Conrad.blacksmithing

Mark those openers are sweet! I also have never seen goose openers.

Here are my first horse heads. I think these are my new favorite to forge. 

Cool anvil! It is definitely cast but I have never heard of that name so I cant say what material it is made of. Hay Budden made an anvil like that but that's not it. If you forge put it to use and enjoy.

Yeah he made the rounding hammer popular. They are very useful hammers for sure. I rarely use a cross peen. 

Mine was somewhere around 3.5 pounds. It's been a while.

Have you heard of Brian Brazeal? He is the hammer maestro in my opinion and on his YouTube channel he has two "how to" videos on rounding hammers. He uses round for his hammer but its the same for square.

Those are pretty sweet looking Aus!

I'm pretty impressed as I have not made a pair anywhere near that clean . They were a little pricey though.

I normally use 2" round by 4.25" for a 3 pounder. If you are slow like me you can count on losing about 8-12 oz. total after forging and grinding. Square stock will be heavier so you could use 4" like Irondragon said.

That is good first hammer. Actually looks just like my first hammer but mine was made from round stock. One thing I can suggest is to bring the troughs closer to the eye so the proportions are more even. I did the same thing on my first hammer. Nice job.

Yeah the tongs I got are pretty nice. All their tools looked to be good quality but the only thing I noticed is the cast swages and bottom tools were a little rough (as in casting texture). If I bought one I would grind it smooth

They're in Phoenix. I really liked their anvils. Especially the new Mclellan anvils.

Exercising and building muscle in general will help with hammering for long periods of time but swinging a hammer will be the fastest way to get the strength. Whenever I swing (others have said this) I try to use my whole body. Especially when swing heavy hammers. I normally swing an eight or six pound hammer (one hand) when drifting and I have had to do this for extended periods of time. I don't die after this because I use my whole body to swing the hammer.

As for injuries, I haven't had any except for tight tendons. Maybe because I'm 15 but other Smith's can inform you on how not to get injured.

This is not really shop related but I'm on a trip to Arizona right now and yesterday I stopped by Pieh Tool. I couldn't leave without tongs and I got to meet Amy the owner of the place and talk with her for a while about anvils and my hammers.

Peter Wright for sure. I've always wondered why anvils got chipped edges. Does anyone know? Surely someone can't miss hit along the entire edge. Congratulations on your anvil sgtcoffee.

I haven't seen any anvils with hardened horns. I'm sure there are brands that harden them (Emerson) but my NC and Hay Budden don't have hardened horns. Neither does my dad's Vulcan. You will enjoy you new anvil. These new cast steel and ductile iron anvils are great. How much does it weigh?

Emerson anvils seem good to me. I have heard that they harden the entire anvil but I don't see how that would make a big difference in performance. It is certainly within your budget. You would have some extra money for supplies. I say go for it.

6 hours ago, Potato-Demon said:

Third thing I’ve made and I think I’m getting slightly better, any advice is appreciated.

I would suggest to not start out making knives. You want to make things like hooks, bottle openers, leaves and other small stuff. All of these build hammer technique and skill. The difference is knives require hammer technique and this small stuff builds hammer technique.

I like the chime Anachronist. 

Jlp, 6 months is reasonable. At least you don't have to relearn the craft. You still have much experience and muscle memory that makes it easier to get back into the groove.

Here are my first few horse head bottle openers I made today.

I received a block brush and a license plate cover with my forge name. Very grateful for everything.

GolFisHunt, Hay Budden didnt use the stone weight system on their anvils like most other American companies.

Phats, that price would be too high for me but HB is a great brand and it depends on your budget. You can always wait for that perfect deal. I hope your decision benefits you to the fullest.

I like the canes Blurustudios! 

Today I made a nice axe for a guy then burned a cheek while heat treating. After much grieving I welded up a stand for my leg vise. I plan to get a large plate and weld it to the bottom so it doesn't tip over. 

Yeah, looks like yours is a PW. I haven't seen very many of those. Although I haven't been looking hard.

I don't know much about double horn anvils but it kind of looks like Alec Steele's old Peter Wright. Especially with that step on the square horn.

I've been pretty busy lately. Sometimes it seems like life is boring when you aren't busy, but when you're busy it seems like life is too hectic. Yesterday I started an axe that a guy ordered a while ago (no pictures) and forged a little crane with a stand. The decorative side of blacksmithing is very interesting. I really like the figures that Daswulf makes.

If the first number of that serial number is a "3" it should be 1921. By the way very very nice anvil! It is my dream to get one like that.

It seems like every time I draw something, it comes out nothing like the drawing.