K. Bryan Morgan

They just re launched the site. This link works

Purgatory Ironworks

I'm getting a bad forge jones going (what I get for moving to a sub-zero winter climate) and went and bought a bunch of blacksmithing books to read and study, also for references. Not that there isn't tons of stuff online. But, sometimes a hard copy seems easier for me to read or get into my head. So far I have collected, Blacksmithing, Basics for the homestead, by Joe DeLaRonde, The Blacksmith's Craft, by Charles McRaven, Practical Blacksmithing and Metalworking Second Edition, by Percy W. Blandford, The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers, The Backyard Blacksmith, By Lorelei Sims, and finally Hot techniques and striking projects Blacksmithing, by Jose Antonio Ares. Wow what a mouthful. Anyway I figure I can learn a lot from these fine folks.

Alrighty then. That's one mean looking squasher. Love the color. Congrats. :D :D

They look good to me...much better than the first set I made ..or the second for that matter....:D

Phil, I understand your frustration. I made two sets of tongs so far and both are UGLY but they work. The second set is a little better than the first. Like my football coach used to say, "Keep running that play till you get it right." So, I'll keep working on that skill until I get good at it.

awaiting scraps to come

Hey there welcome to the forum. I'm in Fairbanks, I know its quite a ways from you but there are many smiths in Anchorage. Chime in and remember we like pictures.

Got a good laugh out of that one.

Excellent work Joe. I really liked the scene where the ball peen hammer was being raised right at the camera. Looked like it should have been in a 3D movie. Well done on the RRSK. Love the music, keep up the great work. :D

How you want to mount your anvil is exactly like I have mine mounted. When I got it, it had a horn ground into it, so I couldn't mount it on end. The bolts keep backing out and I have to constantly ratchet them back in. There isn't enough mass under the hammer to give much rebound so I have to hit hard. Which isn't that much of an issue for me, I'm a big guy.

I have another piece of rail that I will mount on end. I feel it will work much better for me. If I had things to do over again I would mount the other piece of rail end up first, and weld a large thick piece of plate to the top.

On a side note. Does anyone know of any anvils in the Fairbanks Ak area. I'm looking for one here without much success.

Have fun with the rail anvil. It's good to learn on. You can beat the heck out of it and not worry about missed blows. But put it on end you will be much happier.

From what I understand they are 1095.

This is alcohol abuse pure and simple. How dare they limit beer. It ain't right I tell you. (sniff, sob) :(

I made some pics of what I had done and wanted to post them. Rasser Frasser thing wouldn't let me. I know I wont come close to making them exactly the same. But, if I can get them looking close enough and they work, I won't care.

Yippy, it worked.

Rats, it didn't work

Darn drat and rasser frasser. Still won't let me upload pics.

Looks like a great find. I'm looking for one myself, hard to find in Alaska.

Ok, here's an update. I got the one side of the tongs done and am working on the other. I switched over to coal. What a difference. All the study I did on coal use really paid off. I was able to make a nice fire quickly and got the steel up to heat in a hurry. Almost melted some of it. So all in all a good day.

Not letting me upload pics. Will try again later.

Thanks Thomas, I did figure that out at the end of the session, but by then it was too late. I will be using coal from now on.

Grant, I still need to make the other half and also draw out the reins on the one I took a pic of. I spent way more time on the rake than I did the one side of the tongs. Still have a long way to go ..but... it is a good beginning.

Got the forge fired up and made a rake and started a pair of tongs. The forge works great, got it up to a high yellow heat in short order. I'm using a little 5 gallon shop vac ($20) with a store bought dimmer switch. I have very good air blast control. From nothing to a raging inferno. I still need to draw out the rein on the one side of the tongs and work the other side still. But, I'm making progress. I will be using coal from now on though. This forge eats charcoal like you wouldn't, or maybe you would, believe.

Frosty and Deb, your in my prayers and thoughts. I pray that you recover and are well.

Irontwister, it took a couple of weeks for me to be able to get all the parts I needed. This is a hobby for me, and I have priorities. Like getting the house ready for winter. Making my lady happy... you know things like that. As far as putting all the parts together, it took about 30 minutes to grind the hole in the plate, and about an hour to put the frame together. I had to drill 2 holes in the floor flange for the pipe so...I would estimate that all told there are about 2 hrs of work in the forge. Not counting time to go and get the pieces I needed. Total cost for everything I paid for and didn't scrounge was about $50.00.

Yes that's right, it's called floor plate. It's mild steel, nothing on the surface.

Thanks rmcpb, I don't know about another level, but it is simple to do without welding skills, equipment ect. Question. Since its galvanized, would it get hot enough on the edges to be a danger?

George, it was really similar to that but had a rail under the plate attached to 4x6s, I think. I've been looking for the pics but I still can't find it.

Here is my break drum forge. Made from steel 2x4 studs, 1/8" deck plate, 2" pipe of course and, that's right, a break drum. Have yet to fire it up. Dang blow dryer went poof. Rasser Frassen thing. :rolleyes:

If one person tells me I have a horses tail, sometimes I don't listen, but when 2 do it, I check to see if I can swat flies. I will make a separate stand for the prichel block. I'll probably be able to knock it off with out too much trouble. The break is way more than half off already and I can move it a little by hand. So, not much holding it on at the moment anyway.

Another thing I was thinking of was to remount it on top of the rail. Making a step, a good flat spot, more material under one place on the anvil and a prichel hole as well. It would also not suffer from shear forces when hammered on. I would have to have it done I don't own a welder or know how to use one. I have so much to learn...