Frosty

Yeah, that's an example of someone "restoring" an anvil by grinding off chipped edges. You'll want to radius them a little or they're going to put cold shuts in shoulders like your tongs and sharp edges are more prone to chipping. No it isn't going to have much effect on forging. If an instance occurs where it is a problem just make a bottom tool with 90* edges with a shank that drops in the hardy hole and you're golden. That's a beautiful anvil, use it in good health. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. Being able to work with an experienced smith will teach you more in an afternoon than weeks maybe months of learning on your own. Frosty The Lucky.

Yeah, a foot pedal ash dump sounds pretty good but it doesn't need to be that fancy. It's really easy to over think these things. The simplest device that does the job well is the better tech. You may not really need to bend in a way the bench will get in the way but there are times I use the vise jaw itself to bend around and if it's a long piece of stock and some guys swear by twisting horizontally and it has it's place. There's no place in my shop a person can drag their feet. Clutter's not just a blacksmith thing but we're good at it. Frosty The Lucky.

Johnny: NO you can NOT adequately control the propane flow with the tank valve. Trying is in fact dangerous as propane is not a pure gas and if the tank valve is NOT opened completely little bits of crud will naturally stick on the valve seats. They are also THE natural place for condensation to form. With various solids stuck to the valve seats two things happen when you close the vlave: the frozen condensates will score the seats making for a NON gas tight seal. Secondly the crud that gets caught in the condensates will REALLY score the seats. this is a good way to make your tank valve NOT shut the flow off. This is a B-A-D thing. Propane burning appliances are NOT the place to pinch pennies, especially when you don't have a clue about what you're doing. Propane can NOT flash back up the hose, NOT POSSIBLE. Now buy the proper equipment or put the tanks back on the BBQ and do something safer. Frosty The Lucky. Dave: No, Exothermically Disassociation is NOT burning, not even close even if Explosive Combustion usually occurs as in a secondary affect of C2H2 exothermically disassociating. Acetylene is a very unstable gas, C2H2 and can break down into C2 and H2 WAY too easily for comfort and does NOT need an oxidizer. A shock, PSI much in access of IIRC 30 PSIA or spark can return to it's lowest energy state being carbon gas and hydrogen gas and seeing as it takes considerable energy to keep them in the compound acytelene it releases energy as it disassociates. This is what Exo (put out) Thermal (Heat) reaction means. Because acet is such an unstable association of elements there are some pretty extreme measures taken to make it relatively safe to put it in a tank and use it in a torch. Acet tanks used to be filled with porous concrete but are now filled with I believe porous ceramic so the liquid can NOT slosh in the tank. Acetone is also placed in the tank for some chemistry voodoo that stabilizes the acet. Lastly Acet regulators have a 15lb. RED line above which it is NOT safe without the porous anti shock (slosh) media and acetone stabilizer. You really WANT anti flashbacks on your acet torch for the simple "if a little is good a LOT must be better" myth most humans think applies. Being an equal pressure system (according to the molar weight of the elements) you never really want to turn the oxy pressure more than 2x the acet psig. A LOT of guys will tell you the secret about cranking the oxy pressure WAY high to cut "better." This can be catastrophically BAD as a chip popping back can clog the torch tip and guess what the oxy is set at a high enough pressure it CAN be forced back up the acet. hose. Now you have a hose holding a really unstable gas being pressurized well above it's safe point by OXYGEN! Now you have a mixture of extremely flammable gas over pressured by oxy. All it needs is a spark right? HAH, No acetone, WAY over pressured so all it needs is a little shock, physical, electric or just squeeze it hard enough and it WILL spontaneously disassociate with a BIG release of HEAT. (the Exothermal part) The uncool thing is even after acet separates into Carbon and Hydrogen gas it's still thoroughly mixed with pure OXY. And we get the ever popular FOE, that's like a Fuel Air Explosive but it's just a tad worse it's Fuel Oxygen Explosive. In a closed container, the hose. Frosty The Lucky he lived through learning this stuff, some the hard way

Another thing to consider. It's pretty normal for newcomers to a craft to want the best in tools, we've been tool users for a couple hundred thousand years and it's pretty well hard wired in to think of tools as the magic that makes our world go. Bearing that in mind folk who are telling you you NEED a pristine almost anything aren't masters of the craft. That pristine, perfect even tool can't do anything, it's not EVEN highly refined dirt without a human working it. Iron and steel is human civilization's foundation, it's made from or with steel even makes our blood red. This makes what it has to teach us worth many human lifespans and that's only a bare taste. It's a lifelong learning curve. It's only steep if you try to go fast. Just keep at it it's never boring. Frosty The Lucky.

That makes good sense, thanks Vaughn. Handy with a hammer isn't a whistling Dixi. Frosty The Lucky.

Bigger grill! The next project is calling your name! Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard glad to have you. You are SO going to fit in here! From what I can see of your set up I only have two suggestions: Replace the screw cap ash dump on your tuyere with a clamp on exhaust flap cap. Mount it with the counter weight arm facing your position so you can reach under with whatever's in hand to flip it open and dump the crud into the bucket. Flap caps make good pressure bypasses if a little flammable gas builds up in the tuyere and pops. If it's too closed the small gas explosion can blow burning coals out of the forge or split seams on the bellows you aren't using. My other suggestion is to move your post vise closer to the corner so one side of the jaws extend past the table side. This allows you free room to turn twisting wrenches or stock without hitting the bench. Now I've gone through all your pics carefully and still don't see any "junk" lots of potentially useful stock and stuff but no junk. There's a reason blacksmiths are high steppers you know. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. You live about 1/2 hour from me, even if you live on the far side of the Butte, I live on Vine rd. in Wasilla. I've been known to make a burner or two. I don't know when but sometime this fall I'll be putting on a burner workshop at an Association of Alaskan blacksmiths meeting though I'm not sure when or where. I'll have to ask date but the next meet is at Jim Hutto's in Anchorage and our other most usual meeting place is on Farm Lp. at Pat's, "Arctic Fires Bronze" studio. I'm not saying don't buy a burner from someone or use someone else's plans, there are a LOT of good ones available. I just have one that's easy, inexpensive and we're almost neighbors. Frosty The Lucky.

That makes it pretty easy to take into remote places, finding a piece of pipe to use as a stand would be reasonably easy. Pipe is pretty common almost everywhere. What is the feature on the heal end? I'm imagining all kinds of things but would like to know what it's really for. It's gotta be something good, it's too much trouble to make not to be useful. Frosty The Lucky.

Ti isn't going to alloy with iron at temps we're going to achieve in hoe forges so I suppose it'd drive out with the slag. . . Maybe. Now if you had black sands with a decent % of manganese, vanadium or molybdenum we'd be talking SWEET ore. Frosty The Lucky.

There are kiln washes designed specifically for stabilizing ceramic blanket refractories prior to washing with the hi IR reflective washes like ITC-100. Wayne Coe carries a good selection and knows more about using the stuff than I. I'm sure he'd reply to your question if he weren't at a big blacksmith meet. He has a website that shows up on a quick websearch. Leave the furnace cement at the hardware store and out of your forge. While some guys have "made" it work to a degree I think it's more hassle than it's worth for no gain. Frosty The Lucky.

Good point, he wouldn't want it dumping nothing on the floor! Frosty The Lucky.

You get to do plenty of grinding whether you forge or do stock removal unless you produce the as forged blades. If after you've used it a year or so you still need it cleaned up you'll have the experience to judge and know how much to do. Frosty The Lucky.

I cringe when I see a topic titled with "restoring" anvils, more have been ruined by folk "restoring" them than Sherman did on his march to the sea. The face plates aren't that thick, grinding on them is shortening their life to little gain, even short term. The worst edges could maybe use a little cleaning up but there's plenty of good edge left you can just avoid the rough ones. Other than that it just needs you to beat some hot steel on it. Remember the old time blacksmith's advice about forging blades. "Forge it thick, grind it thin." If you want to make the unfinished blades (I can never recall what they're called) you'd be leaving texture deliberately so that's perfect as it sits. If you need a pristine surface and edges make a bottom tool as suggested. Sharp edges are a sign of an undressed anvil they're not desirable they leave cold shuts when shouldering and are weak spots that chip. Frosty The Lucky.

Good for you Stewart, it's not type II diabetes I hope. I lost a bunch till I got it under control. Hard work paying off once again. Frosty The Lucky.

A member of the Forum just got his and is getting it working if he doesn't speak up his thread has been active the last couple days you might take a look. Frosty The Lucky.

Uh HUH, you look I want a taste. A hamburger crust pizza has a certain a peel. Frosty The Lucky.

ARGHHH! Putting my dunce cap on now. Is 5 mins. in the corner long enough? Frosty The Lucky.

They're looking pretty good. The hammer in the second picture is covering the feature on the heal end. What is it? Do you have pictures out of the stand, I'd like a look at the whole tool. Frosty The Lucky.

Oh great, where is the kid asking about the Korean titanium steel alloy? He's going to be moving in next door to you if he finds out. If his Mom will let him that is. Frosty The Lucky.

Pretty slow Neil, trolls are only about half fast on a good day. Frosty The Lucky.

You're killing me Göte! This is a family site and you're posting such great adult straight lines! Frosty The Lucky.

Make it long enough to reach the back wall and install a ledger to rest on. If the closet isn't deep enough see the suggestion about putting a turn in the hook so it hangs at an angle. Of course folding the cloth is out. right? Frosty The Lucky.

I didn't read the article, does it say where the torsion occurs? 5"x10" is rectagular tubing and judging by the pics I'd guess it's wracking sideways if it's moving. It's what you get for not gusseting frames where the force is applied on pivot points. That's just a quick look guess mind you and I'm wrong often enough. Frosty The Lucky.

How are you deburring? The last pic is looking close. You are lighting it in the forge yes? Post a pic of the flame one in the door one from the side so I can see what the dragon's breath looks like. Frosty The Lucky. If you're actually putting the refractory in the T you're going to need to wear the dunce cap Mr. McNeil. I need a pic, I'm not seeing what you mean in my dented up head's view screen. Some I get, some is just . . .weird looking. Frosty The Lucky.