Greebe

Good thread. When I was your age I tried the same thing. I found out quickly that mid range was better. I will also comment on the tendon issue. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG TO NOT SCREW UP YOUR TENDONS!!! I was a crazy rock climber and liked to show off. I would do stupid things like one finger pull ups and other things that were very harmful to my body. Didn't seem to matter then but now I can tell you it does. I am only 29, but man my tendinitis really sucks at times. For instance I woke up last night from horrible pain to my right elbow. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a dislocated shoulder. Again from being young and reckless. BE CAREFUL MAN. Sorry to give you the OLD MAN grillin' but I wish that someone would have done the same for me when I was your age. Take care, Greebe

OK, I will try the O-1. I have machined it in a metal lathe but haven't tried forging it yet. How well does it forge and are there any considerations to take into account when doing so? Forge at yellow to white range? Thanks Greebe

I just acquired an old Fisher anvil and I was looking for a cutoff hardy and a fuller that will fit in its 3/4" hardy hole. Any ideas where I could find 3/4" hadries? I thought about getting hardies for 7/8 and just taking the extra 1/8 of to make it fit. I suppose I could make them. Could I make them with O-1? I have a quantity of 1" on hand. Thanks Greebe

Hey thanks for all the replies. I just moved out of Nome and sold off most all of my blacksmithing tools. I just need a few starter tongs to help me get started working metal again. I was searching around here in Elkins for some bar stock to make a few sets of tongs, but haven't located a source all that close yet. I was thinking that it would be nice to have a several general purpose tongs such as the wolf jaws until I get around to making a few pairs. I think I will get one of the OC versions. I like USA made and lifetime warranties. Thanks Greebe

Hey, I was wanting to try out one of the wolf jaw tongs as many people seem to like them. I was just curious which brands people are using that they like. So far I have found these 6 brands and don't have a clue as to which one to try: Blacksmiths Depot |OC Wolf Jaw Tongs Peddinghaus 5/16" Wolfs Jaw Tongs, 15-1/2" Rein Length-Centaur Forge Centaur 3-3/4" Wolfs Jaw Tom Tongs, 15" Rein Length-Centaur Forge Blacksmiths Depot |MOB - Universal Tongs Blacksmithing Tools from the Ozark School Of Blacksmithing : Wolf Jaw Tong - Large Blacksmiths Depot |Peddinghaus - Wolf Jaw Without being able to see them in person I am leaning towards the OC Brand or one of the Peddinghaus. Let me know what you guys think are good ones. Thanks Greebe

Why would side draft be better than bottom draft for charcoal? Would it just be for the volume of air delivered in one place? i.e. does a long pipe set horizontal with holes drilled in it be better as it would distribute the same volume of air over a larger surface as apposed to one large opening with the bottom blast? Thanks Greebe

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I have used the retort method based on this website. Charcoal Retort This is a very good design from my experience and turns 90% of the wood to charcoal first try. The pieces that don't convert completely can be tossed on the top of the next batch. Check it out. Greebe

Back to the original question. Which is better with charcoal, side blast or bottom blast? I am considering a charcoal forge and have been wondering as well which would be best. I am interested in a larger forge that I can forge weld with. I have been using gas in the past but it is too expensive. Coal would be nice but the neighbors would probably appreciate charcoal better. Thanks Greebe

I think maybe this would have a better chance of catching on if there was a specific project that was announced each month or two. Then people would have a goal. Without and specific goal it really doesn't motivate people to participate. Perhaps you could have a theme like candle holders, knives, or some other sort of hardware. Maybe make it a competition or something. It would be a good way for people to show off their work and get them interested in participating. Then the comp could be judged by the participants and other lookers maybe? Just some thoughts. Greebe

It sucks that people like this hoard tools as collectibles. If people like this weren't doing this then the average person could buy a decent used anvil for a fair price. Collectors suck! They hoard as much as they can and not use any of what they are collecting while those folks that would love to put just one item to use can't afford it because of the collector. The sad part is that most people wont be able to buy this lot, move it, or store it so it will probably end up getting sold as scrap and melted down. Arg....

Love to have one of these but I think I will have to hold off for now. I have a lead on an older anvil that might suite me well for now. A 120 lb'er that will be a little more portable until I get more settled. Thanks Greebe

I too am looking for a decent anvil. I just moved out of Nome, Alaska and let my anvil go for a song. It was too expensive to fly it out. I will be in northern West Virginia, around Morgantown in a few days. If you could direct me to some of these anvils I would be much obliged. Thanks Greebe

Thanks for the advice. I have looked at the Rhino anvil website but they don't even have a real picture of them. All they have is a CAD drawing so I'm not to sure about them at this time. Also they say they are made in China. Don't really care for China made items either. I checked out the Old World Site and saw the 167 lb'er, it looks nice but it is about $250 more than the 175lb Euroanvil. Maybe I should just buy the 335 Euroanvil, but I was hoping to stay under $700. I would like to have a little smaller one that is somewhat portable as well though. Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Greebe

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Nice looking forge. How much does one of those set you back? How long does your 20lb tank last with two burners? Greebe

I was wanting to see if someone could help me find where to buy a 175lb Euroanvil. I contacted the Blacksmith Supply and he said that he only had the 335lb and he was bringing over the patterns to see if he could find somewhere to make them here. Does this mean that Euroanvil is out of business? Thanks for the help. Greebe

This might have been asked already but at 20 pages I didn't read through them all. Can the leaves be made out of BRASS? I live in the Alaskan Bush and don't have access to any stainless or large diameter copper. I do have Brass though and would really like to send some leaves. Please let me know and I will get started. Greebe

Thanks. Frosty-- I think I may have talked to/emailed you years ago when I was in Sutton. Finally got a shop together there and then promptly moved up to Nome. We 10 acres in Talkeetna that we were originally planning on building a house on when we left Nome. We have made a change of plans and are now going to drive out this summer and see what they rest of the country is like. I'm not sure how we will like it outside, kinda scary with all those people, cars and concrete. It sure would be nice to have other people around that are interested in blacksmithing. That has been hard for me in Alaska. Not too many of us around and those that are must be hiding. Greebe

New to the forum. Thought that my first post should be an intro. Been hobby blacksmithing since I was a kid. I have been stuck in Nome with out a shop for the last three years. My wife and I are moving out of here in about three weeks and are looking to buy a house with a nice shop. I sold a lot of my things including my anvil since there are no roads to our village and didn't want to have to pay to fly it all out. I'm looking forward to getting back into blacksmithing again and want to focus on making tomahawks and homestead type of tools. Thanks, Greebe