regularjoe

Already posted and met a few of you, but I wanted to formally introduce myself. I'm a new smith, just a hobbyist. I've worked metal as a machinist and welder most of my adult life. Just several months into this, and I am already "unlearning" a lot things that are totally different on the blacksmithing side. Like the title says, I am from middle GA, and have been snooping around for sometime on here and decided to join finally. If anyone in my area reads this and wouldn't mind a visit, I'd love to visit another shop and maybe pick up some time saving tips on shop setup and tooling(I'm willing to clean up for you). I've tinkered with the idea of making knives, but right now I'm just hammering some simple common projects to learn the basic skills. So far, I've acquired a decent beginners tool list fairly cheap, and hope to make many more myself. Thanks for reading, -Joe

True indeed. I was referring to the tongs, but but I love a good laugh. The tongs are well built. Just looking at them reminds me of my current skill level. But I wish there was a magic anvil cabbage patch. That would be nice.

Yes, they are. I can tell these were made by someone, not purchased. I have a flat pair, and two different size V-bit tongs. Just in the couple of times I've worked, I can tell that I will have many more before it's said and done.

Ok guys, I removed the anvil and cleaned it up. Used a long punch and knocked it out. Turns out someone plugged it up years ago. It has a "w" mark on the side, and the weight markings are 0 3 10. I put it on a bathroom scale and it weighed in at 91 lbs. I took a few more pics to boot. Thanks for the help.

You guys are a wealth of good knowledge. Thanks. I will certainly try to get a picture of the weight markings , but I have to get it off that stand first.I'll scale it, too. I am sure by looking at it he never intended for it to be removed. I will definitely measure it before I go to doing any work on it. I was just scared of messing it up. Sometimes it's easier to learn from someone else's mistake. I was a tool and die maker for 11 years before my current career, and this blacksmithing thing is a foreign concept to me. I've been reading on here for a while now, but this is the first question I couldn't find an answer with the search feature. I tried it out the other day making a few S hooks with a dirt box forge I put together. I'm hooked now.

I plan to take it off the stand today and flip it over. There is no sign at all of a pritchell on the underside. Just the hardy hole. The marks are indentations, like it needs to be "knocked out'. But the underside has a nice, square hole going up over halfway through the anvil. It looks original, and I have seen no signs of any modifications to it.

This is not the best pic, but it's all I have on my phone. I'll take a closer one when I get home this evening and post. This anvil was gifted to me by an older gentleman along with three pair of tongs. He mounted it on a wheel drum, sitting on a piece of what he called "railroad rubber". He is now deceased, so I cannot question him. There are some weight markings on the other side, but the only marking I could find is the letter I highlighted with soapstone. If you look close, you can almost see the markings where the hardy hole should be. He obviously did a little painting on it, and I will clean that off tonight as well. I have no idea about it, and any info, points, and help is appreciated.

Hi everyone. I'm a beginner and have acquired an anvil. I will try to post some pictures after I get home this evening. The anvil is in decent shape, but I have an issue. The hardy hole looks like it wasn't finished. On the top, there is a square indention outlined where the hole should be, and if you look under the bottom side, the hardy hole is there, just not all the way through. My question is, I want to open it up without absolutely destroying a nice anvil. Has anyone ever came across this, and what are my options? First pot, by the way. Thanks for any help.

1) Joseph Hilliard 2) Middle GA 3) Mostly hobby work, tools, and farm repairs. 4) Watching a demo at the local fair. 5) I was lucky, an older gentleman gave me an anvil that was in great shape. 6) I found a portable forge, like a farrier type, that stands on 3 legs with a hand crank blower. 7) Still looking for a local mentor, but just finished reading Trenton Tye's book. 8) An older friend, dying of cancer, gave me an anvil and three pair of tongs, and told me he wanted me to have them and learn to use them. 9) Gotta be my anvil. Like I said, it was passed down and really is the cornerstone of my setup. 10) A good smith never stops learning. Be willing to listen, and don't believe everything on the internet. 11) Always try to help. Do your best to keep this art and skill alive and thriving. 12) Still relatively new to smithing, so this is a hard one. I've been a machinist for 18 years, so I've had the pleasure of working with some fine craftsman. Nothing specific really stands out though.