Ninjarex1

Can't you make some kind of firework type of thing out of iron oxide? Thermite or something?

Geez. At least he's helping other people get equipped on the cheap lol

Found this at my local steel guy's place. 120lbs for $30 bucks. I need to build a stand for it. No clue what it was in another life, but now it's my friend and I look forward to many long conversations.

True, my wife seems to have the hobby of collecting hobbies. She gets interested in something, spends between $500 to $1500 gearing up for the hobby, does it for about 6 weeks and then it all goes in totes and I don't see that stuff again for at least 3 years. The worst was quilting. Her sewing machine is like 3 grand and it is under a stack of clothes. So, I always try to be supportive of her making things, but I try to steer her back to stuff she is already equipped with.

Yes, I browsed it last night actually. I really liked the old boat anchor anvil. At this point I'm just keeping my eyes out for anything heavy lol. 

The coal I bought is bituminous. I read on this forum about how much it smoked, and was still surprised at how much it smoked lol. During my research that evening my wife suggested I just buy a propane forge. I feel like I should work my way up to it though. Learn different types of fuel. Plus, I still have 25lbs of coal. I think it might be a trap. If I buy a forge, she will want to buy more craft supplies.... 

Cinder was my favorite, too. That endless combo? Lol

Hello, I am finally getting into forging. I've wanted to learn for many years and my 7 year old son expressed interest in it recently, so here I am. I built a forge out of loose bricks in my backyard and started out using lump charcoal. We made some tongs and those work OK. Then I tried to make a scoop out of a railroad spike and that just sort of turned into a ridiculous looking butter knife lol. 

I bought an anvil from Harbour Freight, (you know the one) and that's already beat to hell. I am thinking I should just get a block of steel, but I don't know what would be the best thing for me yet. 

I also built everything low to the ground so my boy could have easy access to it, but that was a fool move because my back fell off. So, I'm still trying to figure out how to set things up, but it's fun. Oh, I bought actual coal and I learned an awful lot that night lol. I'm thinking I'll eventually buy a propane forge. We'll see... 

Rex