Chad J.

And today, this anvil followed me home. I actually found this and 5 others last weekend but this was the best buy. I'm estimating it's about 150 to 170 pounds and It cost 500, 250 after the gf decided she would pay for half as an early birthday present. 30 inches from heel to horn, 4 inches on the face, 12 inches tall. No makers mark that I've found. Looks like it's hardly been used.

Those are flat bars. It's a solid piece, just louder than my anvils and it sits a bit too tall, I'll find a good use for it. My real challenge is going to be the forge. It was only getting orange hot over a 10 minute period cranked to full and I suspect that it's internal volume may be too much. The burners work well but with the 2 it's only getting as hot as my turkey fryer burner. The internal measurements are 6 x 12 for 72 cubic inches. I'm planning on halving that volume to see if I can get a hotter burn with less propane. I'm also curious if anyone has used baffles in their forges to spread the heat out a bit better? I'm getting uneven heat from the burners. Thomas, the most amazing revelation to me was when I spent the money on a good hammer that was properly dressed. I'm still working on dressing mine and developing the different angles for different uses. I'm getting to the point where I'm picking my hammers like golf clubs.

It is an improvised anvil, my mistake on the wording. Either way the steel they used to make it is soft enough that I can tell they used hammers that weren't dressed to work their steel, and they weren't very accurate...

Got a call at work today asking if I was interested in a double burner forge and an ASO that was left behind at a local machine shop. The price of free couldn't be beat. I need to reduce the volume on the forge to get better heat and then use it for longer projects. The aso is really loud and I've set it off to the side for now. I'll figure it out later.

Do you have any rounding hammers in the 4 pound range? Wait, what am I doing? I just bought a new tool that's going to follow me home this weekend! So anyway, do you?

Ripped some walls out of the shop to make room for more shop tools. Once that project is cleaned up and some wiring done I'll be bringing my table saw and router tables down.

Some of us have been absent minded their entire lives.

I realize I never closed this out. She's nowhere near a work of art, but it's done, unless I fiddle with the pommel a bit more. Over all length 23 1/2 inches, blade 17 to the plunge, goes from 3/16 to a strong 16th. Total weight 1 pound 8 ounces. I'm happy with my first attempt, I wonder if I can make one a bit better like this...

Ted, what size stock did you start out with on that candle holder for the leaf?

Made a bick for my anvil. 1 1/8th inch mystery medium carbon steel hex bar. If I'm gonna keep working this big stuff In gonna need a striker or a power hammer.

So it would make decent tools. I've been wanting to make a bick for my anvil and an eye drift for axes. This seems like a good candidate for that. Not gonna get it done today if I don't get moving. If it's medium carbon is it a decent metal for hammer heads?

I must have quenched that one piece 5 times at different heats before I got it to break after forging it down from the hex stock. I'll try again tomorrow after my arm recovers. I had to break out my persuader(1 handed 8 pound sledge) a couple times to get it down to a breakable ticket

Made a companion to my wakazashi. Rail anchor. I seem to be able to move it easy enough. I also have a piece of mystery hex stock. Inch, maybe an inch and a quarter across that I made a ticket out of and tried to break it. And tried to break it and tried to break it...I stated with warm oil just a little past magnetic and couldn't even bend it. I forged it down thinner...3 times(!) before I finally quenched it in cool water and hit it a couple times with a 12 lb sledge. The result; Anyway, I think it's a tool steel and I may make a few machetes and other useful tools it of it. But that stuff is tough without a power hammer.

Looks like I had some work to do to be a better Smith. That list on #2 quote looks like a good set of lessons.

Should be able to reverse polarity on a stick welder and get the same buildup, but what stick to use? Good old 7018?

An electrician at work asked if I could make his boys a couple spike knives and I made a couple bottle openers between heats on the spikes.

Lately it's been a mix of metal, I'm rather fond of the stories Sabaton tells, classic rock, some big band, anything but new country really. Sometimes the Anvil Chorus to start the day. I use 3m Bluetooth headphones.

Various, he's just getting into it. He's done deer and coyote so far, not sure what else.

What kind of bevel did you set up on that knife?

The drawback to that is he's still new at the skill and is unsure of what he wants. I may start him with an ulu since it does give good control and is used in such a role traditionally. I'll go with the 45 degree chisel grind. Been looking for a reason to make one anyway

My boss asked me about making a fleshing knife for him. He's looking for a one handed blade. So far all I've been able to find here is a couple vague references and no pictures. I've learned that they tend not to be sharp, blade has a chisel grind and a 45 degree bevel, and they are curved. I'm looking at maybe an ulu style blade with that bevel or a heavily curved blade about 6 inches long. I am here, hat in hand, asking for further advice on the design and about aspects of these blades that I don't know. If I go with an ulu would I keep it thick or thin it out to normal parameters? Any advice is appreciated.

That's funny stuff there

Unfortunately, mooching steel from Massachewsits when I'm in Wisconsin is a bit hard. I keep trying to get him to send me brass.

My original plan went out the window. My 5 year old neice ended up needing the smallest ball peen hammer I had to make the bends in a S hook I started for her but she was determined to get then formed. It was adorable. My nephews ended up striking on a pair or spike knives. They and my brother ended up having so much fun that I sent them home with my railroad track aso. I gotta say I'm jealous though. He's a yard manager for a couple Schnitzer Steel yards, one of them in Attleboro. He can get all the steel he wants and with his handheld he'll know the chemistry.

Ran to Harbor Freight today and bought 2 of their 2 pound blacksmith hammers and a ball peen. I put them to the grinder and made 2 diagonal peen hammers, one left handed, and a variation on a swedish cross peen with the smallest ball peen they had. My brother is coming tomorrow with his kids and we're going to make some marshmallow roasters and maybe a fire poker. They are between 5 and 10 years old with my niece being the youngest. I don't expect all three of them to stick with it until we finish tomorrow but I'm hoping they'll have some fun and remember it with their hammers made for them by their uncle. I haven't gotten to see them in over 2 years. For safety, obviously I'll be the only one handling hot metal, I won't let my brother handle it either, and to help speed the process they'll be striking and I'll be swinging the hammer to actual do the work. I'll try and get pictures of the fun.