FinnOnTheTank

To make some S hooks.

Well it’s not pretty. But I did practice a little bit. I practiced tapering and of course bending over the horn. I’m going to cut my stock a little smaller tomorrow. I’ll use some vise grips and a glove since I don’t have tongs yet.

My scrapyard has shopping carts full of coil springs. I’ll probably go by there Since it’s .50¢/lb for steel.

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I’ll get some steel to work with for the tools soon. I just found a steel yard close to me. All I have is a few pieces of hot rolled steel from Home Depot right now.

I’m not sure if this is in the right section of not. Please let me know so I can put it where it needs to be.

I am brand new to this. I’m trying to figure out where I should start, and what I should make first. I have an anvil, a forge, a vise, and hammers. What tools should I start first? I have no tongs, or chisels, or anything else for that matter. 

I think that leg got banged up enough for a pass. Haha. I did catch the other shin on my horn a few weeks ago.

Thanks for the input Thomas and Frosty. All I was thinking about was something heavy. Not weighing something down with my own body weight. Lol. I need as few trip hazards as possible. I trip around enough since my left leg is a prosthetic below the knee.

For the anvil tie down all I need is the chain and to make the brackets.

Frosty, I wanted to do the router idea before. But I have no router and don’t know anybody with one. I don’t have a drill press yet either. The only tools i had before i started venturing into blacksmithing last month were automotive specific. I only have a little 60lb anvil right now, so I’m doing the wrapped chain attached to L brackets by and eyelet bolt. When I find a larger anvil I hope to have a router by then and I’ll probably do the depressed fit then. 

I do like the idea of keeping the tong rack a little mobile. I plan on making some form of hammer hold for the stump. As for my vise I still have to make a stand for that. I’ve seen people make a portable one with a semi truck brake drum. That may be the route I take. 

I already have the stump lined out and I have 2x4s screwed together around it to guide the chainsaw. It’s a large piece of white oak. It’s about half a foot too high right now. After I cut it I’m gonna smooth it a little with a belt sander. I already cleaned off the bark, and I plan on making some iron bands to put around it and hopefully minimize the splitting. I might use the remaining piece of log to gorge on since it will still be significantly thick. Maybe use it for forging bowls or the sort.

Thanks for the advice VaughanT. This is my first forge. It’s going to be an ever evolving project. I already planned on upgrading the corner posts later on with some stronger angle iron and also adding a rack for tongs. I’ve also found a half good that fits perfect for the cart. All I’ve done is heat up a 1/2” square rod in a temp forge so far. I just tapered the end and put a 90* bend in it. I almost have my anvil set up. I just have to borrow a chainsaw from my step dad when I see him in two weeks to get the log to the right height. After that I should be ready to really start.

I was able to get some 1/4” Hardie backing board today. I cut is to fit the 24”x36” tray, then I spray painted it from underneath to mark the hole. Thanks for the advice Frosty. I’m hoping to get it fired up at least by next weekend. I can make some brackets to tie down my anvil.

11 hours ago, Frosty said:

no reason to quote the entire preceding post

So should I just have it under the firepot, or make it fit the whole tray? If I make it fit the whole tray, then it will be more flush. I feel like doing just the perimeter of the firepot is going to get annoying since the firepot will be sitting up a lot farther than the tray, so scraping the coal in won't be as easy.  I'll probably just use a utility knife for it, that way I dont have to deal with a ton of dust.

1 hour ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

If you have a store that sells wood stoves near by, they sell insulating boards to put under them and are easy to trim.

I'll have to search for it around here in Georgia.

13 hours ago, Frosty said:

no reason to quote the entire preceding post

Thanks for the advice! I was wondering if i would need to insulate it. I just looked up the cement backerboard and I'm not seeing many that are smaller than 3'x5'. I'll have to find some that are smaller

On 7/13/2018 at 9:14 PM, iron woodrow said:

no reason to quote the entire preceding post

Scrap pile find? You are officially the luckiest man alive. 

Since I will be moving into a new house soon I needed a forge that was portable. I'll be forging outside under a canopy until I'm able to build a shop/storage shed. I used a firepot from Fiery Furnace Forge, and a $55 36"x24" service cart from Harbor freight. I'm using a hair dryer for a blower right now until I can afford a hand crank blower. I do plan on cutting down some of the walls later on if i end up forging larger pieces. After a few uses im going to assess everything, and i may end up welding in a frame on the buttom of the top tray for better suppoer of the firepot.

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

Looks like a lot of rebuilding on it; what's the rebound test numbers for it?

For my first anvil it was a good price to start with.  Rebound is close to 70%. It's a better start than the harbor freight anvils for sure. I've found some other anvils at some antique shops around me, but for right now they are a little out of my price range. When I get settled in my new house in a few months I'll be forging a lot more, and wont have to worry about moving costs, etc.

11 hours ago, stevomiller said:

I don’t know but did find this thread: Click here

A google search turned up other posts here and other forums concerning anvils with 6 point star in circle logo. 

Thank you, hopefully I can find some more information.

This was the first anvil I came across when I first started getting into blacksmithing at the beginning of July. It's 60 pounds. I haven't been able to figure out what brand it is, but it has really good rebound. For a first anvil it's not too bad. If anybody knows the brand I'd appreciate some feedback.

On 7/31/2018 at 11:40 PM, Daswulf said:

no reason to quote the entire preceding post

I'll be using it for sure. I should be moving into my new house withing the next few months. I won't be doing much forging until we've moved. Right now im making a stand for my anvil.

4 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

Nice vise. What'd ya pay for it if you dont mind my asking?

$150

A couple weeks ago I went out looking for a post vise. I hit a few antique shops and didn't have much luck. I left a note with the largest antique shop I went to. 2 hours later an older man called me and had this. An old Iron City vise. It's a little over 5 inches. I cleaned it up with a wire cup and BLO. The next project is building a stand for it.

I love this idea. I may have to take some cues from this design.

I fired up my forge for the first time tonight after building it. This was all unplanned because i don't have my anvil mounted yet. With my anvil on the ground I practiced tapering a little bit. Also, I practiced bending a 90* angle over the edge. I guess I'll use this to move around  coals after I cut a little bit off the other end.