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I Forge Iron

Designing and making my own anvil


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I have always wanted to try my hand at blacksmithing and as it is a new year it seems like a good a time as any to start.

However, I have run into a bit of an issue: the lack of anything resembling an anvil. A bit of googling and quick trip to ebay and I know I CAN get an anvil but they are either very large and over the top for what I have in mind or small and intended for jewelry. So a little more googling and it seems that a lot of people recommend fork lift tines as a good anvil substitute and relativity cheap as well.

I am in the process of doodling designs for the anvil itself and the anvil mount and I have a few questions:

1: Will the fork lift tines need heat treating in any way to ensure that they have the right surface (hard, tough and produces a ringing noise when struck)?
2: What is the best way to mount an anvil? Onto a large, heavy block of wood, or would it be possible just to place it onto a sturdy table or workbench?

I will almost certainly have more questions but I will try an be clear and to the point. And thanks for the help.

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Well you can take a sledge hammer and hammer on your table or bench for a couple of hours and see how it does for *Blacksmithing*. (Generally just the shaking of the bench causes annoyance as all the stuff on it rattles around and off onto the floor. The height is usually wrong for use too..)

If you don't change the temper of the fork lift tine then you don't need to worry about it.

Note that mounting it vertically so that the mass is directly under the face is a big help for *Blacksmithing*.

Note that the ring has NOTHING to do on if it's a good anvil or not. Fishers are a great anvil and have NO RING which has saved the hearing of many a smith in their time.

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A bit of googling and quick trip to ebay and I know I CAN get an anvil but they are either very large ...



Outsider, terrible sorry to disappoint you but there is no such thing as "very large" for an anvil...



2: What is the best way to mount an anvil? Onto a large, heavy block of wood, or would it be possible just to place it onto a sturdy table or workbench?




You can either use a "heavy block of wood" or a "sturdy table or workbench" know as an anvil stand. As an example, take a look at images of the Hofi anvil in the net, he sells his anvils together with a special built stand.
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If you live near London you are not alone. Google BABA (British Artists Blacksmith Association) . Contact them and find someone to talk to or a group to join. You will never regret having done so.

It would be nice if one of our members from UK could be contacted. Having the opportunity to see a shop and talk to someone local would be the best way to get a kick start. Truth is you can use something as simple as a sledge hammer head to forge small things on, but you can't forge anything without a fire.

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I did consider using a sledge hammer head, but I plan on doing some reasonably sized projects and there is nothing wrong with looking around for the available options before making a decision, is there?

As for the forge, I am currently sourcing parts for a coal forge made from a wheel hub and an old hair drier. I am a currently unemployed student, so I'll be doing this on a shoe string budget. But that just seems to add to the fun. Or is that just me?

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I did consider using a sledge hammer head, but I plan on doing some reasonably sized projects and there is nothing wrong with looking around for the available options before making a decision, is there? As for the forge, I am currently sourcing parts for a coal forge made from a wheel hub and an old hair drier. I am a currently unemployed student, so I'll be doing this on a shoe string budget. But that just seems to add to the fun. Or is that just me?


Yes but after you mess around with less than good equipment for a wile, you will come to the same conclusion that most of us have. That there is nothing like the real thing. A forge that will get good and hot and an anvil that will not move around when hammered on. If you have those things you will work with much less frustration and make progress faster. At this stage in the game you don't even know what you don't know.
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I did consider using a sledge hammer head, but I plan on doing some reasonably sized projects and there is nothing wrong with looking around for the available options before making a decision, is there?

As for the forge, I am currently sourcing parts for a coal forge made from a wheel hub and an old hair drier. I am a currently unemployed student, so I'll be doing this on a shoe string budget. But that just seems to add to the fun. Or is that just me?



Nothing wrong at all with trying to figure things out . That is what we all do. You will find only encouragement here. My point was get a fire and get started with what you have as soon as you can. Once started your kit will come. Fork lift tines are especially good if you have access to one, but you can make do with a lot less to get started if you don't. It doesn't hurt to start with a couple of smaller projects, just to get the feel of things, before going on to the larger forging projects that you really want to do . The exercise could offer insights as to what you really need.

Friends with shared interests are important resource. Networking is a one of the best ways to find equipment. Where money is short, barter between friends can be an important resource. Start forging and get connected, and the rest will come. You might even run into a smith who is cleaning out his shop - one mans trash is another's treasure.

Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with your plan to build a brake drum fprge, before you commit, you should have a look at Glenn's 55 Drum Forge Blueprints. The link is pinned at the beginning of the the solid fuel forge section . Infact cruse the blueprint section for lots of good stuff. Let us know what you find.
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