echofive

I worked on mounting my anvil today.  Unfortunately there was light rain all day, so I had to cut the day short when I finished it.  I'm pretty happy with it, it's solid and sits flat with no rocking.  Might have been a tad better if my lag bolts didn't keep breaking off in the pre-drilled walnut. Switched to nails and just got it done with what I had.  This setup is temporary.  I'm going to fab a metal stand once I get my shop finished.

Thanks for all of your responses.  I have about 50 sticks of 1/2" square, that was my motivation.  Based on what Latticino said, I might forge a practice pair designed to hold 1/2 square, and then use some sucker rod that I have to make a larger pair later. Judging by the chart and some math, 3/4 round would be great for making 1/2" tongs.   I was trying to save my sucker rod for chisels, fullers, drifts because I've only got a couple feet but I can always find more.

Great info everyone, thanks.

I'm looking for some ideas on making tongs.  I have a lot of 1/2" square stock, so that's what I would like to use.  Is there going to be enough material there for a decent boss and jaws?  Anyone have any good tong designs they've made from 1/2" and don't mind sharing?  I'm trying to make a fairly versatile set, as this will be my first set of tongs.  I have some farrier tongs but they aren't very good.  I can wing it but figured I'd ask anyway.  Thanks!

Hey DHVidrine, welcome to the forum.  I took to a forge welding class in Louisiana this past weekend at John Perilloux's place.  The class was taught by Brian Brazeal, we had a lot of fun.  Maybe I'll run into you down that way some time.

On 4/9/2021 at 10:45 AM, Frosty said:

I believe Sisco were cast by the Soderfors foundry and as top shelf as anvils get and it's a nice size. It's heavy enough for large work but still mobile enough to move without calling out the minions. The one thing I would have preferred to see is eye protection on them while chipping paint.

You are correct, I found a sheet showing all of the touchmarks from the Soderfors factory and the Sisco Superior stamp was among them.  And yes, while they weren't wearing eye protection in the photos, I did make my youngest put on safety goggles.  His big brother was only there for a short time. 

On 4/9/2021 at 10:45 AM, Frosty said:

All in all good score!

Thanks!  I'm really happy with the deal.  I knew from reading previous threads that you had a Soderfors that you quite liked, so I was expecting I might see a reply from you.  You still using yours?

No worries George!

50 minutes ago, George N. M. said:

Both Thomas and I have dirt floors in our shops and I am sure others do too.  After years of working on concrete slabs I kind of like the dirt floor.  It seems to be kinder to my legs and back. 

I wouldn't be bothered at all by a hard dirt floor.  There are other reasons that I'm opting for a concrete slab.

50 minutes ago, George N. M. said:

PS Excellent anvil and vise.  Also, I like your hard working minions.  If you teach them to smith they will be a bit more formidable when dealing with boys in 10+ years, particularly if they are blade smiths.

Don't be fooled by the long hair...most people are, we get it a lot.  Those two are barefooted, tree climbing country boys through and through.

29 minutes ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

Your minions did a good job striping all the old paint off the anvil. Knowing the history of the anvil and vise is worth something and I think ya did OK. Hope you have read about not doing any grinding, milling or welding on the hardened face. Hammering hot steel on it will shine the face right up.

The only thing I touched it with was a wire wheel, and that's all it's going to get.

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

Straight legs and "belled" screwbox might be Indian Chief as well, (or a Columbian, screws and screwboxes were sold as replacement parts by Sears Roebuck Company, I have reprints of their 100+ year old catalogs showing them.)

170# anvil and 6" postvise and you have the nucleus of a great shop already!

Interesting, I've been trying to dig up some info on the older vises, but it seems as though they are more difficult to identify and date than the anvils are.  Yes, these two items will be the cornerstone of my shop, I'm ready to get to work as soon as I get a slab poured in my barn and get a stand built for the anvil.

Picked this up from a gentleman in Louisiana.  I need to speak to him again to verify my information, but I believe he said it came out of the Jefferson Building blacksmith shop in New Orleans, where they worked on the buggies for the city I'm guessing?  It's a 170 lb. Sisco Superior anvil, made in Sweden.  I understand they had a warehouse headquartered in New Orleans.  It almost looked as if the face and horn were still covered in factory paint.  Water had infiltrated behind parts of the flaking paint and caused light pitting.  Whether or not the anvil was ever used, there is some chipping from either getting bumped and moved over the years, or else someone painted over the entire anvil.  If it was painted after some use, it was still painted a long time ago as I could tell the paint was really old.  Anyway, just wanted to share.  I paid $1400 as a combo deal for the anvil and a 100lb 6" leg vise (maybe Columbian?).  It may or may not be a bargain depending on who you ask, but I was willing to pay the money.  Still curious to know what everyone thinks or if anyone has any info to add about the pieces.

2 hours ago, Frazer said:

We currently have a running list here. Still, nice list. 

Yes, I did see the sticky thread.  I wanted a list with all the weights, patterns and prices and I wanted to calculate cost per lb, so essentially I made this for my own use.  I just shared it for those that might have a similar need.

 I am in the market for a new anvil and quickly found myself overwhelmed.  I was having difficulty keeping up with weights, prices, patterns, etc., so I composed a spreadsheet of all new anvils available for purchase on the US market.  I thought I'd share it here for anyone who might find it useful in their own pursuit.  I tried my best to make sure the information I included is accurate, but of course, there may be mistakes.  I encourage anyone to use, change or share the list if they have the capability to do so, as I'm sure I will not always be around to keep it updated.  However if there is a request to add something, feel free to contact me and if I am available, I will try to make changes as needed.  I included an XLS spreadsheet for those with Microsoft Excel or Open Office Calc so that you can use the sorting functions, sort by price, weight, etc.  I also included a PDF which can be opened on pretty much any personal computer whether you have additional software or not.

I should also add, I really wanted to include Perun in the list but Blacksmith Depot has hardly any stock so I'm not sure what is available stateside and what isn't.  I also didn't include William Barhnart's anvils as I couldn't find any clear information on purchasing or availability.

The list was current as of 3/28/21.

Anvil List (1a) (3).xlsx

Anvil List (1a).pdf

2 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

OK so you are talking about the beveled gear (idler) that drives the bottom fan shaft gear. I would soak it a couple of days in a 50/50 mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. Then try gently bumping it back & forth using a wood piece on the teeth. That has loosened many frozen parts for me.

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

Last hand crank blower I resurrected I soaked the gears in plain ATF for about two months (it was a brand made to hold oil not a flow through one), and then started working them back in forth with a piece of wood, finally 1/2" shift, 1/4" shift, 1/2" shift and then 360 degree turn---turning it for a while will polish out the rust in the bearing/shaft as after all iron oxide is a lapping compound!

Thanks for the tips.  Last time I tried ATF and acetone was when I resurrected a Cummins 24V out of a wrecked 3/4 ton.  The problem I had then was that I couldn't get the acetone and atf to mix, it would just separate.  I remember seeing a project farm video where he compared it to other penetrating solutions, I'll have to see if I can dig it up.  I tried gently tapping the gear with a flathead but quickly realized that was a bad idea when it started marking the tooth.  I should have thought of using a wood block, that will be my next thing to try.  I found a working Champion 400 for $165 and I almost bought it but I'm trying not to just go crazy buying everything I see and I already have this 140 if I can get it freed up.

3 hours ago, Glenn said:

 Have you contacted the Mississippi Forge Council, or the Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association, or other blacksmithing groups in your area ?

I haven't contacted any of the groups yet but I have spoken to a few people in the industry.  I wanted to take Lyle Wynn's class a few years go but couldn't afford it and now he isn't doing them anymore but I found someone that is offering weekend classes.

3 hours ago, Frazer said:

It looks like you are on your way!  Judging from the sparks it looks like you're using charcoal which requires even less air than coal to keep going. All that excess air will burn more fuel than you need to and will produce an oxidizing flame which creates  more scale on the material than necessary.Is your forge a little BBQ grill?

Yes, I used charcoal in that first test run, and that is my wife's hair dryer which I used as a temporary test.  She wasn't mad that I almost melted the cord in two when I dropped hot steel on it.  I am in contact with Laurel Machine & Foundry, trying to get a firepot, clinker breaker and ash dump from them, and when I can get my Champion blower fixed, I'll be rebuilding the whole thing.  The table is actually then end of an old water reservoir tank.  The stem and air inlet is drill pipe welded to an axle hub which was then bolted to the wheel.  It actually didn't work bad but burned through the charcoal very fast and without a firebox, the heat was spread out in multiple small hot spots instead of being concentrated.

1 hour ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

Is that the gear on the fan shaft? Have you tried loosening the fan shaft lash adjuster? If someone has gone King Kong on it that will lock it up tight.

In the above picture the gear that is frozen on mine is the bottom one.  I don't think it's the fanshaft gear, as the fanshaft will rock ever so slightly and the handle will also rock ever so slightly but the middle gear is rock solid.  I tried everything to get it unstuck, but have failed and I reallllly don't want to screw it up.  I've heard of people breaking their housings trying to disassemble, so I just took a break from it til I learn more.

Thanks to everyone who has replied, really appreciate you taking the time.

Good morning everyone, my name is John.  I'm from Mississippi and I am new to blacksmithing. 

I built a crude forge just to play with.  My anvil is atrocious, it's very old but it's small, cast iron and looks to be of fairly poor quality, with one of the legs broken.  I am in the market for a good anvil if someone near Mississippi happens to see this and has a lead for me.  I'd appreciate an older anvil with a nice face, and am willing to pay a fair price for it but I've been looking for years and I know they are like hens teeth, so I am not opposed to modern anvils.  I've been in contact with a local gentleman about taking a weekend class to make some tools. 

As soon as I get myself a firepot, I'll be upgrading my current forge.  I have a Champion 140 blower and the gears look near mint, but the middle gear is frozen.  I soaked it in diesel for 2 days and PB blaster and put heat to the frozen shaft, but I can't get it to budge.  I'm thinking about long-soaking it in Evaporust to see if maybe that might loosen something up.  The housing was clean, and it wasn't full of rust.  Hopefully I am not breaking etiquette throwing all of my problems in my introduction post, but it seemed appropriate to include my current situation in the introduction.

I'm attaching a photo of my forge, don't judge me harshly it was an afternoon project pieced together from scrap I had laying around.  The steel squiggly below it is my first experimentation.  I'd appreciate any leads on gear.  I need everything.

I look forward to being part of the community, thank you for having me.