Coltsauer PA

Daswulf, I put some lime in an old Parmesan cheese container and just go a long the row and shake some on the silk 

Try putting some hydrated lime on the silk as the ears form. It will kill any worm eggs in your sweet corn

A friend of mine just sent this picture advertising this Blacksmith Gathering in Reynoldsvill, PA over Labor Day weekend. I wondered if anyone from this forum would be there. 

It does ring so I will just make a stand and start using it. 
I think I’m going to mount the post vice to a piece of I-beam that I have. Then I would be able to work all the way around it. The man we bought the house from had it mounted that way and just used it as a vice to do some woodwork. 
Thanks everyone for the advice. More is appreciated 

1. Is the anvil useable/ could I weld a piece of plate to it?

2. The blower does spin nicely and it will windmill. I will look for an oil port. 

3. The vise came with the house mounted like that. I think I’m going to mount it to be free standing so I can walk all the way around it. 

4. The forge is still buried in the corner. It is an old steel farm implement wheel with a cut out drum for a shroud. I need to make a stand for it. Its about 30” in diameter 

I took some pictures of my kit. The shop is a mess but there it is. I can’t find a name on the blower or the anvil. The anvil is 125 pounds and cast steel I think. There’s no name or numbers that I can find. Maybe if I run a wire wheel over it. 
The 2 bigger hammers on the left half of the tongs were my great-grandpa’s. The tongs, blower, and forge ( not pictured) I got from an older gentleman for $100. They had come from his family farm but he never did much with them

I wasn’t able to get pics of my kit this weekend. We ended up canning beans and helping a friend with his mom’s and stepdad’s estate 

Very cool. Thanks for the pics. I never thought of metal having a grain 

Does the grain affect the way you shape the wrought iron or doe the heat make not a factor? Does steel have a grain to it?

I’ve ground a fair amount of steel and never noticed. 

I don’t know what you mean by spark teat

I meant spark test. Is it common to find wrought iron?

Sometimes we find square rebar when we demo an old bridge abutment. Sometimes twisted sometimes straight. I don’t know if any were wrought. I don’t know how to tell either 

I wonder if the old square re-bar like we find in some demo work is better for forging. 
I did know not to use galvanized. Sometimes we have to cut or weld it at work and it’s a pain. The old timers used to say to drink milk to cure the sickness from it. Just an old wives tale. I can’t see where that would do any good. Thank you

Sometimes I could get some cable. I try not to ruin them. They’re a pain to change. I could get a fair amount of re-bar but I have heard that it’s not good for forging any thoughts?

The closest Amish blacksmith is about 15 miles away. They’re always looking for someone who might be cheaper too. 

I’m surrounded by Amish. When I start hammering on an anvil they will probably give me no peace for a while 

I operate heavy equipment. Especially cranes and drill rigs for foundation work. We can drill a 144” diameter hole to about 150’. 38”-96” are the most common range. 
I’d love to see you work. I currently have a severe lack of time since I’m working near DC. 
I would probably like to try some tool/blade making, some ornamental, a little bit of everything I guess. Then see if there’s some specialty that I like. Not shoeing horses. Nothing against it I just don’t like horses

Thanks guys. 
Goods, thanks for the link. There’s some nice pictures there. 
 

Daswulf,   I’m just south of Punxsutawney. I worked on the lock and dam in Charleroi about 2 years ago. I’m not sure when I can get pics of my kit but I’ll try. Everything but the leg vice is kind of piled in a corner. 

Hello. I’m in western Pennsylvania. I want to get started blacksmithing.  Several years ago I found an old forge made from a steel implement wheel with a turyure in the center set in concrete. It came with a hand crank blower and about 20 pairs of different tongs. Then I found a cast steel anvil(I think). I can’t find a name on it. I work out of town a lot but I would like to get it set up this year. I love seeing some of your shop pics for ideas