pkrankow

Dig a shallow hole and make a ground forge. Stack some bricks on the ground and make a ground forge. Make one of Glenn's 55 forges from a drum Take a heat resistant table and put some bricks on it to contain the fire and fuel Phil

After cleaning with a wire brush you may find the feet under the horn stamped with a serial number that can identify the age of the anvil. My first thought was Trenton because the line where the tool steel face is welded is visible, however that is not a solid indication. Trenton and Hay Budden are two very good brands! Both companies did number the anvils in a similar area, the weight on one foot the serial number on the other, and the markings were opposite location between the two brands. There also may be a brand marking on the side. Wire brush, some oil or wax and it will shine...or just use it the way it is and it will clean up quite a bit from use. Phil

Impact resistance. Anvils don't see abrasion really. Some people have had good results with rebuilds finished with 7018. You can ball bearing test it now and see how it is. 50% is ok, some anvils are 90%+. Phil

1084, 1095, O1 tool steel Nice short list to choose from that will respond to a "backyard" heat treat process. O1 will perform well in this application without the dwell at temperature the specifications ask for because it is a thin section and the highest hardness it can achieve is not required. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/276998-W-amp-B-9-8ths?highlight= I have one of Paco's kamisori heat treat with this method. It is nice and holds the edge quite well. 5160 may also be suitable but will be very easy to temper too soft as razors are left harder than knives. Phil

Lots of potential in this experiment. Pretty cool you can do a welded bundle with 3/4 inch round! I don't think you have "arrived" yet however as a early stone on the path it is quite interesting. Phil

Get a few soft thick firebrick, weld or bolt on some channel or angle that the fire brick just fits to hold the brick against the openings of the forge. Make up a pair of lightweight tongs for grabbing large materials (fireplace log tongs) to adjust the bricks to a suitable opening. One step easier is to use a cinderblock (cheap but not heat resistant) and thin hard firebrick (cheap and highly heat resistant) to stack a porch in front of the forge on the table, then stack soft or hard firebrick on the porch to make a door. Phil

Heh. Good luck. Even among users of straight razors there is no best. Stainless variaties are considered difficult to hone by some, plain carbon varaities patina and rust. Patern welded suffer from hone wear similar to engraved spines and goldwash. http://badgerandblad...To-quot-Threads Bill Ellis makes some sweet looking blades and freely shares information. old razors were similar to 10xxx between .9 and 1.2 % carbon http://badgerandblad...ntage-Straights http://straightrazorplace.com/forge/21523-great-razor-analysis-project.html Use of recycled old files, O series and A series tool steels (O1 and A2 are supposed to be good), and quite a few other materials also are considered desireable materials. In the end look at how you intend to process the heat treat using your capabilites, and pick. Whatever you choose there will be haters and lovers of the material. Phil

People always think that anvils need to be more pristine than required. A perfectly flat surface is not required, and in some tasks, such as straightening, sway is desired (but I would never consider deliberately making sway in an anvil) I do agree, repair it since you have the ability and the cost is near free. In fact because you are teaching that is another reason to repair it! Phil

Don't forget about marketing. People like "unique" "traditional" and "historical" even if the result may or may not be one or more of those. Phil

Pretty darn good for a first try! Finding an anvil is interesting. The best way is to ask everybody if they have leads. EVERYBODY! The grocery clerk, the mail carrier, your preacher, the people at work, the neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins... you never know someone might have a sweet Hay Budden or Mousehole sitting in the garage or basement that they are tired of moving or banging their leg on that you can have for the effort to remove it! More likely you will pay $1-$2 per pound for a decent anvil, $3-$4 for a very nice or nearly new anvil. Learn about ASO's (cast iron anvils, Anvil Shaped Objects) and avoid them unless free. (they have utility as tool holders and glue weights) Check the prices on NEW anvils as a reference. If the scrap yards sell you can look for an ALO (Anvil Like Object) which is a lump of steel, preferably alloy or tool but mild is acceptable, that weighs about 100# with a flat surface and fair edges...not necessarily on the same surface! Examples are RR couplers, press dies, some tractor weights (most are cast iron, some are mild steel), large truck axles, the hammer head you are using right now... check out this http://www.iforgeiro...etting-started/ not just for knifemaking. Don't neglect Craigslist and ebay. Ebay will only have deals for local pickup as shipping makes the price increase by more than shipping costs. Good deals on Craigslist don't last long so have cash in hand and check at least daily if not several times a day. Welcome aboard! Phil

Lucky to get samples of such fine products! That anvil is quite usable the way it is, but since the cost is low (in your case) and you obviously looked up what to do I think repairing is a good idea. Find your way over to anvilfire.com and check the FAQ section for edge radius and other related information. Phil

I can tell you that 1 1/2 inches of fuel under your workpiece is not enough. However there are many choices to elevate your work in the fire to the 4-6 inch area. Bricks are a personal favorite. I did rebuild my brake drum forge to get this desired depth so my bricks are now simply fuel containment. Phil

You can put a refractory coating on hard firebrick just fine. An IR reflector coating may be of value. However coating hard firebrick does not change it from being hard firebrick. Phil

1 gallon quenchant per pound steel is an industry recognized guideline. You can use more without concern. Used oils, particularly motor oil have contaminants that become areosolized during quench. Without proper and adequate ventilation this is a health hazard. With fresh clean oils the areosols are still a health hazard, so set up for proper ventilation anyways. Special quenching oils have a known rate of cooling, with used oils you may want to run a sample before runing your item to make sure the performance is as expected. It sounds like a 5 gallon *STEEL* bucket *WITH A LID* about 1/2 full of oil will be adequate for most of your needs, and a 1 gallon steel paint can with a lid about 1/2 full for many of your needs. I like veggie oil. I use a 1 qt container with a lid about 2/3 full for end quenching small punches and chisels. Phil

There are a number of good groups around Ohio including WRABA in the Cleveland area and SOFA in the Dayton area. Welcome Phil

Looks like you roll a corkscrew and pull it apart. Very interesting looking. Start with some clay and see what you come up with. Phil

Mild or tool, perfect size for a Brian Brazeal style striking anvil. The key to this anvil is very secure footing. The anvil is relatively light but well anchored to the ground so you don't loose effort to bouncing. Phil

Once the T-burner is set, it (theoretically) never needs adjusted. I am fine with the burner not being adjustable. Phil

You are excessively rich because the jet oriface is too big. Your choices are start over with fresh feed pipe and a #60 drill, which is .04 inches OR buy a drill and tap set for 1/4-28 and a package of .035 mig contact tips (which are about .04 inch). Drill out your current oriface as square as you can then tap it. You can adjust the contact tip slightly by bending it with a wrench fitted over it. You may need to cut the tip shorter and clean up the inside edge with a torch file. You need a sharp edge so the gas separates from the surface. I built a Reil burner but switched to a different burner since I could not maintain a stable flame out doors in slightly windy conditions. I built Frosty's T burner which I am please with even though it is difficult to tune initially (you have to cut the contact tip used as an oriface shorter to tune) http://anvilsandinks...com/burner.html http://www.iforgeiro...-and-made-this/ Phil

I have studied a lot of machinery, not built much. Took several machine design classes when I was at school, and we all know that ideas from school are either good or garbage...or good garbage. Phil

Find where the gaps are, enterance and exit, then use some sub-soil from the yard to plug and pack the gaps. Save yourself getting an expensive bucket of clay when you need a handful. You probably need to go down 1 shovel depth away from the planting beds, replace the divot and no one will ever know! Phil

1 weights are simple and effective (inelegant or not) 2 If using a spring, why make it taller? You can run a spring in any direction, and it is just as effective. Change your lever to a pivot. 3 If you want fancy what about an air ride or air adjustable shock? Phil

I found the auction and downloaded all the pictures. Really cool looking. Phil

At scrap rate a china knockoff has utility. You can always use it as a glue weight for clamping... Phil

Nice anvil. I bet the hole in the table was a task-specific modification made because of a frequently repeated operation. Kinda makes for a head scratcher now. If you mess around with hot iron for long enough you too will create some type of head scratcher for future generations. Phil