Amze

Nice haul! We just sold our house and I had to leave my WI wagon wheel behind

Perhaps two grandsons? Both named Thomas no less

That’s what I did as well. I know a number of guys would use a melting pot over fire, and it got hot enough to start getting gas off of the zink, from what I remember. I was always super careful when sorting and poured from a melting pot. 

Earlier in the thread, lead wheel weights are mentioned. You have to be really careful using them these days, as they are using non-lead more and more. Melting them can be toxic, and the untrained eye wouldn’t know the difference. I learned about it pouring fishing weights

Stopped at a little roadside shop I always pass by, and glad I did. Got these two pair of tongs and a super long chisel, which will need to be redressed. Got a line on some more stuff, if it pans out. These look to be factory made tongs, but they have a thick coat of paint on them. There seems to be markings under it, but I don’t know if I should wire wheel them to metal to find out or just leave them be. 

I’m the one who was just talking to you via messenger about Newport! Give me a shout when you make your way up here, maybe I can drag out my fisher sawyers anvil and cracks cold beverage!

I’m about 8hr 20min. I’m hoping at some point to need to head south and swing by. Maybe I can convince my wife that Maine-Toronto-Adelphia-Maine is a logical round trip?

That is kind of my fear, if they used it “wrongly” and damaged the screw/screw box internally. If it is fully functional, then it’s a pretty fair price generally speaking. But up here there is not huge demand either so I don’t feel too bad about trying to bargain. My thing is the damage to the mounting plate, plus screw box, I’m a bit Leary of it. 

4-4.5”, asking $90. But, the mounting plate is bent pretty badly, and he said the screw box is “loose”. The plate should be an easy fix, but it makes me wonder if it was abused beyond the norm. Kind of looks like someone ripped it from a table

Yeah I’m not sure if we will deal or not. From his other listings he seems to have cleared out an old smiths shop. Sold two anvils already, and he has a step vise as well. I’m going to see if I can get his price down, or get him to throw in other tooling like tongs or hardy tools. He didn’t list any but I can see some in the background of his photos. Seems to be a guy who came up with his pricing by looking at “for auction” asking prices, but we will see. This has been a banner week for me either way after that blower find. 

As luck would have it, I may have found one local. Waiting on more pictures, and to see if the guy will negotiate!

Nice! Post vise is the next thing on my list for the new shop, that’s a beaut. 

I had never heard of that radioactive incident before, crazy stuff. Seems like they are still dealing with the “fallout” in some areas. 

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

Large no lead solder makes a good starter material for young'uns'.  They can pound it out on a small section of RR rail with small hammers---I had 4 grandkids doing that one Thanksgiving using 4 oz ball peens.

Now that is a neat idea. I have an 8 year old who asked to apprentice already, once we get the shop set up. Anyway, that is a nice looking anvil!

That’s my hope! I am trying to decide how much I want to restore the exterior. I don’t see any original paint left, I was thinking maybe just bare metal sealed with bees wax or similar

So up the road from my place, old farmer has had this forge blower sitting by his doorstep. Every time I drive by, I can’t help but stare. You just don’t see many, at least up here, with their original stand. Well today he just happened to be outside and I figured I would “Give it the Wayne Gretzky” and shoot a shot. I asked him if he would ever sell it, he said “well everything is for sale”. Well sir, I have $72 in my pocket! “$100 and it’s yours” he says. Short trip to the ATM later, this Western Chief followed me home. Everything seems to be fully functional, it has two hairline cracks, but they seem to be no problem. Turns clean, pushes tons of air. Looks like a little cleaning, some fresh oil, and a little handle repair will get this old girl spinning like new again!

That is a dang smart idea, even if you had a brand new anvil

I got started a few years ago and built a small coal forge and rail anvil set up while I was in TN. Had to sell it all when we moved. Now we have moved a few more times and settled in Maine. We move into our new house mid June, and I’ll be setting up shop. I found an anvil a few months ago, a nice old Peter Wright that looks close to new, and also a 70lb Fisher sawyers anvil. I’m hoping to maybe swap the Fisher for forge parts or a post vise, but Im not sure yet. 

Army here, got to Campbell in 2009, AFG in 2010, med retired In 2013 (due to injuries in AFG)