K. Bryan Morgan

I got this just alittle while ago at a local antique store. He wanted $50 for it but settled for $45. It's rusty, but has no pits, opens and closes fully, if alittle stiffly. Has some paint on it. I will clean it up with a rotory wire brush. I'm kind of leary about taking it apart. I deffinately dont want to break the bolts and would like to keep it in as close to original condition as I can. I can see the bolts are rusted on pretty good.

Great find, congratulations

If you take them out of the track it will cause the train to derail..not that we would ever do anything that stupid. Finding them on the side of the train road bed is the only way I would pick them up..or from a train repair yard.

Thank you Frosty, yes that was me, I will be moving to the North Pole/Fairbanks area. I know thats allittle ways from you but I had planned on looking you up for sure. And thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Will be working on the forge today and tomorrow. I had thought mom had one but apparently it was absconded. They are cheep. I'll go to the local hardware and pick one up. Get some fire place bricks and some pipe today to.

"Git er done" :D

Here you go Junker, this is called a retort kiln or charcoal kiln. When I get to the point I will be making my own, this is how I'm going to do it. He seems to have allot of very good sucess with it. Good luck!

Making Charcoal

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I am having fun getting things together. I contacted Central Plains Steel today and the sales lady, who was very gracious, is going to get together some scrap for me tomorrow morning and give me a call. She said most of it will be A36. I explained what I was doing and she was happy to help. I am sure I will have to pay something for it, but, with scrap prices so low right now I know I can afford it. I'm not worried about if its good for much other than learning with. I really don't know. I think I should be able to make some things and teach myself some with it. I wont need much to start with.

Thank you very much again, Ptree for your thoughts for my mom and me. Yes, I am taking care of myself, eating right, staying strong for her.

Your exactly right chyancarrek, I've seen many a carpenter who had tons of very expencive tools, that didn't know the pointy end of the nail goes down. I worked in construction for alot of years doing alot of things. I've seen real craftsmen at work, I do not claim to be one of them. But I ain't bad.

Thanks rokshasa, I am having fun. I will see tomorrow when get the habachi and other stuff together for the forge what I need to get. I also saw in my travels today a big scrap yard and an old country antique place that is part of a farm. Blacksmithing tools? Who knows, but I will find out. Its like a big scavanger hunt. I would think there would be allot of old blacksmithing tools in Kansas on farms. Lots of farms in the area.

This isn't 100% of everything I have. But these are the basics I'm going to be useing. Next thing is the forge. I have a design in mind just need the materials. I'm going to keep it real real simple. A hibachi, some fire place bricks, a piece of 2" black iron pipe with a cap on one end, with a hair dryer. I think that will be very easy to put together. Charcoal for fuel. Chunk not brickette. I should be able to put that togther in the next day or two. And hopefully by the weekend I will be hammerin iron. :D

Thank you chyancarrek and Fe-Wood. Your thoughts and best wishes mean allot.

Well, had to put off getting the forge materials aside today, hopefully I can get things for it tomorrow. Kind of a bummer. But, on the bright side the post anvil is curring and i know where I can get the right sized iron pipe. So, all in all not a lost day. I also found a steel supplier not far from here. Going to see if I can pick up some drops or end pieces for cheap or free out of the scrap pile.

Thank you Thomas, ya I guess people in these parts would understand that.

For all the thought a concerns about my mom. Unfortunately she is terminal. It's a matter of time now. How long is anyones guess, including hospice.

I don't know how long things will take and have planned to be here for a while. After, I am moving to Alaska. I would still enjoy meeting anyone, anywhere, anytime. Currently I am in Wichita, Ks.

Thanks, Iron-Wood. I wonder how many people understand your Fe? Anyway I have a little trip to plan to the pluming supply today for black iron pipe. Its forge time. It's going to be as simple as I can make it. An old hibachi, a piece of iron pipe with holes drilled in it. Some fire place bricks. A hair drier. Some chunk charcoal. It may cost $15 but I doubt it, probably less.

The anvil is in the bucket curing. Its very soft what ever its made of ..low carbon whatever or cast...but i don't believe cast, I don't see the signs of that.

Anyway thanks for all the great responses...this is an awesome forum, and I'm learning by leaps and bounds. It's a heck of allot of fun.

Thank you, MRobb, will do.

Thanks Francis, I would do that but right this moment I'm in Kansas for a while. My mother is very, very ill and I'm caring for her. I will look up the group on the web though, I remember they have a site up. Thanks for reminding me.

I went to the store and got a small bucket and some concrete, tomorrow I will set it in and start looking for a piece of round stock I can put through one of the holes thats in it for a small horn or bick. Can't hardly wait!!! :)

A neighbor across the street used to be a machinist, so I ambled over and asked if he had a largeish piece of steel I could use for a small post anvil. He said he did and got it for me. Its 2.5"x2.75"x15". Also I recieved in the mail today a 1.5# straight peen and a 2.5# angle peen (right handed) from a member of this site. We were talking in the site's chat and found out we are both ex-millitary. So, he said he would send them to me all at his own expence because we were brothers in arms. He made them both. so now i have 3 hammers. My cheap store bought, these two, a vice, some files and my little post anvil, woo hoo. Small cheap forge build next. Oh I need to get to the local hardware store for a bucket and some concrete. I am so excited. Darn, I wish I had a digital camera.

I just scored a big chunk of steel from a neighbor, 2.5"x2.75"x15", I'm going to use as a small post anvil to get me started. Cost, free.

Here is the one I plan on building when I get things settled.

BP0186 Oliver, the Hammer | Blueprints 100-200

Awesome Rt, thats just what I needed too know. Thanks.

Thanks Thomas, I've been looking at it and I think its cast not forged now. I'll hit it with a file and see how difficult it is. Right now a grinder isn't a possibility.

I was able to get a 3 pound cross peen hammer at Atwoods Farm Supply,$10.99, the other day. It's made in Mexico, so I'm not sure what type of steel it is. It is forged, I can see the forging seams. The face has been ground from square, tapering in about 3/16" and the face is a series of concentric rings where it was ground at the factory, they are about 1/32 to almost a 1/16 inch deep.
I know, I know a picture would be easier, but I don't have a digital camera.
How or what is a good way to face the hammer with no access to power tools. Should I use files or heavy sandpaper or is there another way. I can't anneal or temper it. Well i could temper it in the oven, but no way to anneal. Just getting started collecting tools so any help would be appreciated.

I found this thread on the ABANA fourm and found it intresting reading. Thought I would throw it in the mix.

[ABANA] The ABANA Forums

It's titled - Rhino anvils?

I'm looking at several months down the road. It will be a while. Hope to get there before it starts to snow. I will have a 12x16 shed to set up a shop in and will make a leanto for the forge and anvil outside. The idea about propane is a good one and I may just do that. But there is something viseral about making fire. I do enjoy that. I may have to do some venting and move everything inside when the snows start and I know that the temps get way low there. I have some considerations to think about. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. I think we just went way off topic, but so what. :D

Well excellent Frosty I will deffinately do that. Thanks again for the great information. I think I know how I'm going to build it. Just need the time, place and everything else to come together now. I have a situation thats stoping me from going full bore into smithing for now. But as soon as I can I'm going to make the forge, get some iron, get it hot and beat the hell out of it. :D

thanks for that Oak Hill Forge, I will look into that.

Thanks for the information Frosty, thats the kind of input i needed. I believe I know where to go to get what your talking about. On a side note I will be moving up to Alaska in the not too distant future. Into the Fairbanks/North Pole area. Is that very far from you? Keeping in mind I have no idea about Alaska. :D

Would a multi speed hair dryer move enough air? Ya I know, take out the heating coils....:)

Thanks Finnr, I hope to get it up and running before too long but it may be a while. Also, no clay where I live. Florida has clay just not here.

Welder, what would be a reliable source for kaolin? Is it in something I could find and purpose differently or would I have to buy it directly from a source?

I've been looking on the site and internet for days looking at solid fuel forge designs. I have an idea and I would like to ask the more experianced smiths here what they think of it.
The basic design would be a square BBQ grill, the kind with the rounded corners and a flat bottom for the box. Put a 2" hole in one side and then make a tuwere, or however you spell it, out of 2" pipe ending in a neck down to 1" four way junction. Make a square ring of straight pieces with 90 deg. corners, and the final junction the straight piece, would be capped in the center. 2 or 3 holes in each section for air flow. Coming out of the forge I would have a gate valve to control air flow and would be using a leaf blower for an air supply. All of this black iron of course. For refractory, bentonite clay, ash, and perlite? Not to sure about the perlite. Some say use it some say don't. Put about 4-5" of refractory under the tuwere and make the depression for the lit charcoal about 5" deep. Building it wouldnt be hard to do for me, I'm handy like that. I guess my question would be, does it seem like a sound design?