Malleus

Certainly nothing wrong with a JABOD, especially if one is on a tight budget. I will probably do that sometime, if for nothing more than the experience of it. For a more permanent solution, I will probably use some thick steel and weld up a nice firepot.

Very impressive! You do good work. I would have loved to watch you forge the threads.

Awesome that you found the sliding jaw that you needed. It's pretty cool when a project has been on the back burner for so long, and you finally get around to doing something with it. Look forward to seeing the pics.

They sure will. I love big old vises. It's amazing how useful they are. Probably the most useful tool in most shops.

I'm still studying different types, but I was thinking about making a fire pot that has air inlets on opposing sides in order to have more even heat distribution.

Cool airplane. I've been seriously thinking about getting my private rotor wing license. Unfortunately, it costs roughly 3 times as much as a fixed wing.

Looks like it will make a good re-purposed vise stand.

That's a possibility, but I'm kind of liking the old worn look.

Around 5 or so years back, I dug this vise out of the dumpster at work. No way was I going to let this thing go to the scrap yard! I wish I had taken a before pic, but I just didn't think to do it. It was covered in grease and thick black spray paint, and the main screw had a bunch of slack in it. Today, I decided to clean it up a bit. I completely disassembled it, and cleaned it with a wire wheel. I got rid of the welding slag and a few high spots with a polishing wheel. I kind of hated to mess up natural patina, but I also wanted to smooth it down. I also put a washer on the main screw in between the sliding jaw and the screw stop to take up the slack. Seems to work much better now. I might clean it up a little more and spray it with clear coat. I can't believe they threw this thing in the trash!

I was kind of wanting to stay with charcoal, but I will definitely read up and consider the propane. I've noticed in life that there's lots of people that like to tell you what you can't do. I like to prove those people wrong. Thanks! Clarksville is a great town. I heard the other day that it's the fastest growing town in Tennessee. That's pretty much what I've always thought. Thanks for the warm welcome!

U.S. Army Infantry (Airborne)- 25th Inf. Div. & 101st Airborne 1996-2004 U.S. Navy Corpsman (FMF)- 2nd Marine Div. & 4th Marine Div. 2009-2015

Thanks to both of you for the welcoming comments. I will definitely keep all of your advice in mind.

Man, that looks pretty dang good for a homemade job! I'm new to the hobby, and I just purchased 2 anvils yesterday. It will be a while before they get here, but I'm looking forward to it.

New member here from the great state of Tennessee! I’ve been in industrial maintenance for the last 20+ years, so I’m no stranger to working with metal. However, most of my experience lies in welding, cutting, grinding, fabricating, etc… I’ve always wanted to get into blacksmithing, as a hobby, but just haven’t done so until now. I’m now in the process of gathering up some of the necessary tools and equipment. (that I don’t already have) Next, I’ll be trying to carve out a suitable place to do some forging here at the house. I have a decent shop, but I was thinking about adding on to make a specific area for forging. I just purchased 2 anvils yesterday, but they are coming from Europe, and will take quite some time to get here. I’m also in the process of trying to order an induction heater. I would like to have a coal forge as well for the possibility of doing some Damascus work in the future. Well, I didn’t mean to write a book here. Look forward to learning from all of you, and maybe being able to contribute some in the future. Thanks for having me.