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.

Adam- this list might be helpful:

It will work, perhaps not very long if cast- but if it gets you started and isn’t a treasured family heirloom, go for it. Cast iron isn’t very impact resistant normally, but maybe you have ductile iron. It can work for now at least!

I think I've made that by accident when I was just starting out.....

Is hollow a no go, really? im thinking about the bridge anvils from the industrial age: the force transfers to the legs, much like this would. not trying to be contradictory, im just wondering if we are understanding Mass properly in this application.

That’s a nice size for a quench bucket. Not so deep that you need hip waiters to find missing stock lol

Asa, the visual thing you’re missing is deeper chamfers on the struck end. but otherwise a set hammer is as advertised. It looks good, and well done with your set up- scaling up to larger stock without power hammers of friends with hammers is difficult. I’ve worked alone for a long time and had to make do. Next time, invest the time for proper tongs. That’s what I’ve learned through years of forging. Spending the time to make the tool to make the tool is time well spent.

I’ve used mine both to forge shoulders and to define and refine transitions / planish at red heat. Mild steel wouldn’t be bad in large dimensions for the former, but for the latter I defer to John’s assessment.

I love black raspberries. We had them growing up and I’ve planted several in my garden this year. They can’t spread faster than the deer eat the shoots, so I am fairly confident that I will not have an infestation. the berries are sweeter than raspberries and tangier than blackberries. Wine berries are similar, but are hybridized and are fairly tart. Those grow wild here, and I love collecting them.

I understand the advantage of a hardened face for this application, but wonder if it is strictly necessary- unless you are using it for planishing at a low heat, the force should transfer to the workpiece. Set hammers are extremely useful, and I agree that John’s assessment is probably best practice/ but this is assuming that the hitch material isn’t an alloy that might be tough, not hard.

The aluminum does sound like a worry, unless there is a shoulder or flush fit to transfer energy through the body instead of the screw. if it’s for metalworking, I would consider a whole slew of reposee or chasing punches that could be good. If for hot work, I would think things that wouldn’t get too hot. The thermal expansion of either material may do damage over time to the construction.