Chris C

Well Don, that looks great to me.

Heck, I thought I was the only trouble maker...............or at least that's what the Mod's have me thinkin'.

Sad example of Darwinism.

Thomas, I routed a 3/4" recess for the anvil to start with. It's right where I want it, but thanks for the suggestion. My guess is I'll probably flip the stump and take the 3/4" off the bottom when the time comes. I flattened both the top and bottom to "bubble level" and then cut a template of the footprint of my Fisher anvil out of a piece of 3/4" Baltic Birch and routed the recess. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the routed out recess.

671jungle, download this onto you phone: https://blog.fonepaw.com/reduce-image-size-android.html Then resize your pictures to 1/2 their size. Then you should be able to post them. If you are trying to post from your computer, PM me and I'll give you instructions.

Yep, that mindset makes most of the folks who live out here furious. I've never understood the concept myself. And you are right, farmers tend to protect their livestock. I know I do mine. Okay, back to the subject at hand. I put a piece of 3/4" plywood on the floor in front of my anvil. It's large enough I'll be able to strike my work while standing on it. I cut some 1/4" and 3/8" thick strips off the side of a 2x4 and did some dry hammering. The marks left by my hammer were dead on centered. Kind of figured 3/4" was the "magical" measurement. I'll forge from that short platform for a while and see if my hammering improves. If so, it's "under the chopping block" for the stump base.

All kidding aside, I've been very fortunate out here in the woods for the past 21 years. I've only had the garbage can raided one time. Not bad for an area when "city folk" bring all their unwanted dogs to dump. As far as losing any of my marbles to "bean flippers", I'm downright selfish when it comes to my marbles.

Uh, ME CONFUSED? Never happen, Frosty. I keep all my marbles in the same drawer so that doesn't happen.

Absolutely NOT, Thomas. What I meant was you seem to have anvils all over your shop unlike some of us who consider ourselves darned lucky to have one! There's no way in creation that I could afford to have anvils of different heights for different purposes.

Thanks, Glenn. I had read that info from you when first setting up my anvil height. Smashed the begeebers out of a lot of wood before deciding on my 32.5" height. But now that I'm actually doing a little forge work, I'm noticing it's a bit high. As I said, I'll start raising my standing platform and see if I can tune it in. But my original question, if I stated it correctly, was "what's a feller to do about needing an adjustable height?" Is there really a good, solid adjustable platform or do I have to go with Thomas's plan of multiple anvils?

IFC fixed it.

That makes sense, thanks. (the temporary pad and dog head hammer part, not the tornado!)

Good idea, only I already have my "smithy".

I've been doing some hot metal pounding and have realized I pretty consistently strike heavy at the 6 o'clock point on my hammer. Which obviously means my anvil is too high for me. Right now it's at 32 1/2". I get reasonably consistent strikes on the chisel table, which is approximately 3/4" lower than the face of the anvil.. Okay, no problem.................just put a piece of 3/4" plywood on the floor in front of my anvil and see if that corrects the problem. If so, I'll take the anvil off my stump, flip the stump and take 3/4" off the bottom. But............................................I've read where many knife makers prefer their anvils face to be higher (some I've read have said as much as 4" higher) than for typical blacksmithing. Since bladesmithing is my ultimate goal with this "journey", I could just start over on a new stump. But wait..........I also want to do typical blacksmithing projects. I have neither the room nor the money for a second anvil. And on top of that, I have used and really want a dogs-head hammer to do my bevel work on knives and that means the face of the anvil will need to be lowered. Get's kind-a compilated! So what's a feller to do?

That's GREAT news, Thomas. Thanks for the update and thank God she'll be coming home soon. The power of prayer is powerful, indeed.

Thank you. Much appreciated. Might give a blade a try just for fun.

Got me, Steve. Of course I meant "what kind of steel". Is it high or medium carbon? I know lug wrenches are often used as punches and chisels, but would they make a good blacksmith's knife? (would it be able to be hardened enough to use satisfactorily as a knife?)

Can anyone tell me what metal is typically used to make a lug wrench?

"Genius"?????????????? Don't say that too loud, my Mom will turn over in her coffin in the mausoleum! Good start on that hammer. Wish I had one myself. Ahhhhh, maybe some day.

My first thought was he threw a copper penny in forge!

God surely works in mysterious ways, Robert. It seems he's had you in the palm of His hand. Happy things are turning around for you and Sheila.

It's hard to answer an antagonistic question sanely, Frosty. You owe no-one on this forum an apology.

Well, not being snarky or curmudeonly, I tried to decipher the original question "thinking" I understood it. I tried 3 times and every time I realized I still didn't understand the question so I erased it. My responses were coming out a bit like Frosty's. (Oh, and Frosty loves everyone and is one of the many on this forum who will go to great lengths to help you.) As this thread has progressed, I think I really did understand the question when I first posted and probably should have answered it. My answer was in line with George's concerning "just how steep is your learning curve". In my younger years I made my living as a classical violinist. But when I was a teenager, just struggling to learn how to play the violin, I used to donate my time as an usher at the symphony to gain a free ticket to the monthly concert. So I was always inside the building prior to the performance. Long story short, I realized with my usher's pass I could gain access to the building as early as I liked and could sit quietly and listen to performers rehearse. On one occasion my "idol" at the time, Michael Rabin, was running through some scales and playing some segments of the Meditation from the opera Thais............which was something I was studying at the time. As he finished a particularly difficult passage he looked down from the stage and realized I was sitting on the front row intently listening and watching. He asked if I played and instrument. I told him I did indeed and was working on that very piece of music. In my naivete' I asked him how long it was going to take me to learn how to play that passage as cleanly and effortlessly as he had just done. I imagine inside his head he was answering "oh brother"...............but what he said was simple. "It depends on how much work you are willing to put into playing it the way I just did." With that he walked off the stage. There is no set "how many hours of hammer time, how much coal/fuel will I use" kind of formula to figure out when your output will be presentable. As George said..........."It Depends".

Man, THAT's a keeper for sure. About a hundred years ago in another life, I had the same one. Take it all apart and clean it up like a new one and it'll serve you for many, many moons.

Just beginning to mess around with my new 2x72 belt grinder. Already realizing how much sweeping I'm going to have to do. So today I spent about a half hour making a temporary "laundry chute" for the metal grindings to go down directly into my water bucket. I'll see how it works before going with a more permanent build. Saves a whole lot of sweeping though.