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I Forge Iron

Arteus

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Everything posted by Arteus

  1. I imagine that is one of the problems. All I have at the moment are cheap ones (ball peen hammers, small sledges, etc ) which haven't been dressed.
  2. Man, we are good. I know exactly what you mean with anger issues, and it is my responsibility to apologize. Without going off into the weeds, I have almost the exact same emotional response to conflict that you do. I'm the one who jumped though, and didn't take the time to cool off (like you did) I am no xxxx sincerely sorry, and I hope you'll forgive me the knee-jerk reaction. I am sincerely embarrassed by it, and would delete it if I could. I know better than that, and should have acted better myself. While we have different reasons for it, I too have to stop think, and back down my "anger" It's frustrating as hell, not only because I used to be count alot more on my reactions, but also, knowing something caused it in me, and I will most likely never be able to change it. Even more oddly enough, I was an instructor for 4 years and get EXACTLY what you mean there too. (basic marksmanship, short range marksmanship, and a few more) Looking at things now, I am the one who owes and will gladly buy you a beer should we ever have the chance to shake those hands. I know this is may not be the current way of doing things, but the way I was brought up, it works. If we do ever get the chance to meet, you got a free shot, and no I'm not talking about drinks. I earned it, and would rather have you take it then lose a possibly good friend and experienced instructor giving me good advice That being said, I hope you don't ghost my posts from here on out. You have my word, such a reaction will never occur again. If possible, Id just like to make it right. I guess that's all I can say. I hope you and anyone else reading this gets it, and me. P.S. For you only Frosty, if you want it and we can somehow personally message each other, I will gladly give you my email and verify anything you'd like, so you know I'm not a BS artist. No worries one way or the other. Artureus
  3. Thank you! I have to confess though, the dang thing isn't on a real stand yet. I couldn't resist having a go before I built the stand. I'm still working on the design, and originally set it at knuckle height. After looking at the thread you recommended though, I'm going to leave some room for adjustment in the feet. I'm building a tripod stand out of steel since I'm a welder, and the feet right now are going to be 3/8 in thick plate. My thinking is that I will start at knuckle height, and if if I need to, I can add more plate to the bottom. If the distance is significant, ( like more than an inch) I should be able to add wood to the bottom to make up the difference. What do you think?
  4. Arkie, I think I saw one of the videos where he said it was a hardenable rebar. I looked up the code on mine that was imprinted on the bar, and it comes up as a mid-level carbon content construction rebar, used for concrete and tension. As the one thing I need most is practice, I'll probably use it just for that or maybe tongs after I've knocked out the ridges. It's extra work, but I can use that too.
  5. Okay, I'm still learning the quote feature, I only meant to quote your fist paragraph, but anyway, Yes sir, I was worried about pounding out the texture on the rebar, but now just kind of look at it like hammer practice for the time being. I'm sure I'll get tired of it eventually, but for now free steel is free steel, ya know? I hadn't thought of bells.... Interesting I did have someone give me two leaf springs from a Chevy the other day. I spent last night cleaning some up. It definitely sparks like 5160. There are also some local shops that will gladly give the old scrap springs to you, as otherwise, all it does is go to a recycler, that pays next to nothing. I'm going to wait though to try to make use of it. I don't want to waste it practicing with a hammer. I might heat it up and flatten it with a vice though, and then do a material removal basic knife just to see how it goes.
  6. FoundryGuy, Hey, first thing Boss, please know I absolutely love my (your) anvil! I could tell by the way things went, that both you and your business must be extremely busy. My post wasn't a hit piece, or intended to bring you down. I AM a new guy, and as "FROSTY" pointed out, don't know enough yet to know what is worth worrying about. That is why I asked at the end of my post, for people to tell me where I stood, as I saw things. To ALL who read this, my Holland Anvil is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! That being said, I wrote what my review as an honest appraisal of things as I saw them. As I have been told in some of the other replies/posts, the tapering is a non-issue. Lesson learned for me. I'm sorry now, that I brought it up. The shipping though, is honestly, something that needs to be smoothed out. If it's online brother, people want it to be simple. My frustration about shipping the anvil was more of a problem of "what if I tell them something they cant deal with?" type question. I have NO idea of what you are dealing with, and seriously worried that I would screw something up. That's all. You guys are awesome. This is me, the customer saying. "limit my options", making it simple for me, and easy for you. Then again, I do not stand in your shoes, so what I'm saying may seem infantile and stupid, not knowing what you deal with. If so, I am truly and sincerely sorry. I am embarrassed to say that after being blown up a few times, I do not deal with complication well. I need clear and precise instructions to follow. That is on me, but maybe in dealing with my stupid xxx, it might make things easier in some way across the board. You should have seen the look on my face when I hit your (my) anvil with a hammer for the first time. It rang better than any church bell I have ever heard. I was like a kid hearing holy music for the first time. It wasn't even unwrapped from the pallet, and I couldn't resist hitting it with a hammer. Not only are your anvils beautiful, but the rebound was almost equal to the hammer drop! (around 90%) That is AWESOME! I'm not trying to blow smoke at you. Once people see the quality you provide, I will be glad to have bought your anvil so early..... Thank you for all of your hard work. I kid you not, it allowed me to achieve a dream I have had for over a decade. I'll keep that in mind! I didn't think of it that way. Thank you! Ehh, in my case, it was free steel (the best kind lol) I was working as a welding intern at a construction company, and they told me I could take anything thrown in the recycling bin. I visited that place almost every day, until layoffs due to COVID. I have almost a ton of steel in my garage lol. When I learned there are different grades of rebar, I was happy to find out the stuff I picked up was of medium carbon content, and usable for almost anything except blades. That being said, Between leaf keychains, hooks and tent stakes, I figure I'll learn a lot one way or the other. Artureus
  7. Frosty, Thank you for the advice. With over 36,000 posts, you've obviously been here a while. I'll no xxxx appreciate any advice you can give me. I am new, as I stated in my original post, and when I asked for input about what I said in the last paragraph. I look forward to gathering all I can in this forum, and hopefully one day, helping others. Please forgive me, but the "Master of the obvious" condescension was unnecessary. "I'm not dissing you (Yes you were) but you don't know enough to know what's important for an anvil." I literally said I was new and didn't know anything, and asked for advice. And I quote: "I'm a newbie, but I have wanted to start blacksmithing for over a decade." Also, "Sincerely, please let me know what you think. I am a firm believer that the student (me in this case) should "open ears and shut mouth" when seeking to learn." C'mon man, really? Then again, after having 3 tanks I was in destroyed, I'm also a little touchy, and no xxxx, I confess I might be over-reacting. If I am, I am truly sorry, and offer my hand to shake in both apology, and hopes that we call peace and learn together. I am a confessed xxxxxxx trying to learn how to be "human" again. I just want to do something where people can appreciate and judge me by my work... May God bless you and keep you. Sincerely, Artureus (USMC, US Army, 23 yrs. Retired) (OIF1, OIF3, OIF 5-7) M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams Armor Platoon Sergeant Aircraft Rescue Firefighter CDL Class A Professional Driver (all endorsements) Apprentice Welder Aspiring Blacksmith Thomas Powers, Yessir, will do! First I have to hammer well enough to not leave round indentations in everything I do! (chagrined embarrasment) Thank you again!
  8. JHCC, thank you for the link! I have alot to learn, and every bit of info is another tool/hammer/set of tongs in the rack. ThomasPowers, you are absolutely right. I have a ton of thrown away rebar, and my first goal is to take it and make something simple a thousand times.
  9. After doing alot of research, a week ago, I finally got my New Holland 190lb anvil. I'm a newbie, but I have wanted to start blacksmithing for over a decade. My previous job included a lot of travel, and I was also probably foolishly) adamant about starting with a good anvil before I did anything else. Overall, I absolutely love it and think it will last me practically forever. Here are the Pros and Cons as I see them: PROS 1. Made of cast H13 steel, hardened to 52-55 rockwell. 2. Face plate machine ground perfectly flat. 3. Base machine ground perfectly flat (making mounting and use much easier compared to a cast, unfinsihed type. 4. Price - 190 lbs cost me $1300 + $167 shipping. I could not find another anvil made entirely of cast steel, let alone a steel made for blacksmithing use, anywhere near that price. Other places just say "steel" and don't identify the type, let alone tell you what steel, or let you identify the metallurgy of the anvil. 5. It REALLY "rings like a bell" and for about 10-15 seconds depending on where I hit it. Interpreted meaning from what I have learned so far: Its a solidly cast piece of steel without voids or defects throughout the anvil. Have no fear, lol, I will mount it and deaden the ring once I get the base built. 6. Rebound! While some care and some don't, the rebound on this anvil is about 90% from what I can tell. 7. Overall, I believe this anvil is an outstanding product especially for the price, and I can't wait to really get at it. 8. Shipping is quick, once the process is completed. There are some cons though: CONS: 1. At both the face plate, and the step down block at the front right edges, the edges were tapered inward, like the casting hadn't gone perfectly. (Please refer to pics) Maybe someone here can tell me if this is a common thing, and I shouldn't worry about it, or that it is a problem. The step down block actually had a small porosity hole as well, and is why it was hit a little harder with the flap disc. To me, the rest of the anvil is perfect, so I'm going to let it . I can't afford 2x shipping even if this is a problem that could be fixed, so it's not worth the hassle. I'm new enough to it all that I might be nitpicking and not know. If so, I'm truly sorry. 2. Their shipping process needs to be smoothed out. When you first visit their site, they tell you to call in advance of ordering to talk about shipping methods. There is no contact number on the site and no internet searching turned up a workable number for them. I took a chance and placed the order, as they had an active inventory count on the site, and figured it was an oversight. Once I did, we communicated via email, and they did call me at one point. I called them back to verify something as well. The shipping process is entirely on the customer though, except for them dropping it at whichever service the customer chooses. There are no clear instruction on how to complete it. Also, there are at least two, if not more people, who answer the emails you send them. At least twice, I got two very different answers to questions I asked. The tones of the emails were also different, so.... two people, one hand not talking to the other. You see, I'm an old fashioned Marine. If there is one thing we do well, like the human Doberman-pinschers we are called, it is follow instructions. Had they clarified the process, I would have followed the instructions, and they would have dropped it off for shipping on that Monday they received the order. It wasn't Friday that it was shipped, due to all of the miscommunication. Nuff said. I still love my anvil. The job got done. I'm sure it can be much more complicated out there. Sincerely, please let me know what you think. I am a firm believer that the student (me in this case) should "open ears and shut mouth" when seeking to learn. Failing anything else, I'm gonna consider the tapered edges character and get to actually doing something with this beautiful anvil. Some say I should name it. What do you think of Frank? That way I can say things like "Dang it Frank!" J/k Sincerely and Respectfully, Artureus
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