Benjamindshoemaker

Moore coal and company in Bessemer Al. It is lump but I don’t mind it.

Yeah I agree. Waiting on a good deal is a great thing. The Church window anvil was worth the wait

I like the way y’all think.

Well yeah, didn’t think the baby would come out with a hammer in hand. Thanks Frosty

Thank you. Yes I am praying for a healthy baby and rest in about 10 months.

I can see the sparks are starting to fly round here

Confirmed today that my wife is pregnant with our third each. I have two with previous and she has two with previous. Hopefully it’s a boy because I am the end of the branch on this side of the family. 0 for two so far. I love my girls though.

I have not used it much but what little I did it seemed to coke up nicely and very little clinker. Once I get the big forge built I can put it to the test.

I just bought some in central Alabama for 10¢ a pound. You have to pickup. Seems to be pretty good. Smoked when I started it up but after it started burning the coke it was nice clean and hot.

Perhaps I should have said the turn of the century way. Open shop with a church window on a cedar stump, hand crank blowers standing beside a granite base holding a fire pot. No electricity or gas. Just a man learning an ancient craft.

Just called Moore coal and it is $10.50 per 100 pounds or $210 per ton

Jasper area. I am currently building the base for my forge and the shop around it as well. Hopefully going today to get a big cedar stump to bury in the ground about a foot for my anvil. I am sort of brand new, I worked in a tool shop in high school running a gas forge and a power hammer but now i want to do it the old way with a few modern tools like a hand crank blower and a post drill.

Looking for some coal around the Birmingham area. Willing to get a pickup truck load if the price isn't too bad. Would be happy to shovel it into my truck as well if I had too.

I sure have. Belong to the Tannehill forge.

Welcome. I lived not to far from Athens. About 45 northeast from there but I moved about 4 hours away in Alabama. I do visit family that still lives there from time to time.

I am just getting into the old way of blacksmithing. I have been taken under the wing of another blacksmith. I love starting the forge with flint and steel. The aroma of the coke burning. I am a novice and have much to learn but I am throughly enjoying the journey. I am currently building my own blacksmith shop and forge. Any Alabamians out there, feel free to give a shout.

Thank you. Sorry I should have researched that but I was excited to hear a company name. Thanks again.

I did buy it. Going to get a cedar stump to put under it. It also came with a rivet forge and small blower. I asked a guy on eBay that had one similar in Italy and he said that it was a Gebr. Böhler & Co Mark: two fir trees printed diagonally on both sides of the front facade of the anvil body so I reckon that’s who made it. Anyone know anything about that company as to when they started making them and when they stopped?

I did a rebound test with a 3 pound hammer from about an inch or two. Rebounds great. Nice clear ring. No bathroom scale yet. I was more curious if it was forged or cast steel? I believe it’s cast steel but I know little to nothing when it comes to anvils.

I was wondering if anyone could identify this one. It looks like it has a fern leaf stamped on it. The 126 Im assuming is the weight in Kilos. Not sure what the other number is at the foot. It appears to be HERK, HELL, HEKL, or HELK. It looks like it had more to that stamp but I can’t make it out