Marcus Hopfinger Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 A while back I mentioned to a good friend of mine that I was looking for some blacksmithing equipment. He is a veterinarian so I figured he would know all the farmers and may know of someone wanting to part with some unused items. I told him what I was looking for and when I described a leg vise he mentioned that he has one he bought a couple years ago for $15 and I can have it for the same $15 investment. We wandered over to his barn and he rummages around in a pile of stuff and pulls out exactly what I was looking for. The jaws open and close but it turns a little hard. I am hoping that a good cleaning accompanied by a dose of WD-40 will have the screw turning more easily. The jaws seem to be in pretty good alignment but if anyone has any suggestions on how to fine tune them I would appreciate it. I also mentioned my hunt for equipment to my father-in-law who is a retired farmer. He said he thought there was an old forge back in his tree belt. A few weeks later he called, a bit excited, to tell my wife that he had got the forge out of the trees and he thought there might be an anvil there too….at least it was a “square metal thing” sticking out of the ground. Last weekend we went up to the farm and he showed me the forge. The mosquitoes were bad so other than taking a few pictures I didn’t give it a thorough inspection; that will have to wait until I get it home and into the shop where I can work on it. It will need a lot of work. Three of the legs need some serious attention, the pipe on the original legs is seamed but I am thinking of just using black pipe to extend the legs for now and work on getting back to “original” condition later. The fire pot is showing some rust…not sure how extensive…and the tuyere looks to be missing as well. The drive wheel for the blower doesn’t turn by hand, hoping that I can get that disassembled and freed up, and I am not sure about the blower itself….looks good from the outside but need to get it apart and cleaned up as well. This definitely will be a bit of a longer term project I am thinking. Is anyone familiar with this type of forge or the manufacture? I would be interested in more information. The square metal thing he was talking about was only loosely in the ground so I got a shovel and dug it out. It isn’t a traditional anvil but he tells me they used to slide it over a fence post and use it to bend/straighten stuff. It is heavy but hollow. I am not exactly sure what it is but the open end isn’t squared off so I am thinking it is broken off of some heavy duty machinery. Any guesses, educated or otherwise, are welcome. Finally the most important addition around the house; my new daughter. Elyse was born July 29, 2010. Her big brother Isaac (15) and big sister Adele (2 ½) are happy to have her. Adele really loves her little sister and is very helpful, sometimes tries to be too helpful. Isaac has been a big help around the house as well. My wife is a photographer and the day we got back from the hospital had to get Elyse into the studio we built in the basement to get some shots taken. Sorry for the book, just excited to share my new additions with the IFI family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmeineke Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Congratulations on the new baby! The other stuff is cool too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't tread on me Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 congratulations and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Life is Good!...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Treasure all around, you are well blessed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKindy Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Congratulations all the goodies. Especially the Daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John NC Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Good stuff. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Great finds, what stump was the baby under? Better go back and see if there are any more of them, they take awhile to sprout up you know :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Great find in the woods. Much the same way as I got started. Beautiful kids, God bless you and your family! Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Chambers Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Nice find! Hunting for a blower myself hope I have the same luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 You might want to soak that vise in ordinary household vinegar for about 2 days. That and a little wire-brushing will remove nearly all the rust and then a bit of grease and some wd-40 and you'll likely be clamping smoothly. Clean up the edges a bit with a flap wheel and see how the jaw fit is... if you want to tighten it a little I think I'd just grind the high spots back a little bit on the faces. The fit is not very critical, most of what you'll clamp in it is hefty chunks that do not challenge the perfection of the jaw faces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironstein Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Check that forge blower for wasp nests. Those seem to attract critters to make a home in them. Good bunch of stuff there, hope it all works for ya. Nice looking family too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Shimanek Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Nice haul and cute baby! You are a rich man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Hopfinger Posted August 24, 2010 Author Share Posted August 24, 2010 Thank you all for the kind words. I figure the vise and forge both will require many gallons of vinegar and generous application of WD-40 and oil accompanied by much wire brushing. I will also have to give the blower on the forge a dose of wasp killer as well....just to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 At some point it may become cost effective to get a plastic trash can and fill with water and a couple of gallons of muriatic acid sold as brick cleaner at hardware stores---you can dilute it way down and have a slow de-ruster but cheaper than 20 gallons of vinegar. As always RINSE THOROUGHLY afterwards and oil *immediately* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 At some point it may become cost effective to get a plastic trash can and fill with water and a couple of gallons of muriatic acid sold as brick cleaner at hardware stores---you can dilute it way down and have a slow de-ruster but cheaper than 20 gallons of vinegar. As always RINSE THOROUGHLY afterwards and oil *immediately* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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