Pine2play Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 This looks like a great site with friendly people so I thought I would sign up and say hello. I am in the Payson area and new to pounding iron. However, I have been a metal cutter and welder for years. Have put together a good shop with welders,milling machine, lathe, drill press, etc. But to date--I'm still looking for my 1st anvil. They sure are hard to come by, seems like a lot of folks around here must be getting into the hobby/trade. I have become disabled/retired so have lots of time to work in the shop or travel, but must limit the time on my feet to short sessions and only on "good" days, so my progress on projects is very slow. I am very interested in bladesmithing and have recently completed my first hunting knife and have a couple more in the works. I need further education on blacksmith techniques and looking forward to hearing from you pros. Maybe if there is someone in North AZ who wouldn't mind giving a lesson or having someone looking over their shoulder, I'd like to hear from them. So again, nice to be here and looking forward to talking with some of you. Pine2play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Welcome Pine. there are several knifemakers and blacksmiths in the Phoenix area and one in Bullhead City that frequent this site. You can usually catch them in the chat room in the evenings. They may be able to help you in your search for an anvil. There is a guy in Skull Valley that has anvils for sale on ebay from time to time but he wants a princely price for them. Used to be an antique shop in Show Low that had a lot of old blacksmith stuff there but it's been years since I been by there. Anyway welcome aboard. Woody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Welcome from E. Nebraska Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 There is a fellow from UK that went to work manufacturing wood working tools. They put the fellow doing the grinding in a chair with one foor (leg) on either side of a rather large grinding wheel. Scared him to near death till he moved up to that station. He then found that the chair provided better control for grinding and he could work much longer sitting down than standing. To get around the standing problem, set up a chair at a comfortable height that you can swivel from forge to anvil. Another idea is to set up a brace of sorts to lean back against. Or to semi-set semi-lean against. When at a bench, use a chair. There is a photo somewhere on the site showing this type system. (I remember the photo, but not the location) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine2play Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Good tips for me--yes I do need to sit while I work due to 2 trashed knees that they cannot seem to fix and say I am too young for replacements (51). Also a couple of blown discs in lumbar region. Anyway, I did complete building a propane forge made from an old fire extinguisher. Good size for blades and small projects. I did anneal a knife blade that I am making from a large industrial hacksaw blade. Maybe I will post a pic of my little forge. Still looking for a real anvil too. RR rail willhave to do in the meantime. Seems like a lot of nice people on the site here. Hope to talk with some of you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan DuBoff Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 This looks like a great site with friendly people so I thought I would sign up and say hello. I am in the Payson area and new to pounding iron.Welcome Pine, I'm new to pounding iron also, but the folks here have been patient and helpful as I try to build a small smithy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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