Iron Fangs

Here is my first Scavanging Haul from my grand dad's out of commission farm, I dont actually know what some of it is, and I'd love to know what to use for anvil and what to use for stock. BTW, what the heck is the thing on the far left of the bottom shelf

Just went scavenging in my grandfather's barn, tons of old broken farm tools he has no use for, got a head from a pickaxe, sledge hammer (I think a 15 pound?), and a rail hammer, a vice Clamp (this also has a flat striking surface), and some steel gears from some sort of vehicle, not sure if it's from a tractor or a car though, time to assemble me am anvil! I'll provide pictures of my haul so I can get some advice on what to include in the anvil and what to leave for stock material

What exactly are those, the one looks like it use to be a splitting Maul

So it's like a pickaxe?

Stake mounted... any pictures? And you know as a matter of fact my father-in-law was complaining about his sledge being broken, I could probably trade him a functional one for his busted one (just the handle, the head is fine)

Your right ThomasPowers, I'm not sure about the ice age. But with my dad constantly doing his own cement and home improvement work he probably has several sledgehammers that my mother is likely never to touch now that he is passed on... how heavy, does it just need to be heavier than the hammer I'm swinging or do I need something more like a 20 lb?

Luckily they are not submerged, the plot next to mine was recently bulldozed so they were burried about 4 feet above the water level, so they only get wet when it rains

Can I make sure they're dry by setting them near a low heat fire (like a campfire or a grill) like we would prepare metal for the furnace in the foundry?

So I could use one of the several dozen chunks of limestone I have in my yard as a stand in (provided it is big and flat enough) until I find something more durable to replace it with

Limestone? Pretty sure that is in pretty much every riverbed and small stream. Didn't think it would work being a sedimentary rock

I'll keep the chisels for wood and make chisels myself to hone my skills On another note. The stone anvil conversation was really interesting, but I'm not sure if PA has any decent kinds of rock for that kind of thing, I mean nothing more budget friendly than "I pulled this out of the creak" am I right? I already have plans to visit a junk yard and find a nice exposed axel for this

Can I use wood chisels on hot metal if they're steel? Asking because I already have a set of those with various shaped heads

I always like to say that there is no such thing as useless information, every scrap of it has some sort of use at some sort of time, even if you never have to use it someone else might make use of it

No but their ways were pretty... set in stone

I've been referred to him before actually

Cool, thanks irondragon

Can I make a set of Tongs without using a preexisting set of Tongs? I ask to avoid injury

You say "suppose," does thst mean it is not as advertised?

I'll use caution and make sure safety is the first thing on my mind

I did not even think about the chimney effect the pipe would have, and as for the coating, maybe I'll soak one end of a smaller pipe in vinegar and see if it straps a costing away. Just as a test to make sure right? In an absolute worse case I have one of those 3m respirators from my foundry days, just bought new filters too

If I was given a collection of steel pipe and it is not coated (which of course I will be checking before I put it anywhere near fire), what is the best place to start in terms of using this as forge material? My grandfather has an old farm house and his barn is just lousy with random scrap, rusty pipes, and antique farm tools that he has no need for being that he doesn't actually grow anything but peaches there

But as stated previously by ThomasPowers, modern mild steel is superior to Wrought iron for most purposes due to being easier to work, less brittle, and cheaper to produce yes?

Awesome, thank you for the tips, I'll look into San Mai for the future but start with the car springs for the easy to come by material

Alright, so I thought of 2 questions, one is more of an in theory since I will need practice in several basic skills before even attempting it: 1) for an oil quench should I use Motor or Vegetable oil? (Likely canola) 2) if I have a small amount of HC and a surplus of mild, can the two be welded together to concerve material when making a single edged tool (let's use a kitchen knife as an example) and use the HC for the edge and the Mild for the back? (This is with the intention of the softer metal acting as a sort of shock absorb to help reduce strain on the more ridgid)

Yeah, I'm the type to overdo it and push through without breaks, which I'm going to have to stop doing when working with fire and hot metal, luckily I have someone living with me that isn't afraid to give me a kick in the rear and tell me when I'm bring an idiot lol but when it comes to quenching, is knowing which quench works for what all trial and error or is there a standard way to know?