toolles

I hadn't thought of the ironing board angle. That's pretty good. I'll tell her the anvil is for ironing socks and she will run the other way and never bother me again. I tried to get my wife to sew on a button one time & she said she didn't know how and didn't want to learn. I had to get an old tackle box & stock it with thread & needles so I could do it myself. She's not all that domesticated. Good thing she makes a lot more money that I do! I've been reading the forum and also looked at a couple member's web pages about coal forges. I'm working it up in my mind how I want to proceed. I see where some people use a brake drum as a pot. Since I work in construction I come across castiron roof drains. I think this would be perfect as a pot. It's not too deep, it's heavy, and has a 3", 4", or 6" discharge pipe hole as part of the casting, in order to clamp to drain pipe with a no-hub connector. I like the flat brick table, with the vent hood, I saw too. I'm also thinking about building a semi-open shed overlooking the creek as my shop. Les

So now I'm supposed to have more than one anvil? No one said anything about that. Is that so you can whackem on both sides of where you stand at the same time; a hammer in each hand? Will that double production? I guess I could have four and then all I'd need to do is rotate 90 degrees and double production again. Les

I'm still working on getting or building a forge. I plan on using the rose bud tip until then. "CRITICAL MASS"? That's worth looking into. I don't have much trouble keeping the wife out of the shop but she watches the bank account like a hawk. I think the thing that did me in was the road trip I took to Arkansas to pick up a 3500lb radial arm drillpress, oh and the trip to Dallas to pick up the vertical mill, and then the lathe, all the deliveries from ebay... you get my point? Les

Checks in the mail. I don't know the brand. There is something stamped on it but I can't read it. Maybe when I clean it up the stamped lettering will be more legable. Now to hit the pawn shops to find some more hammers. Since I'm new to this can I ask a question? Is rebar a good metal for blacksmithing? I work in construction and have access to a lot of steel like wide flnges, tube, rebar, flat sheet, angle... Les

WooHoo. I'm excited! I found an anvil. Picked it up yesterday. Thanks to Mike for throwing in 3 bags of coal, a box of railroad spikes, and 2 tongs. I have a white oak tree stump all ready to cut to height & strap down the anvil. It's 120lbs and in pretty good shape. See the pictures. I can't wait to start banging on some metal. Les

This pry bar I'm trying to describe is used for moving heavy equipment. Kind of like a mule without wheels. The tube steel I'm thinking about is rectangular in shape. 1"X2" tube steel with 3/16 wall. The tube steel is knotched & welded onto the flat plate. Anyway what have I got to loose? I'm not opposed to buying a store bought one but I have a lot more time than money. Les

Thanks MattBower for your response. I don't have many answers for you. I am, I guess, just throwing this up against the wall to see what sticks. I bought the 1/2" plate from SSS Steel in Houston. I'ts regular plate steel. I don't know what the carbon content is. I guess it is too soft to use as is and will easily bend when prying something heavy. I was hoping the weld is far enough away, from the bend in the plate, that it would not affect the temper. Sounds like I'm wrong. How would you do this? Les

I am thinking about fabricating a large pry bar for moving heavy equipment. (I'm too cheap to buy one for $140). I have the tube steel for the handle and some 1/2", approx 3" X 7", plate to make the working end of the pry bar. I plan to cut the fork shaped plate, bevel the end, heat it up, 2" from the end, to bend it at an angle, and before I weld it onto the handle I need to temper or heat treat the plate. I don't have a forge so I plan on using a rosebud torch. I guess I need to heat it up to red hot & quench it in old motor oil? Then put it in the oven & heat it up to 400deg to temper the plate? I value any help and imput. Thanks, Les

It's alot like marrying a super model & dressing her in a burkha. Not being used for it's intended purpose. (img)http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17708&stc=1&d=1253795523(/img)

I found the links: ANVIL LOT # 1 Anvil Lot # 2 Wow! If you count 17 anvils & divide the total, they come out to $658.23each. Isn't that a little high? Les

Absolutely beautiful work Artemis. Les

Thanks Guys! I can't wait to try the TPAAAT method to find an anvil. I will contact the local blacksmith group & start there. Thanks for all the advice & sources. Les

I am nearing completion of my new shop building &, in addition to my other interests, am looking into getting started in blacksmithing. How does one go about finding a good anvil? What do I want to look out for? Are there anvils that aren't good? How do I find one in Southeast or East Texas? I have seen them on ebay but I think it would cost a bunch to have one shipped across the country. Thanks, Les

Please explain the need to make forge welded hammers for blacksmith work. I saw a link to a web page where there are, for sale, forge welded 80 layer folded steel hammer heads. I suppose the head is stronger and won't mushroom as easily? What other advantages are there? Les

Thanks to all for the fine reception. I'm excited about getting started. Thomas Dean I think there are two Sargent Texas. I live near the one down south. I'm 7 miles from the Gulf of Mexico in Matagorda County. I do have family in Killgore & when I go visit them I'll come by and take you up on your offer. Frosty you're probably right about filling up my building. Fortunatly I have other barns on the property to store things. I also plan on building a small wood framed house with a porch across the front, like a southern plantation servant's quarters for a wood working shop. My property is on Caney Creek and I positioned my building on the creek bank. It should be nice working on projects with that kind of view. Thanks Again, Les

Hi All, I wanted to join this forum because I've always been interested in working with metal. I worked five years in a machine shop and can stick weld. When I was younger I restored, hot rodded cars, built a couple of four wheel drive trucks, etc. Now that I'm old I have a renewed interest in all things metal, lincluding black smithing. I may be nuts, or as I like to think, caught the metal fever and want to get started in black smithing. I am in the process of building a 40 X 60 pre-engineered building and will have some space to set up a shop for this purpose; between my machine, tractor & auto, & wood shops. What do you think? Do I have enough hobbies or can I fit in blacksmithing too? I saw a couple of anvils on ebay. What is a good size to start with? How about a forge? What are the basics? Thanks, Les