BIGGUNDOCTOR

If I remember right Purple K is used for flammable metals-magnesium etc. Dad talked about using them while he was in the Air Force.

First thing you need to do is talk with your building department. When my Dad,and I wanted to put up a shop we wanted a 10' ceiling, building dept said nope, and the peak could not be higher than the house which was 14'6". The shop had to be of similar construction as the house, yada, yada, yada. We ended up with a nice 24'x30' shop space, but it wasn't what we wanted originally. If I was building a shop now with any type of building style, I would look at rammed earth, straw bale, or earth berm construction. I am looking into a subterranean shop on my property here in the desert to beat the heat. With the ones I mentioned you get low maintenance, outstanding thermal efficiency, spectacular sound deadening for neighbors, pretty much fireproof with shotcreted walls, and a very sturdy building. Rammed earth utilizes old tires (free) with packed dirt in them (free), just a bit labor intensive with the ramming operation, but the results are worth it. I want to put my whole house underground, as well as the shop due to every year having a solid 3 months of 100+ degree days/nights. My current basement is nice year round. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

HMMMMM, you smiths in OZ need to contact your interior dept. and tell them you will clean up all of the charcoal, um I mean unsightly charred wood from the last big fire down there ;)

I would have snagged the drum for some artsy projects. What was wrong with the dryer? I have snapped up some fairly valuable items being tossed at work, because it was "too much hassle to try and sell it".

I don't believe that there is a cut, and dried answer for you. Anvils are like cars, and trucks. Some are better suited for certain applications. Depending on what type of smithing you want to do will determine what anvil you should look at. A knife maker really doesn't need a 400# anvil, same as a large sculptural smith wouldn't have much need for a 80# farrier's anvil with cams. I have never used a double horn anvil, but I can see where it could be a useful design. Hey BlackSmithBear, as to earplugs helping my tinnitus. They help it from the standpoint of not getting worse, not quieting it down as I hear it. Once you have ringing it is permanent, with no cure as of yet. There is some research using chicken genes, because they can regenerate the damaged cilia in their ears. When I worked at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. we had to have annual hearing tests. I wish I knew years ago what I know now about hearing loss. The foam earplugs I wear now have a NRR of 33. Sound can also be transmitted through the skull, so in some circumstances it takes plugs, and muffs to do the job. If it is an area with 120dB, using 30NRR plugs will drop it down to 90dB which is still high for extended time periods. An easy way to determine if you need protection is if someone has to raise their voice so you can hear them from 2' away. Since I have moved here, and frequent Las Vegas, my tinnitus has gotten worse. I now carry foam plugs with me at all times, and have used them in bars, clubs, parties, and other events. Listening to this constant tone in my head can be very disturbing at times :blink:

China is buying our scrap as fast as we can get it to the docks. Same reason cement went so high. China was buying 60% of our cement production for the 3 rivers dam, as well as other projects. Supply, and demand. They need steel for all of their projects. I used to get 65 cents a pound for copper scrap. The last run I did for the company I work for, we got $3.20 a pound. Their demand makes it great when we turn our scrap in $$, but it also makes the new material $$$$.

It appears to be a complete Blacker Power hammer. The hammer is just over the center of the anvil, and has a nameplate, plus the anvil is marked blacker power hammer co. Look at the video, then look at the anvil in the pic, you can see the hammer better.

Hey Harold, welcome to IFI. The first thing that you need to do to get better help is to put your location on your profile like I did. Sometimes there is someone just down the road that can help you out, and no sense telling you about an anvil that is across the country from you. Start searching the forums, as a lot of your questions may have already been discussed. With over 14,000 members there have been a lot of newbies over the years. Again, welcome aboard.

I haven't heard of replacing them, but getting them serviced regularly. The shaking is to get the ammonium nitrate that is used in most dry chemical extinguishers loosened up,as it will pack down over time. If you can find one of the old Halon extinguishers, they are the best. As long as there is liquid in the tank, it will squirt. No longer made due to EPA, and CFC's, so they are expensive to get refilled. Unlike other extinguishers even if you just used a quick shot, all you have to do is replace the pin, and put it away. I find it funny that it caught coal on fire in a truck Who else, but a smith?

Don't just look at ads, get asking around. You would be surprised what can show up when people know you are looking for.

There is already a lot of thread on making anvils from various scrap. It is a valid option. The community college I went to had patterns for making an anvil out of thick plate. We had a bit of 1", 1.5", and 2" plate, so all you did was put the plate on the burn table, and use the pattern torch to cut the various pieces. Then it was off to the welding bench to stack, and weld. We were running .0625" Innershield, so it didn't take that long to buzz one up when you are laying beads down as big as you thumb. The top was a chunk of dozer blade, or whatever you could scrounge up. Price, 10 cents a pound for the metal, and the wire/rod was included in the class tuition I have among my anvils a 125# JHM Journeyman that I got from a farrier. Has more of a smithing profile than some do. It also has the turning cams on the back which could come in handy at times. Doesn't seem to be a bad unit. As soon as i get a stump cut I will be putting the 260# Fisher back to use, much quieter. My tinnitus is bad enough I wear ear plugs constantly now.

Similar to what I have been building the past couple of weekends. Someones scrap into a usable item. My smithy is up to 1,980 gallons, and counting. I needed some kind of a windbreak for my forge area, which is just a clear spot on my property. Since I am on the side of the mesa there isn't much to stop the wind which can reach 40-50mph at times. Where I live trees are somewhat of a luxury, and wood doesn't hold up very well, so I wanted something that was durable as well as inexpensive. The shop I work for recently relocated to a smaller facility, and was dumping a lot of surplus goods. One of the items being let go were 40+ 55 gallon drums that we had used for storing chips before spinning them. A 55 gallon drum is approx 2'x3'. I welded the barrels together, lying them on their side in layers, with 5 on the bottom ,then 4, then another 5, and topped by 4. What I ended up with is a self standing wall that is 8' tall 10' long, and 3' deep. Besides being self standing it also provides 18 storage cubby holes per wall section. I got 2 walls done, and as I get more drums I will do a back wall. I am a firm believer in reduce, reuse, recycle ;)

Check the lower pivot plates first for straightness, perpendicularity, and wallowed holes. All of these, or combination there of, will cause twisted jaws.

I wouldn't call it a fake anvil, as it can be used as such. Maybe a forgery of a forged anvil In any case if ya don't have much into it, it would be fun to experiment with putting a steel plate on top. Is it cast iron, or cast steel?

Dad used Rustoleum on the vise he got 20+ years ago, and it still looks good today. Been outside the whole time we have owned it. If ya don't paint it, and you live in a wet area like I used to, you will be constantly fighting rust. Now that I am here in the dry desert I don't worry about rust, and will just let the others get a natural patina/rust bluing. Never really had any problems with the paint burning anywhere other than the jaw faces, and a little on the top as parts are bent over. I have been thinking of painting some items though, but not for rust prevention, but in a hot rod sort of way. Why shouldn't BS tools be a color other than black? Hmmmmm , maybe pinstripes B)

Christmas- ornaments, cookie cutters, letter/card opener,sleigh/hand bells Valentines day-roses/flowers, heart pins Thanksgiving-napkin rings, ax , Halloween-pumpkin carving set, candle holders for the Jack-O -Lantern Mother's Day-forged jewelery,flowers Father's Day-money clip, belt buckle Veterans/Memorial Day- flag holder, mini flag stands Easter-eggs, rabbit rotisserie , garden/yard decorations St. Patrick's Day- 4 leaf clovers 4th of July- Flag items, stars If the items are not too specific for a holiday they can be used year round. A lot of people don't have much room to store seasonal items, so something that can be left out, or used year round will probably have more appeal. The yard art items could be anything from forged bugs that get set on the ground to items that are on a post that gets stuck in the ground. Simply made with basic materials.

All I can say is, is it what you are looking for, and is it in your budget? If so, then get it. Just check it out first for damage,cracks, loose top plate. As always take CASH with you. Once you are there you can see if he is willing to haggle some. He may be willing to help out a young smith with a better price.

Every time I have answered these ads, and said I would take it at the listed price, I have gotten the item. I have also had people tell me that they had gotten higher offers, but because they had already told me I had it they turned them down. I usually explain to them that I am a long ways out of Vegas, so it will take me a couple of hours to get there. They know I am serious just by the fact that I am driving in to get it. When I see Or Best Offer, Or Nearest Offer that means they will go less than the asking price. The only time I run a price up is at an auction. Let me take that back, I did offer $100 more on a Japanese take down Arisaka once where the buyer didn't have all the money. The dealer (who I knew) just said, sorry I already made the deal. I am glad that he did say that, as I was thinking later how I would feel to have a great deal like that pulled out from under me. Glad he was honorable in his dealings. Anyhow I got to get off to work. <_<

From your title I thought you were looking for me My question to you is, why offer more than they are asking?? CL is not an auction site.

I have done this with an O/A torch. The reason it works is that the tap is a separate piece of material, so the heat transfers slower to the threaded area. If you wait too long the surrounding area will get hot enough to burn too. This method works best when you can heat it, and blow it in the least amount of time. The plasma doesn't need a preheat, but it still needs a short burn time to keep the heat transfer down to a minimum. I have Tig welded a lot of spider cracked material. The cracks show up very distinctly as an area is heated, the material on the other side of the crack is still much colder. I have welded up stainless parts that looked like they only had a crack or two - until it was heated. Then you could see that in fact it was more like six to ten.

Hmmmmmmm. Who am I? I am many things to many people. Some know me by my work, others by my personality, or interests. My Dad fed my mechanical interests by bringing things home from DRMO auctions, and telling me "I want this totally disassembled without breaking anything." We did a lot of things together over the years, and I learned many things from him. I have worked as a machinist, fabricator, shop owner, automotive lift tech, all around plant maintenance mechanic for a candy company, dental metals foundry employee, gunsmith, and a tech for a machine gun dealer. Those jobs have given me a skill base that includes machining, Tig/Mig/Arc welding of SS/Ti/Steel/Aluminum/Magnesium/Cast Iron, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, steam, concrete, investment casting, air compressors, various pumps, piping, electrical controls, induction heating,and a few more. Outside of work I am known by others as somewhat of a Renaissance man due to my wide range of knowledge (gained from not having anything somewhat resembling a social life for many years ), and artistic abilities. I do woodcarving, leatherworking, ceramics, photography, drawing, blacksmithing, lapidary, woodworking, and more. Other interests include all things automotive, rockhounding, fossils, aircraft, shooting, alternative construction, energy efficiency, and alternative energy for starters. Some know me for my cooking abilities, and I have become somewhat of a master-baker after many years of being single Some know me as a guy who loves the outdoors, hiker, backpacker, fisherman, hunter, former Scout Master, or camp counselor. Some know me as a loyal friend, and always ready to lend a hand when needed. I know myself as a frustrated artist, inventor, and stalled entrepreneur. I have an idea of what I want for my future, but not sure how to achieve it. I have several ideas (close to 60 now) for products, and services that I would like to try to bring to market. I would also like to be able to make a living by, or just be able to pursue my artistic endeavors, in a more defined manner. Then there is the overriding fact that I will be 45 in July, and I am still single. This one fact has had me doing more inner searching than anything else.

I am familiar with the Super Sacks from when I worked at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. I have trailers,and a forklift so transportation isn't a problem for me. So it looks like what I need to do now is stop by his place, and see what kind of coal he has.

I located a suppler in St George UT that sells unbagged coal for $6 per 100#, $120 per ton. Haven't made it by his place yet to get a sample, or see if he has the analysis for it. How much space does a ton of coal take up? Does anyone know how many pounds a 55 gallon drum will hold on average? I have plenty of empty drums that I could use to get the coal.

What happens to it if he doesn't sell it? Is he moving it to another location, or does it get scrapped? The reason I ask is I have seen quite a few times where something needed to be moved "in a hurry" and the owner was asking a retail price. What happened many times was the item didn't sell , and it got scrapped/trashed instead for a lot less $$$$. Whereas if the guy had said, "there it is, it's yours" the item would have been saved, and the owner would have saved money by not having to pay to have it hauled off. I have given stuff away if someone could use it, as opposed to making a couple of bucks on scrapping it. I would also point out that I have no clue what this hammer is worth on the open market, but I do realize what it could possibly take in time, material, and $$$ to move it.

Well the Google search I did -Nikon model 6969 repeatedly comes up as the last 4 digits of their phone number. Nikon is a big optics company, so it could be for just about anything. I am leaning towards industrial/commercial applications.