Daniel95

I have been just starting in smithing. One of my instructors is a blacksmith, and he welded this thing up and dropped it off. There is a few things wrong with it (mostly my fault) so I thought I would get some advice before doing something stupid I would regret. It is roughly 50lbs (estimate, bottom part is 25#). The bottom is made from mild steel I believe, and top is from hardened steel (I believe). These are the problems: 1. The edges are very sharp, on most anvils I have seen the edges are rounded. Should I grind the edges down? 2. As you can see it is pretty rusty from the elements (I need to keep it covered with something). How should I fix that? 3. When I first started using this anvil is was way too low, so I dented up the surface. On a normal anvil you aren't supposed to grind the face I believe, but what about on this thing? Any advice would be much appreciated. I plan on buying a London style anvil eventually, but a.) I don't have the money and b.) I don't know where to find one in my area. For now this aso will have to do. Pics below->

Ok. The pdf with pictures will work just fine. Thanks for going through all the trouble to help me. God Bless!

Sounds good! Pics later.

I think Ill dig one up this afternoon and keep yall posted. I think I got the premise. Thanks much!

Is this the same thing? Thanks for all the help so far.

Thanks all. Pnut, how deep is the hole between the mounds? It looks doable.

Frosty's T burner, got it. I think I can handle that. Is there instructions anywhere?

Thanks much Frosty! That really helped clear things up. Ill take your advice and take it slow. God Bless

Thanks, that will help a lot!

I liked the idea of digging a hole, at least for now. Low commitment and low cost. If you don't mind my asking, I have a few questions about it. First off, I have a forest in my backyard, so I could easily put sticks in there until I am able to make charcoal in large quantities. Would sticks work? Secondly, what dimensions? Remeber that I am making smaller stuff, so it doesnt have to be huge. Finally, what kind of blower setup would I need? The last time I used charcoal I burned thru that stuff in a heartbeat because I was blasting it with a industrial fan. I dont want that to happen, so yeah. Thanks in advance! God Bless

One more thing. I looked thru some of burners and forges 101, but it was a little to complex for me to read. Is there a condensed place with info in even simpler terms? (I dont know a whole lot about propane, different cements, thermodynamics, etc.) I guess what I mean is there a place for people with limited understanding about gas forge building? Any help much appreciated. God Bless!

Thanks! Great advice. I think for now I am going to use charcoal until I get more money to fix up my forge, but when I do I will definetly buy a big tank. God Bless!

Thanks very much! I am planning to forge trinkets out of steel (hooks, leaves, stuff to sell) and maybe one day some knives. I will read up on JABOD forges, that is a great idea. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. God Bless

Hi all, I am a beginner smith. I have been at it for a couple months, and it has been kind of rough. First forge was from a pile of bricks, dirt, and a fan. I live in ND and I dont know if I can get coal, so I used charcoal. That worked ok, but not ideal. Next I spent $100 making a propane forge. It works, but it is inefficient. Propane forges are a little more complex than I thought. Anyway, I dont have the budget to fix that forge up. So I thought I would revert to charcoal. I can get . near infinite amount of wood for free and turn it to charcoal. So my question is, what is the easiest and cheapest ($30 or less) way to make a decent charcoal forge? I want to focus a little more on smithing itself rather than trying to figure out forge building. Help would mean the world to me. I am a Newbie so please speak in laymans terms. Thanks very much, and God Bless! -Daniel

Thanks very much! Ill take all those things into consideration and act accordingly. God Bless!

Ok, and a couple more questions if you dont mind, you are helping a LOT. Do I need to by rigidizer for the wool, and if so, where cheaply? Also, I have heard about ITC 100 coatings, but they cost way too much. Do I really need it? And last but not least, at what pressure should I run my forge. Low, quiet heat or high throttle? Anything you have got to say I will gladly listen to.

Thanks! That will help a bunch. How should I get the castable off now?

Thanks for replying. It works pretty good. I don't know at what pressure to run it at. Ill attach some pics, but I usually run at about half pressure, and it brings the metal to a bright orange. I bet if I ran it at full I could get to yellow. However, I don't know if I could budget that so I don't want to waste propane. Also, I don't know if this is frowned upon, but i do use forced air with it. Withiut it the flame chokes. I didn't think my hose was too short but I am here for advice so I'll take it. Any suggestion on a new length? Anyway, here are some pics.First is at half pressure (what I usually run it at) second is full throttle (other than boost). And sorry, there is a small section of ceramic wool exposed, I haven't got to repairing it yet. I know it isnt good for lungs, but by my understanding that much wont really do much to me. Also for the first two pictures I didn't have the air on. Any suggestions or advice much appreciated. -Daniel the Newby

Thanks, that had useful content! I am excited to become a better blacksmith, and I know I can't figure it all by myslef. I will definently be reading up on the widom of experts.

Hi all, I am new to blacksmithing. I have looked at this site as a reference for a while and have decided to sign up. I work out of North Dakota. Like I said, I am a beginner smith and am not so good. I have made a few hooks and leaves, but other than that not much. I have a propane tank forge, along with and improvised anvil, a Menards hammer, and some pliers. I hope I am using this site correctly, because I posted my forge in the "gas forges" tag, but nobody has critiqued it yet. I am mostly here to get wisdom and advice. So thats about it, and if anyone has any advice for this spring chicken that would be great. God Bless!

Hello, I am a beginner smith and have some work to do. I am not super educated on gas forges, but I did some research and built one of my own. It is made of a propane tank canister, 2 in. kaowool, and 1/2 in refractory cement (Meeco's Refractory Cement, from Menards). I know that the cheap cement isn't ideal, but I am on a tight budget, and am no expert. My burner is made from 8 inch pipe, a reducer, a coupler, and the propane end (with nozzle) is from an old weed burner. It has a strong regulator built in. I am open to any and all criticism, thanks for your experience and guidance. I can get some closeups tommorow if you would like. God Bless!