Itsnick

I have a 25 ton h frame press built using the plans found in Jim batson’s book build your own forging press. I’ve been thinking recently, if I were to buy a set of dies commonly made for an Ironworker or punch press, any reason I couldn’t also make them work in my forging press? Things are so much easier to do when the work isn’t hot. If I can punch plate cold (within the tonnage limitation of my press) it would save a ton of time either drilling or heating the piece. thoughts comments concerns appreciated! -nick

Frosty, I rarely used the step on my old London pattern so I wouldn’t know to miss it. I’m sure a simple hardy block could work just the same. I find the addition of a tapered heel and side shelf to be well worth the loss. I don’t know where you call home, but if you happen to be close by (Maryland) you’re welcome to come take it for a spin. -Nick

George, a fine suggestion. However, I usually make my hardy tools from larger stock under the press anyway. Rarely do I weld a shank to something so it really doesn’t bother me that much. But I agree, it would be a pig of a job.

It’s just under 1”. I say that because 1” square hot rolled will not fit from the factory… but JUST barely not. A couple minutes at the grinder is all it would take. My hardy tools from my previous anvil fit with just a little slop. All hardies are slightly different in my experience so I kind of expected that. I use it every day, it’s held up just fine so far with the exception of one errant hammer blow hitting on the corner at an angle (corner of hammer hitting corner of anvil…Brent Bailey hammer, not sure what he hardens them to). Left a nice little dent which looked like the start of a chip (I could catch my nail on it). A few seconds with the angle grinder got it out of there no worse for wear. Hurt though, like getting a scratch on a new car… I haven’t rounded the edges much yet as I’m still figuring out where I’d like different radiuses to be. I basically just took the sharp edge off everything. Possible this exacerbated the situation. The horn is perfectly conical and as it happens almost exactly the same size as my holland anvil hardy mandrel. It’s not overly sharp, the smallest it gets is maybe 3/4”. I’ll probably make a hardy tool for more intricate things. the indent in the casting on the far side (side with shelf) is kind of annoying the infrequent times I use the side of the anvil. I’ve learned to work around it. upsetting block works as intended. May require some clean up, it has the same sand casted finish as the rest of the anvil aside the face. I’m not worried about it. Overall, happy with the purchase and look forward to many years use out of the thing. -Nick

My thought was that little angled spot at the transition just gives me yet another shape to work steel into if I so choose. Much of this craft breaks down to different shapes, the more you have at your disposal the better.

Yes, it is more or less in the same plane. I don’t find it to be an issue at all. Here’s a couple more pictures.

I decided to go ahead and purchase their 120kg model. I haven’t had it long, but in comparison to my old brooks I really like it. Rebound is excellent, seems plenty hard though I don’t have Rockwell files to check. Finishing is plenty good enough for me. It came milled smooth and flat. The only thing that will take some getting used to is the hardy hole location, as I am a lefty and prefer the horn to my left. I knew that going into it though, so no surprises or anything. It’s quiet, didn’t ring much on its own but I have it bedded in silicone so even less so now. All in all I’d say I agree, it’s as good or better than any anvil I’ve worked on.

Looking for the forums opinion. Not the opinion of the people selling them. It is surely biased.

I searched but could not find much info. Does anyone here have any experience with the Dtx brand name anvils sold through blacksmithsdepot? All I’ve been able to come up with is that they are made in China? sorry if this isn’t in the right location, I did not see a better suited sub forum. thanks

That’s a great idea. I think I’ll rebuild it out of some thicker stuff and paint it. Thanks!

I do have a cap, but being under just a roof as I am, there’s plenty of moisture that still gets to things. I keep my coal in covered storage. in my area, coal is FAR less expensive to buy than propane or coke. So much so that replacing my hood/chimney system every few years would still work out financially. I’ve read that even stainless class A chimney pipe would also suffer from burning coal as we do. To what extent I am unsure. Do you find this to be true? If it’s a battle between 50$ in corrugated pipe that lasts 2 years vs 1000$ in class A that lasts 10 it still works out in favor of replacing the cheap stuff more often. same problem with the hood. at this rate, if I build it out of 1/4” plate I’m only looking at it lasting 6-8 years. Will stainless fair better? if the stainless isn’t a permanent solution, it simply becomes a cost per year analysis at that point.

Hello, I noticed today my side draft hood and chimney have rotted out. It’s too bad, because they’re both only about 1 1/2 years old! My original plan was to replace with stainless, but I have some concerns. I’ve read in other forums that even stainless (316T being the preferred grade) don’t hold up particularly well to the acid from burning coal? 12” flue pipe is crazy expensive. I’d rather not spend the money if it won’t last. The other option I’m considering is building a new hood with much thicker plate. (the current one is 16 gauge) but even the 1/4” flat bar around the opening looks closer to 3/16 now…so I’m not sure how long that would last either. I was also considering using thicker walled pipe for the chimney (something like schedule 40) if I could source a piece reasonably. I’m starting to think I need to treat them both as consumables. Unfortunate because id love an option that’ll last more than a few years. what would you guys do? oh, here’s my set up. It’s under cover but only a lean to. Burning bituminous…Quality stuff. I do have a cap (simple U shape bent over the pipe and screwed in place) thanks!

Hello all, For starters, this would not be my first anvil or only anvil. I am also aware of the different schools of thought pertaining to repairing anvils via welding. It is for sale local to me and I’ve thought about picking it up specifically to have a go at repairing one. I’d like to gauge the forum’s opinion. The heel is the most pressing concern, but i would also want to address the sway. I prefer to work on a flat face. I’ve read up (briefly) on Rob Gunters anvil repair process. I’m wondering if this is a good candidate? How would you address the sway? For me, not being able to address it would be a deal breaker. thanks!!

We are one in the same. I’d rather be at the anvil than in front of the grinder any day. I too loath hand sanding and file work. However, I try to keep this hobby as self sustaining and possible and unfortunately clients just love a Damascus chefs knife. Until it rusts in their knife block since they refuse to dry it properly anyway.

Valid concerns for sure. Yes a good working fan and duct work to pull the dust out of the space would be a part of this for sure. I’m envious of the space some of you have. Unfortunately I have to make do. My shop doubles as storage space and I’d really enjoy not having not blow an inch of dust off the camping gear every time we want to use it. I thought about putting the grinder outside, as I have a lean-to structure off the side of my shop where I’ve situated my coal forge. Unfortunately, I’m in a pretty dense neighborhood and my grinder (home-built) is rather obnoxious. Then again, so is coal smoke and I’ve yet to have complaints. So maybe that’s a better option. I see guys like Alec Steele who have grinding rooms. They seem to make it work. He wears a full hood with respirator. Atleast in his videos. How do you guys control the mess? A bucket of water under the grinder seems to catch maybe half of it in my experience.

So i’ve about had enough of the constant layer of metal dust on EVERYTHING around my small shop. Ive cleared a small corner to build a simple grinding room (closet in this case) and I have a few questions for those of you with such luxury’s. What is the smallest area you’d feel comfortable with around your grinder? I’ve cleared about a 5x5’ area in a corner, and that’s about the max I could go. Is hoping to squeeze a 2x72 and myself in there a bad idea? I don’t frequently work on anything long enough to bump walls. Tbh I don’t even forge knives all that often, but I find myself using the grinder for all sorts of odd tasks. It’d be really nice to squeeze a vice in there aswell for the angle grinder but im not sure I’ll have the room. I think just controlling the 2x72 will make a massive difference. anything I’ll missing/should be aware of? thanks!

Thank you gentlemen. Great advice. Good call on the opposing side fullers. I will do that. -Nick

Hello, I’m hoping to get the forum’s opinion on how to achieve a certain effect in flat bar. I’ve recently been inspired by the work of Fred Crist. I‘ve attached a picture of the piece in question. I’m not planning to copy the work in its entirety but I do like the “folded” section he’s created. I’m racking my brain as to how to achieve this with any sort of cleanliness? Right now I’m thinking it might work to establish shallow fullers where I’d like the bends to happen, then with as even a heat as possible bend it into a lazy “WWW” shape. Then turn it on end and compress it from there? Id appreciate any feedback you guys have before I reach out to the artist himself to ask….and/or waste a lot of material in trial and error! thanks! Nick the work in question:

Hello, Im what you’d call a serious hobbiest in this craft, with a focus on ornamental work. I am not a knife maker, but I do make knives for friends and family occasionally. Currently I have a home built 2x72 from plans I found watching old hickory forge on YouTube. I find I use it all the time for everything from blacksmithing, knife making, and general fab work. In my opinion It’s quite possibly one of the handiest tools to have in a shop, anyone who works with metal should own one. The grinder works, but tracking could be better, it lacks a vfd and is generally subpar to what I believe I will get from a professionally built and designed piece. For example, I have trouble edstablishing crisp plunge lines without a lot of hand sanding (I hate hand sanding). Considering I make knives somewhat infrequently, I don’t think I need all the bells and whistles. I just want to upgrade to a grinder that is well designed and will last years without tinkering. The options out there are somewhat overwhelming. budget 2-2500$ if that’s possible these days? any recommendations much appreciated! thanks, nick

Thanks for the info everyone. This site is certainly a wealth of knowledge! -Nick

The horn is kind of offset? From centerline I suppose it is yes.

Hello all, I recently picked up this anvil, mostly because of its odd shape. Interesting! wondering if anyone has more info on it? I haven’t seen another one like this in person, though from research online it looks to be Austrian perhaps. 130 lbs, great rebound. Hardy is 1 1/4”, Large for an anvil this size imo. The odd radius on the far edge is particularly interesting to me. Any idea what it’s intended use was? I plan to put this thing to work, it will be interesting working with that feature. thanks for any help! Nick

Hello, I'm currently in the process of designing a press. I picked up James Batson's book "Build your own hydraulic press" which has lots of great info! Just a couple questions for those more knowledgeable than me. I have access to two 3.25" bore, 1.25" rod cylinders for the build. I'm considering using them but could also go the more traditional route and buy a 5" cylinder. Are there any issues running two cylinders? Anything special needed to get them to run simultaneously? If my thinking is correct, I'd just need to double my figures for speed, pump and motor size? So, a 16gpm pump will run both cylinders at 1.85"/sec and require 6 hp? My math could be way off, please correct me if so! thanks for any help! Nick

Thanks for the help so far guys. Upon further investigation, I’d agree, it definitely looks like a brooks. Very similar markings to an anvil I found posted on Facebook back in 2019. Close enough that I’d feel comfortable saying it’s the same thing. Here’s a couple screenshots of that anvil for comparison. Nick

I updated my location to my profile. Just got it today so hot steel coming soon!