Wagon toungue Vise $30

6" vise..$80

#140 pound Trenton farriers anvil..FREE

4" vise in the background..FREE

Champion blower and stand $50

This old 75# anvil from long ago..FREE

sorry double post

I got this 400 Lb Hay Budden for $680 I would have paid more but it was all i had.

Two blowers with awesome cast-iron stands and a 4" post vise. Combined with the 2 hours of driving, at over $3/gal for gas, to pick them up, and I still came in well under three bills for the whole kit and kaboodle!

Best deal I've ever gotten, even if the one blower is rust-welded solid.


Now, if I could just find that big Fisher anvil I've been dreaming about.........

I got this 400 Lb Hay Budden for $680 I would have paid more but it was all i had.

:D

Here is a far from complete list without pics due to computer issues. Some pics have been posted to other previous threads.

Anvils purchased between 1980-2010 or so, by either my Dad, or myself.

306# Sodefors-$200 machine shop auction
260# Fisher-$250 from a sale in Lincoln CA
170# HB - $175 Las Vegas Craigslist (we thoiught it was 175# an settled on $1 a pound)
150# Vulcan-$50 high school shop sell off in Vallejo CA
125# JHM Journeyman - Las Vegas Craigslist ,in with a deal that included a single burner gas forge, folding anvil stand w/spring vise, a tool box of horseshoe blanks, tool box of hoof repair epoxy, and a final tool box of farrier tools for $250.
50# old no name-$60 Las Vegas Craigslist. Got this to go with my old mini forge.

Post vises have run free,$5-$50
Blowers $20-$50
Forges (coal) w/blowers $20?-$125 IIRC
Hardies, tongs, and struck tools I paid $3-$5 each at automotive swap meets.

My last big purchase was a Craigslist find for an estate sale a couple of years ago which includes some of the previous items listed.

2 large coal forges-Buffalo w/sheet steel pan, and hood, and a larger cast iron one (possible Champ w/Lansacter blower), really nice 170# HB anvil, 5 gal bucket full of hardies, and struck tools, and a 5 gal bucket full of tongs, 1/4 barrel of coal, couple of stumps for anvils, a Hobart 14" Buffalo chopper w/meat grinder, and stainless rolling cart ($100 SCORE!), couple Dutch ovens w/tripods, some hammers.and more that I can't remember at this time, but $800 for the lot that filled my Dodge's bed.

Since this is a smithing related thread I won't add things like the Dumore model 57 tool post grinder w/attachments I found at a garage sale for $30, the AAR Cuda 4 spd w/ pistol grip shifter for $140, the mint 20ga pump for $30, minty Sunbeam CG-1 Waffle iron for $5, the.............................

My house is filled with great deals because I rarely buy new. I cruise CL, thrift stores,classifieds, I lived at auctions; military DRMO, machine shop, storage unit, hit gararge sales every Fri,Sat,Sun with my friend, fleamarkets on the Sundays we were not at an automotive swapmeet, and every gun show within a 100 mile radius of home.For me these were trasure hunts, ways to sell previous scores, and most importantly for me-social events. Then E-Pay hit the scene. Prices of some items skyrocketed (good for sellers, bad for buyers), some items got crazy stupid prices due to auction frenzy. I got tired of hearing "I can get $$$ for it on Ebay." My response was , "Then why aren't you selling it on there then?". I have had to lay off my treasure hunting some, as the scores were coming in faster than I was selling others off. Concentrating on selling for now to pay for a busines I want to start.

I added the above just to point out to the folks who lament that the good deals are gone. No they are not. To get them you have to work to find them, rarely do they find you.

My daughter asked me to go for a bicycle ride with her yesterday. She let me stop on a whim at a yard sale (the DG frowns on me doing that - I find things to use.)

Anyways, CDN$5 for a fair condition 17th edition of Machinery's handbook.

Not quite as good as most of the stuff that was posted here, but picked up a 1985 KFF bench mounted drill press and a 40lb or so bench vice.

Both- $0

Good enough for me. :D

Hope this link works

http://www.iforgeiro...t-cl-find-ever/

Just about a year ago I got this deal. $50 for a forge table w/ firepot, blower and a second post vise.

My wife picked up an unused copy of the 23rd edition of Machinerys Handbook at the library de-accession store. Nobody had checked it out so they sold it off for US$5

I got this Lancaster swage block about 20 years ago when the foreman at the heavy duty shop gave me a call and said, I'm pretty sure this is some kind of blacksmithing tool and I'm tired of it taking up room on the table, come and get it or it's going in the scrap bin.

I think it's my best deal so far.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thats a sweet swage block Frosty and you sure cant beat free!