Ridgeway Forge Studio

I thought everyone would like this.

Probably Jappanned finish

Most chicken wire I’ve seen is galvanized. I’d be hard pressed to put it anywhere near fire.

If I recall correctly, they are approximately 1080 or thereabouts. I’ve used them/ they’re good, but tough.

I too would like to know. Specifically on luxury cars I’ve been told it’s high carbon- is that steel or cast iron?

I wonder if they ever have fire sales? I guess shopping is one of your vices?

I don’t believe the business you are mentioning is real. I could be wrong, but if you’re asking it may mean your caveat emptor senses are tingling.

I think I would also advise welding a plate onto what will be the jaws- your upsetting then spreading made them thinner than they could otherwise be. Of course, it depends on your comfort with welding or forge welding.

The sharp transition from the jaws to the leg makes me nervous. I would flux and forge weld the cold shuts, and maybe add 1/2 round bar as a “filler” to make that transition more gracile. please keep us updated- what a cool project!

That is a very neat handle idea! I like it. Pokers are some of my favorite things to make. Everyone knows what it is and they can get really creative.

So: Cart: $225 Vise: 150? Anvil: $500 Forge: $275 it is not a terrible price for each if you are desperate. If you already have a leg vise and anvil I would personally pass. The cart doesn’t make this more valuable. And the anvil, while in good condition, is a little pricey. repaired forges are a crapshoot.

Godspeed and DOCUMENT IT! We would love to be regularly updated with either successes or failures, despite our warnings to the contrary.

I am no expert on materials such as stainless, but seem to be an increasing expert on the limitations of the human being’s ability to ruin or not ruin objects. Are you going to be pounding hot steel on it with a 2lb hammer? That’s what I do - it’s not nearly enough to mushroom out an 800 lb block very quickly. My advice if you want to use it as an anvil is realizing that we are people, not machines, and that your arm is not a power hammer. Use it as is and IF you need to dress it cross that bridge down the line.

What is the weight on the anvil and the jaws on the vise? my gut says no but if it’s big enough I’d say maybe.

I’d give them a call and see if they have the material spec sheet. I’ve found this to work in a number of different cases- even called a spice company to see if there was paprika in a blend. A few minutes on the horn can save a lot of guesswork.