DanWilson0741

It came from a railway workshop, its had use but no sway whatsoever - im no expert but even I can appreciate its a fantastic tool! Yes rebound with a large ball bearing almost no decline in bounce at all. Ring sounds good but i have nothing to compare it too so its probably wasted on me...

Evening all - Im just starting out and bought myself an anvil and made a stand - I designed it myself but copied from a number of other stands I have seen in use. The anvil is a relatively perfect 400 Lb Peter Wright. It was a bit rusty but a good wire brush and linseed oil has it looking fantastic. The stand weighs about 100 Lbs so the combined weight is substantial. Legs full of sand etc...top plate is 1" thick, I have drilled a couple of holes through and have two hook bolts onto the chain that surrounds the waist of the anvil. There is a 2 mm rubber sheet between the anvil and top plate. It is absolutely solid. I am loving getting started and learning bits as I go. I have been watching Alec Steele for the last few years and so im following some of his practice projects - 100 leaves etc. (I've done 4......!) Any pointers/observations/problems on the anvil or stand please let me have them. Kind regards, Dan

Hi Frosty - yes fired it for short periods 5-10 mins each night for a week - then for half hour twice to try to bring it up to heat slowly - there was quite a bit of evaporation - the refractory had been dry for about a month - but its cold here so it hadn't been warmed at all - probably did it good to dry out slowly? I was worried about it not being hot enough originally and if I had the flame/mix/blower correct but I am happier now I think the drying out and the depth of refractory means it took time to warm up/dry out. I struggled to find any decent kiln wash in the UK - I try to only use stuff that has been reviewed well. I will keep looking. Can I put this on now it been fired a few times? Thank you for your input - expertise is the hardest bit to come by. Kind regards, Dan

Hi Latticino - thanks for offering your thoughts. I haven't got much experience with Propane so any pointers that seem obvious to you pls point out. I have done fairly extensive research about the build but clearly nothing beats an experienced eye run over stuff. True regulator - Not sure what that means - its likely call it a slightly different name in the UK. Mine looks like this below. The pipe thread tape is stuff that was recommended to me by a gas supplies company and is specific to propane use - but happy to consider a change - I need to take it apart anyway to change the gauge on it. Liner insulation - I have approx 1 inch of castable over two inches of blanket in the base and the top. The sides of the forge body are soft bricks same as i used to make my jury rigged doors. I plan to use bricks as doors until i work out how the overall forge design works - they were an added complication during the build and I had so many different ideas about it i thought i would leave and come back to it (I will!) when the rest of the concept is proved to have worked. Experienced views are the one bit I haven't had so far apart from reading others so very grateful for the thoughts. Kind regards, Dan

Evening Folks, Having just finished the construction of my first forge - I would like to see if there are any views of the members about how this can/should be improved. Im not really sure if it is working perfectly, how hot it is, if my fan is strong enough etc. All observations welcome - nothing is obvious! kind regards, Dan

Evening all - Just wanted to say hello before I start posting lots of questions. I've set up my first shop and forged my first leaf! So im absolutely brand new to all this and seeking to learn from all of you. I am based in Northampton in the Midlands of the UK. Kind regards, Dan