whensparksfly

ThomasPowers - yep! That was it! Though die cast is similar if not the same, from what I can tell. Is that right?

TwistedWillow Nice find! If I locate something even close to that, I'll be sitting in the smith's good graces for a long time. I am curious - looking at the 3rd (knob handle the threaded piece screws into) the and 4th (threaded piece and long turning handle) photos, to my completely ignorant eye, the interior ends look sort of broken. Is that normal and functioning, or a bit that's requiring attention? Thanks, and good luck with the forging! wsf

Thanks TwistedWillow, that is helpful to hear! Gives me a good range - and a reasonable cap for what I should probably expect. Irondragon - I'm being told by the training smith in our house that steel is not desired unless it is... oh no, already forgot the term. Not cast exactly - forced into the mold rather than just poured in? I'm going to keep up the hunt for a forged wrought iron vise, and keep trying to remember that word. ThomasPowers - Congrats on the find! I see your point with selling vs clearing space. There is a feed store not too far from us, in fact. I'll see about posting there. I also have a pickup at Tractor Supply later this week - I'm thinking that might be a good place, too? My direct exposure has mostly been to woodworking shops and folk, but I'm asking around with them anyway, as it seems to have a lot of potential for overlap, and I've heard about this thing called TPAAAT... Frosty - Thanks!! That's useful to know about the jaw faces. I'll share what you've told me and keep that in mind while I'm looking! The relatively new smith is a longtime woodworker, the tools for which have been made available to my less-skilled curiosity. In both hobbies, the isolation I think is part of the appeal, though a good deal of pride shines through in sharing photographs of latest attempts with varying degrees of success. I have already planted the seeds for this site, and extolled its helpfulness and approachability. Eventually, they may take root... I'm also sharing it with a friend who is being pulled along into forging. He may show up sooner. You guys are great.

Thanks for all of that, Irondragon! Profile location is now updated - took me a long minute to spot where it went. I've browsed Centaur (been looking for a while), but they sell a cast iron vise as opposed to forged. Since I've only got two requirements to meet, I'm trying to stick to them. I'll keep hunting through the online shops, though, if you're telling me that's not a bad way to go for new tools. Like I said, I mostly want to ensure trustworthy quality for the price paid. A bit embarrassed I hadn't thought of farrier groups, as often as they are mentioned on the forging sites, and I will happily read through the tailgating rules, add my vicarious wish list, and follow it up with reading that tpaaat thread. I wonder why I didn't hit it in my searches previously. In person listings are complicated for me, but I can work on the local papers. I appreciate you taking the time to reply and your prodigious assistance! Also, thanks for the note - I am pleased with the name, too.

Howdy, folks - I hope you don't mind helping out a nonforger. I am however an avid forger-supporter. I've seen the comments about online being the worst / most expensive way to acquire forging tools, descriptions of used tool hawkers bordering on charlatans, and I've seen the prices people are paying for the ones they've recently found. How do the tools get advertised if not online? I'd like to find a sound, functioning, forged leg vise as a gift for my forge-happy spouse. The idea is it would immediately be put to use - making repairs is not a reasonable expectation at this point. The only requirements I've been given are 1. Forged, not cast and 2. Smooth jaw face. This would be the first post vise in the shop, and most of the projects run medium to large, which has me looking for 5"-6" jaws. We're in north central TX. Is there a chance of locating a new or used tool like this for a reasonable price within a 60-90 minute drive? It doesn't have to be a deal I can brag about, I just don't want to get ripped off. How do I go about looking for available vises, new or used, if not online? Thanks for any assistance pointing me in the right direction.