CtG

One thought. The fresh fracture looks like what I normally see at work in a brittle fracture- point being, cold. There are no temper colors or oxidation on the fresh fracture. 

Top piece in the top picture- 

Do you see the somewhat jagged pieces at the meeting of the 2 colors?

It looks like the grain structure had an internal inconsistency causing a stress riser. Notice how the other side has a fairly consistent appearance (color notwithstanding) across the fracture plane? 

Now, the lack of "beach marks" shows no real loading cycles, so my guess is that it let go the first bit, went through a heat, then failed through on the next run or 2. 

Without having it in my hand to see the grains and structure, a good failure analysis is harder. 

Always cool to see the origination of a fracture. You had a fatigue fracture of sorts with brittle final failure of sorts. 

Thanks for sharing, I know wiser minds will correct me if wrong.

Roy over at Christ Centered Ironworks has a series of test videos on that anvil. Seems like it's a pretty decent unit, all things considered.

I miss having land.... 

We're a couple hours south, down in Aggie Land. 

Welcome aboard!

Wow, that's different. Turned out pretty cool! 

Everybody is knocking out some good work it seems! 

I've spent $200 on a ratchet, and had to have it warranted multiple times, versus $120 or so for the equivalent, and 2 years in I'm still original.

The thing that sucks about the tool trucks once you are in a field truck is that meeting up with a dealer can be difficult. Dispatch doesn't enjoy diversions. 

Today got a bit of practice in, mostly upsetting, tapering, drawing out, and one bottle opener. Just charcoal today. 

Good day I'd say.

Dan, I suggest taking pictures of the anvil. Any logos, numbers, identifying features, what the bottom looks like, etc... then post your own topic, say, "Please Help Identify Family Heirloom" or whatever you want to call it, in this section. 

Also, welcome!

Be sure to update your profile with a rough location- you may be surprised to find someone fairly nearby! That, and we have members from all over the world, so knowing if you are in, say, South Africa, Germany, Taiwan, or maybe upstate New York, may help with future questions

Hopefully it lasts like the real deal- some of the tools from down by the Harbor have held up real well from my experience, some.... well... 

Glad you're happy with it! As long as it does what you need it to, who cares where it came from? I have Pittsburgh sockets on the same racks as my Snap-On and Matco. Different uses, still get the job done!

Yeah, mine is currently VW parts.. Interior parts form interesting scree haha

Gorgeous axe Conrad!

Lots of wood joinery back in the day. Dowels, pins, mortise and tenon, etc. 

Doesn't negate from the impressive feat of building a home back in the day.

39 minutes ago, pnut said:

The few times I've gotten to go to someone else's shop and work I've progressed more in an afternoon with them than a month on my own. 

I'm ultra-green, and the handful of times I've gotten to go hang out with/ strike for littleblacksmith or with the gentlemen at Steep Hollow, it's been extraordinarily enlightening. 

My first time forging was at the aforementioned class at Steep Hollow Forgeworks. Jeff and Alan's direction and guidance was worth 10x what I paid for the class. It's also the reason I'm saving up for a 3-day class with LBS. 

If you can find an intro class from a good smith near you, it'll help to talk to them about your goals and needs and likely take the class. 

I went from only having bent hot metal to fab something for work to making nails, hooks, leaves, bottle openers, and a fire poker in 8 hours with the help of experienced smiths.

Frosty, not strange at all. 

CGL, prayers sent. My folks are late 50's, but dad isn't doing so hot- CO poisoning ~10 years ago really jacked him up, last 2 years have been.... not fun. Being 1000 miles away doesn't help. 

Hang in there. You never know, I had several MRI'S that stemmed from my Meningitis because they saw "suspicious growths on the kidney" that turned out to be cystic. 

Regardless, as goes without saying, treasure what time you do have. 

A wire brush on a grinder is about all it should need if there is rust you want removed. Followed by an oiling. Boiled Linseed Oil, Fogging Oil... something to stave off future corrosion. If not very rusty, just maintain a mild oiling of it. The face shouldn't need much oiling unless you plan on not forging for some time. 

Unless your edges are threatening to spall off (doesn't look like it from the pictures) don't grind on it, as previously mentioned. 

Congratulations on a beautiful acquisition!

I see the "PATENT" above the "SOLID WROUGHT" circle, that and CWT rating. 

Hard to tell if it has the benches.  

Looks Peter-ish to me.

I'd take TP's advice, it sounds like NM is fairly tool-poor, so it would be nice to keep it local!

Nails were the first thing I did in class. They had us practice several before moving onto leaves and other goodies.

If you have a bolster for the head and a good hot cut, they aren't too rough. I struggled with keeping the heads even. 

Haven't fired the forge in 2 weeks, hoping this weekend works out. Provided work doesn't run long tomorrow, and the weather holds.

Aren't a lot of those titanium on the compressor side, inconel on the turbine side? 

That one looks a lot like a manure spreader bed. 

Here's some fairly common sights in winter where I grew up. All images from Google 

I think they look plenty good

Belly bladed grader I assume? Old 143H's with a Snow Wing and a Wedge up front could really clear some muck. Good old girls. 

Then I get to fix what the operators mess up haha

No snow removal down here, but back on the Front Range you knew it was nasty if the graders came out to play. 

Spindle is very likely welded on. 

The bearing may need to be pressed/pulled off depending on if it spun. 

We have a bloom planned for an upcoming event, Saturday after next. I'm excited to observe and learn! 

Pretty cool!

Wow. Very pretty

Nor the scouring of the Shire... 

I read all 3 from my dad's 1950's paperbacks, plus his 40's The Hobbit. He got them from his dad. I used to be a voracious reader, then I got my drivers license... funny how growing up 25 miles from town does that to you. Between video games, books, documentaries, and a good bike I was golden. Heh, used to ride the 3.9 miles (had an old odometer on my bike) to my friends house pretty regularly in the summer, sometimes back and forth a few times a day... wish I'd have had more exposure to smithing at a younger age, maybe replaced some of that video game time.

My daughter (7) laughed at the puppets, wowed at most everything else, and had a bunch of questions at the Kabuki section. She's one smart cookie. 

I enjoyed it all, even looking at the vintage cars and trying to recognize some haha

Wow. 

That too was quite the treat- she was transfixed the whole time. 

And I haven't heard that NatGeo intro theme in a long time!

Thank you!

Heavy rain today and yesterday as well. Hopefully a break tomorrow.