Sometimes it's nice to just step back and pay attention to how many unique tools for unique projects. Iv definitely done some make shift tools for certain jobs, and pnut I really like that vise you made, by the sound of it I believe it would have been a good one for a while. I wish I could have seen a picture or two before people had to come along and strip your work area. 

making some small hatchets for some pals of mine. Not sure what kind of steel. It was some scrap pieces I had lying around. : ) 

Jeez man this is mind blowing. My first blade was horrible. My dad said here the forge, here's the anvil, and this thing is your hammer. He forged out a snake real quick and said "that's how you do it, now you can figure the rest out on your own" 4 years later I still call him asking for tips on certain projects. : ) 

Your goin to be a beast at the blades man. 

Iv always used coal, when I have to start up green goal I take a couple small strips of wood and get a solid flame that can handle the air flow. I cover the wood with the green coal (a handful of pieces at first) then I'm ready for the day. The process takes around 5 minutes including chopping the kindling. As far as the smoke goes Iv never had any issues with it. I just burn the smoke out before I put anything in the firepot. Hope you get it all figured out buddy, hope I helped. 

It's a shame people are so stuck on the bad they can't see the good. He'll be safe from now on. From now on if you have something smart to say that doesn't benefit anyone keep it to yourself. Other than that tell them the problem and hope that they fix it. I'm done with this text arguing junk. It's a waste. Appreciate the help. 

Like I said I agree with safety. He was barely peddling around. If he was actually swinging the hammer it would be different. I respect people caring for my kids safety. But there's a right and wrong way to do everything. And frosty didn't go about It right. Good advise? Yes. He should have been wearing protection. Slapping people? Joke. 

It is no different than him throwing his toy trucks up into the air and watching them hit the ground. I agree with protection, but I also know that anything can happen at any time. I'm pretty sure a toy sword to the eye can do just as much damage. So frosty before you talk about smacking people you might want to step back and think a little harder, Might do people like you some good. I appreciate you all caring about my childs safety, to the people that do it the right way.