teenylittlemetalguy Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 A trip to Frosty's is always fun. And a great place to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Frosty is a great guy and I'm glad I know him. If I could I would be at his place right now hammering and talking about blacksmithing. He is a wealth of knowledge and I want his shop. Really, like bad. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perato Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thank you Frosty, I would appreciate that as well. I am really anxious and motivated to learn this new craft. Oh and teenylittlemetalguy, I still need to call you, I was so busy today I forgot but I'll give you a call tomorrow if thats good with you. Today I took a trip back to the farthest point on Fort Richardson and I found some railroad spikes, plates, huge bolts, and some railroad rail. The railroad rail piece I found is two rails bolted end to end which makes it way heavier and thicker. I can definitely feel the difference when I hit it with a hammer. I am going to mount the rail to a railroad tie using the railroad plates and railroad spikes. I also found a solid steel round that I could weld to the end of the rail to act as a horn. I was also thinking of welding a 2" thick by 4.5" 12" long piece of forklift tine to the top of the railroad rail. Altogether that would give me at least over 100 pounds of steel under the working surface. I also chopped up an old '88 F-150 and Im going to be saving all the good steel (leafsprings, coilsprings, sway bars, etc.) from that but Ill probably sell parts and with that money buy a torch and make myself a little gas forge. I'll also use the drum brake from the truck to build a coal forge using black iron pipe and either an electric leaf blower with a gate or a blow dryer. Other then that, just slowing start acquiring hammers, tongs, and blacksmithing tools as I can. I'll keep you guys updated as I move along. Here is the pic of the railroad railhttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y197/Perato/photo13.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 That looks like it will work fine. I can help you set up a gas forge using frosty's burner design. Or I am sure he can show you the basics if you head out there. I have built many of his burners for under $20 a piece. Insulating blocks are cheap. the biggest expense is the regulator. I use my little gas forge about 90% of the time. Saves a lot of fuel over running the big gas forge. call me any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 dont forget to pull the axle shafts as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfstudio Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 try going to a train yard for a piece of railroad track or a scrap yard for a chunk of a fork lift fork Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasans Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 I see that this post is a few years old but I thought it would be worthwhile to let everyone know that you can purchase anvils in Alaska. C & R Pipe and Steel up in Fairbanks, AK does stock Cliff Carroll anvils. And they are all reasonable in pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Welcome aboard sasans, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many IFI members live within visiting distance. I've never understood why folks in the interior have so much better access to things like smithing tools and supplies. Coal in Anchorage? HAH! Anvils if you like cast iron ASOs. Occasionally there's an exception but it's rare. Does C&R offer a selection of weights? Can you still buy smithing coal locally? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovan Young Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 I just emailed CR Pipe. Here is what they stock. They're Cliff Carroll Anvils, so pretty nice ones. 35 lbs- $205 70 lbs-$385 125 lbs-$650 (Just a few of this size in stock at the moment) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Thank you Donovan, why don't you post the into to the club FB page and get a little cred? I will later if it doesn't show up before long. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Great info Donovan! You should post this on the group. Sasans, thanks for pointing that out! -Tristan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navywife123 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 My husband and son are also having very bad luck in finding a anvil. I know this is a old message thread but I am gonna to try and ask for help also. If anyone knows of a company that ships anvils. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navywife123 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 On 8/10/2020 at 2:19 PM, sasans said: I see that this post is a few years old but I thought it would be worthwhile to let everyone know that you can purchase anvils in Alaska. C & R Pipe and Steel up in Fairbanks, AK does stock Cliff Carroll anvils. And they are all reasonable in pricing. Thank you I just saw your post I will be checking it out!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 A collection of improvised anvils this should give you some ideas for things that can be used. It does not have to look like an anvil to work as an anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navywife123 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Thank you I will share the info with my husband and son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
localsmith Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Why not just use a big block of mild steel? Mild steel (low carbon steel) was used for anvils for thousands of years and works just fine. A harder anvil will give more rebound but will still be prone to denting and chipping. I've thought about getting an anvil with a hard face but from a cost perspective it does not make much sense. As long as you don't miss with a mild steel anvil it won't dent and they surely won't chip on you. Any piece of heavy steel you hammer on is an anvil. The thing that comes to mind when we hear the word anvil has only been around for 200 or so odd years and is not the best anvil design for every type of forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Also: Nimba, Holland, Rathole, etc. ship to AK. I don't suppose you'll be too surprised at what shipping a couple hundred lbs to AK will cost. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foundryguy Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 We shipped a 260 lb Holland Anvil from Michigan to your Ak for $300, Cali is a bigger challenge for us. Many freight companies do not want to deal with the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 That isn't bad at all. Shipping to AK fro Cal. is prohibitive in the extreme even if it's an extra suitcase. I'm hoping the Navywife is following the thread. Thanks Foundryguy. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 I always heard that Alaska was so cold that a chunk of properly shaped ice would work as an anvil. And because of the cold, you just needed to work really fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 You can work with glacial slowness with a big enough ice hammer. <Sheesh, outsiders can't get anything right> Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 The high country of Colorado isn't Alaska, but we can break off frozen flames at the end of the day, save 'em in the icebox, and use 'em to start next mornings fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 I've heard things like that about you guys. Here we use the shop freezer to keep coal & charcoal warm enough to burn. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Pikers! Down here we put the stock into the forge to cool it down after it's been laying in the summer sun! Frosty; how much longer before you can break up the propane into chunks and use it in a solid fuel forge? (Still sleeping with a fan in our bedroom window as of last night!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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