promotive

If you demo in a tight location, use a propane forge. My buddy did an arts festival a few years ago with a coal forge. The smoke drifted through the show area and damaged textile products and was bothering people in general. He was asked to turn his forge off. Also use some lexan panels as safety shields to keep the lawyers away.

Brian, I am going to try out your design. Thanks

I have a 100lb bottle, but I am using it on our gas logs for the winter.

Right - good idea not to use the torch. Does it get cold enough in Asheville to really have a problem with LP? My house is heated with LP here in Wisconsin as are many others and we all have these huge tanks outside with no problem. I have never really had any problems with the smaller tanks in my forge for that matter either. Perhaps you don't really need to worry about it.

I have a 100lb bottle, but I am using it on our gas logs for the winter. I had thought about a tub of water to set the tank in, I will try that. I guess using the torch to heat the bottle is out!

Has anyone ever warmed their propane tank to keep it from freezing? I thought about using a pad heater like we use on a race car oil tank or maybe a battery blanket. Any ideas or comments?

I second Falconers post! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I haven't heard from you.

John,
I really enjoyed your poem, it reminds me of watching my Dad work when I was a kid. I also enjoy sitting in my shop looking over my tools and thinking about the past and the future. You're story will also hang in my shop! Thank you.

I have a 2 burner gasser forge. It was made by a guy here in NC. It has a large front and rear opening and the side swings up to open the forge into a C shape for large items. I have found that my work tends to red oxide when it is cooling. I thought that the forge may be lean so I made the interior smaller with fire brick. That helped with the oxidation, I can only get metal high orange running at 10 psi. This was also the case before adding the extra brick. Do I need more pressure or a forge built with a better design? The burners point straight down at the floor in the center of the roof. I know you want to see pics but I don't have any right now. Give me your thoughts and ideas. Thanks!

Yes, thats stump in the background. It was pine and too small for my anvil. I was using it to get by till I built something. Good eye!

I built this yesterday from material I picked up at the local recycler. I have about $5 in it. I used 4x4 salt treated feet. I used a bolt under the horn at the base to secure the anvil in the frame. It deadens the ring from my anvil but it works very well. I could'nt find a stump so I built this instead.

I just saw this thread and I think this is a very neat item to sell at shows. If you don't mind I am going to build a copy of your jig. People love a story with any Item they purchase. I sometimes make up very elaborate "Tales" to go along with an item. Most people know right away that it's BS but love the whole idea.

That is a good deal! Buy it!

Thanks guys! Scratch- that was the thread I was looking for!:)

I read a thread about 2 weeks ago where people listed items they made to sell at shows, and a list of stuff they made during demos. I can't locate that thread! I searched alot with no luck. I would like to look at it again as it had alot of good ideas. Thanks ahead of time.

I have that ring roller also. I drilled a second set of holes for the outer rollers and now I can roll 1' sq tube into circles. Works great for garden arbors and trellis type stuff.

Thanks guys for all the cool ideas and pics!

I have a Hobart 180, Lincoln 135, Miller econo-tig a Hobart portable 140 amp stick/gen and a ancient Marquette 200 amp stick. I also have a Hypertherm 380 plasma cutter.

That method really does work. I was looking for an anvil about 2 years ago. Where I live we have a sale paper called the "IWANNA". I placed an ad for anvil for a beginning blacksmith. I received 1 call. He lived 2 miles away! He had an anvil in the barn that was his great grandfathers. I looked at it and tried to hide the excitement, it was a Mouse hole from the 1850's and about 90 lbs. I ask him how much and he said "Is $50 too much?" I pretended to be in pain from his price but said "OK I guess thats not too much." It is a very nice anvil that has been properly used and not abused. I use it all the time and it rings beautiful. A neighbor down the street told my wife he loved to hear the rhytham of the anvil when I make stuff. I had a teacher who taught me to keep time by tapping the anvil as I roll the metal to a different positions.
After the first anvil I have found about 4 more in various places by "asking around."

Mine is a store bought piece, it has an 1896 patent date on it. Pics soon(I hope).

I'll try to get some pics of the vise soon. Mine is not made like the ebay vise. Mine has 2 legs that are wide in the front with the pedal between, the front legs come to a blunt point. The rear legs are close set with flats on the bottom. It has an adjustable jaw on the pedal side. The moving jaw has a large "C" shape for clearance under the jaw. The action is same type as the ebay vise.

Today I bought a vise that free stands with four legs. The Pat. date is 1896. It works by pressing the pedal and the jaws close, release and they open. It looks very handy for hook production where you are twisting alot of pieces. I paid too much for it I know....but I have never saw another one for sale. Let me know if you have one and what you use it for

By limiting the air intake of my burners it has greatly reduced the red oxide on my work. I do not have any pics. My burners point straight down at the floor of the forge. Thanks for all the help!:)

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll build 'em.:D