Bob S

Now I wonder why that would be? Any guesses? Bob

I can't think why a piece of rail wouldn't make a decent anvil. Probably better steel than most anvils were a few hundred years ago. Maybe not up to flogging with a sledge but for up to 3/4"-1" no problem. Screw right thru the flange into a stump. Grind the top flat. Go to work. Why not?

Hey!! Wagon Master that was a fun video. Enjoyed that very much. Good looking leaf too. Who is that dog?

Critical maybe but not overly. Critical is good. Especially from crusty old guys.

so sad. Too sad really. Deepest regrets to Mike's family and friends. Bob Schade

If you search McMasterCarr for 'electric grounding rods' you get this... Grounding Rods— Connect an electrical system to a ground. Made of nickel-plated steel that's heavily plated in copper for high levels of conductivity and good corrosion resistance. Threaded rods provide the best connection when joining two rods with couplers (sold below). Rods meet or exceed UL standard 467 and ANSI C33.8. An 8' x 1/2"D rod will set you back about $15.64 + shipping. Buy good steel. By the time you burn thru the copper and nickel you will probably have a headache. If you insist on using it be sure you have plenty of ventilation.

Drako11, There is no end of the stuff you can do with a basic setup. Best luck.

I can see from Minnesota that you're not getting it hot enough. Clean out your fire and try again. Keep doing that. BTW there are tons of forging vids on youtube if you just want to get an idea about how hot metal moves.....or doesn't move. enjoy. Bob

Thanks for putting this up Sweany. Very neat. These guys know what they are doing. The sequence showing the boxjoint pliers being put together is great. If you click on the persons name that posted these videos to youtube you will see that his 'hometown' is listed as USA but his 'country' is listed as Pakistan. Probably where they were taped.

price is listed on the 'contacts' page....ratholeforge.com COST: 460 lb 1769.00 250 lb 1165.00

I got my name stamp from HA Evers Company who is mentioned earlier in this thread. You can see my 'mark' here.... http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/109935-post26.html I got my stamp long ago. I think the price was around $20. The letters are 1/8" high. It has always seemed to me that the purpose of putting your mark on your work is so someone will know who made the thing. If they have to go thru some obscure 'registry' what is the point? How will anyone know that a registry exists? Best plan IMO is to put on your name and zip code. Over the years people I have sold work to have moved around. Years later if your name and zip were on the piece it would be a simple matter to find you.

matal is to metal as musak is to music

My main hammer is a 4 pound double face similar to the pictured hammer. I vary the weight by moving up and down on the handle. I choke up for lighter blows and use more handle for heavier blows. Works well for me. I use it for most everything. My anvil, a Trenton 200 lb, is on the soft side so I always soften a new hammer by drawing the colors with a torch. Much better to have to dress a hammer now and then than to ding up your anvil when drawing a thin taper.

These are some fine looking tongs. I have never been a fan of the 'off center' tongs that seem to be so popular.

Sorry about those last pictures. I hope these are visible.

I made a handful of these a few years ago for gifts.

Good advice here Anvillain. Use your steel budget for new straight stock. You could buy 1018 cheaper than this guy wants for silo rings and be waaay ahead.

This is an angle iron stand with a 150lb Kolswa anvil. I think the angle is 1/4"x2" or maybe 5/16"x2-1/2" but you get the idea. I have another similar stand for my 'main' anvil a 200 lb Trenton that is bolted to the concrete floor to prevent moving. The anvil sits on a piece of 3/4" plywood and a piece of rubber mudflap found at the side of the road.

1045 is a good choice for hammers and other blacksmithing tools. I see that you are in Wisconsin. I am in southeast MN about 40 miles west of LaCrosse. I have some old jackhammer points that are 1045. If you are interested and aren't too far let me know. Bob

Nick, Best of luck with your forge hoods but it's been my experience that they don't work. The smoke just fills up the hood and then rolls out into your face. A better idea is the side draft forge. Mine is just a 10" pipe that sits on my forge top. A half circle cut out with about a 3-4" radius sits right next to the fire. The smoke and fire is drwan sideways into the stack. Very little smoke escapes into the shop. Take a look here http://www.beautifuliron.com/steelhoods.htm Good luck. Bob

Sid sells a set of dovetail adaptors that can make it easier to build special dies for your hammer. I got a set for mine and have just started using them. Here is a picture of the adaptors. I'll try to take a picture of my first dies in a few days.

Hello all, My first posting here! Also trying out posting a picture. This is (I hope) a scanned picture of Franz Brauner loading the LG25 I just bought from him down in Racine WI. This was in the late '80's I think. I paid $600 for it. Not a steal but not a bad price at the time. I have a small shop in southeast Minnesota. I find the LG25 to be pretty near perfect for me. I rebuilt the hammer when I got it and it runs real well. It's not a Nazel but I think the LG hammers are under rated by some. But they are pretty easy to sell so I guess there are some that like them. Hope this works. Edit: photo added