thecelticforge

You can use almost anything to upset with. I often times use a chunk of mild steel that is 8x8x3. It has not dished out on me very much in the 4 years that I have had it. I place it on oak logs of different heights to make hammering easier. I have also used the side and the tip of my anvil horn. I think I have even used the concrete slab.

I have found that many tool steels with Si in them will crumble when heated much past bright red. Just like wet chalk.

This is the situation when my price goes way the hell up...

I can't wait till Christmas!

Yep, it's a lineman's hammer.

I do much the same too with sand, except I keep it heated over night in a metal bucket wrapped in R-30 and heated with an engine block heater. I have another heater on my anvil also. I am thinking that I won't have to keep my sand hot anymore because I live in Georgia now and it seldom gets below 0 degrees F here.

I like them. I recently made one with the axle from a VW bug with a similar profile. The only difference is a tapered neck, larger flair, and I put a shoulder over the shaft so it wouldn't wedge into the hardie hole.

I moved mine by making a ramp out of 4x4's scabbed together on the bottom and just "walked it down" to the floor and then up to the anvil block.

Just emailed them asking for photos of the threads. I may actually think about this one!

I agree with everyone else. Wait and have a plan. I had a major theft in WV and had to start over from scratch. I knew exactly what I wanted and saved a few dollars each week. It more than paid off with a new 300 weight Euroanvil and I could not be happier!

Since water, rest, and air circulation have been covered, I have found that ice packs under the arms is an excellent way to help drop the core temp too.

so if etching damascus actually eats the steal at different rates so that the patterns are visible, just imagine what that "ice cold coca-cola" is doing to you stomach lining!

Ok so yea we are health food nuts: grow our own garden and raise all of our own meat and working on the fruit.

Looks neat though......maybe you actually found a good use for that stuff! (the coke that is)

Looks good and sturdy, however how many of the originals have you seen without the brace? With the use of modern steels rather than the original wrought iron you probably wouldn't need the brace to hold up a big kettle of beans but perhaps most folk are looking for "tradition" and not "engineering". Just my two bits worth.

I think you could use this design. I would probably go with an upset area at the tenon and arch the piece some or leave the top flat and run a taper out to the hook. or start with some thing a little larger and draw it out.

My dad's barn was much like that and he put sprinklers on the roof and that cooled things off quickly!

I had a bit of free material and wanted to make a show piece. Fireplace cranes are things that people buy if they know that you can make them. I usually used flat stock, forge welded the arm to the post and then a curved brace to both. I think almost everyone I have seen has been like this.
Today I took a section of 7/8ths round bar and split a mortise in it. Then I took a piece of 1 X 3/8s bar and made the arm. it holds my weight and does not budge. I am thinking on upsetting the bite flush with the bar and not using the curved brace at all.
Since I have not seen one like this afore, I am going to be a bit cautious before I finish it.

Any reason why this won't work?

Okay, I am driving home and the check gauges light on my dash keeps flashing on and off. It finally stayed on and I saw my voltage dropping. I thought, over 200K miles, alternator. NOT! The control box for my winch in the bed of the truck caught fire (fuse did not blow) and it caught the coal in the back of the truck on fire. I raised the hood and disconnected the battery; I grab the fire extinguisher (fully charged last week's check) and ffft, nothing! So I doused it with a bucket of water. No damage to the truck

I called the fire department and asked them why a "fully charged fire extinguisher would fail. I was told that they needed to be replaced every 3 to five years and a good habit is to give each one a good shake every week.

So check your fire safety equipment.

Christmas- ornaments, cookie cutters, letter/card opener,sleigh/hand bells

Valentines day-roses/flowers, heart pins

Thanksgiving-napkin rings, ax ,

Halloween-pumpkin carving set, candle holders for the Jack-O -Lantern

Mother's Day-forged jewelery,flowers

Father's Day-money clip, belt buckle

Veterans/Memorial Day- flag holder, mini flag stands

Easter-eggs, rabbit rotisserie , garden/yard decorations

St. Patrick's Day- 4 leaf clovers

4th of July- Flag items, stars


If the items are not too specific for a holiday they can be used year round. A lot of people don't have much room to store seasonal items, so something that can be left out, or used year round will probably have more appeal. The yard art items could be anything from forged bugs that get set on the ground to items that are on a post that gets stuck in the ground. Simply made with basic materials.

I think I shall stick with eggs, crosses, and nails for Easter, chalices and anthamas for Beltane, jack-o-lanterns for Samhain, and Christmas trees.

Since the price of scrap went up last summer to 11.80USD per hundred, there is not a single leaf spring let in the entire state :~(

Okay, generally every year I turn out "holiday items" for the holiday season. They are generally quick, easy, and in expensive. The trouble is that they are not generally related to any specific holiday, religious, secular, or those that ain't too sure.

I am open for ideas, actually, humbly asking for Christmas/Yule ideas so I can get started next month.

I have a two foot bar with an oval profile of tool steel. I have no memory of how I got it or what is was used for. I am thinking on making a froe out of it. Any idea what its original purpose was or anything else better to do with it?

You are not talking about a setter are you? Small pocket anvil that could be driven into the end grain and used to set teeth on a saw?

Get as much money out of every one that you can. That is my advice.

Brilliant! I would love to know the process you used to get the ring shape. It has to be better than what I do.