Moving To A Better Anvil - Advice Appreciated

[LibrariaNPC]

Once I get through the classes I've signed up for and my wife finishes her conference this summer, I'll be back on the job market, so who knows where that will take me! Hopefully somewhere I can set up a proper smithy and start making things more often, without worrying about my anvil growing legs and walking off every night!

[DSW]

 since I work for the township,

 

 

In what capacity? Our topwnship often has all sorts of stuff used that might be useful to a new smith. Often there are all sorts of misc steel scrap at our public works building. Backhoe teeth, old storm inlet grates ( great for an OA cutting table), assorted truck parts ( brake drums/disks, rims...), cutting edges off plows or buckets... Ours also takes in old 20 lb propane cylinders  since the trash guys won't take them.  I don't think I've ever purchased a new propane cylinder other than what came with my original grill. I probably have 5 or 6 now. Even  if they are pretty cruddy, they usually work fine for a swap. Most placesd don't care what the cylinder looks like as long as you have one to exchange. I've got a friend who works at the maintenance building keeping an eye out for a 40 lb or larger one that gets turned in. The township has a 1/2 dozen 100 lb ones, but they haven't choosen to get rid of them yet even though they never use them any longer. I've managed to get a few 20 lb'res with the old style valves that work better for heating and high gas volume applications. I just mark them for heating and cutting and my local staition will fill them even with the old valves.

 

You also never know what the township guys spot during the day driving around. The cop who gave me my anvil managed to find a nice self propelled 2 stage snow blower a few years back some one was putting out for trash day. He stoped and asked the home owner what was wrong with it and if he was trashing it if he could have it. Home owner simply said it stopped running and they noiw has a lawn service do the snow removal and he could have it if he wanted. So he gets on his phone and asks one of the road crew guys if they'd mind swinging over and put it in the back of their truck and drop it at maintenance building for him. They said no problem. Turns out alkl that was wrong with it was it was out of gas... It fired right up on the 1st pull when he filled it up that night.  While I doubt an anvil will show up, you never know what goodies get tossed, especially if people move.

[LibrariaNPC]

I work in their library, which puts me at an odd line between "township" and "library" employee. I just know I get a lot of scrutiny of "you work for the township, you should know better," so I try not to toe the line more than I have to.

 

I haven't had a chance to talk to the guys in our public works building too much beyond one of the office people, and I have a few contacts in the building department that have gone silent, or else I would have been hitting them up a bit more often.

 

I'll keep it in mind if I can make those contacts again, so thank you!

[Frosty]

If your township has a road maintenance department ask one of the guys in the equipment repair shop. You might have to make someone something to get access to the scrap bin but it might not take more than a box of donuts either.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Sluicebox]

Seems to me that you are quite a bit further ahead than you think you are. You have contacts in the Racing Circuit... Race car axles for tool making. You have contacts in the RR industry... Tooling dies from track. You have a gift of being able to talk to others, rare anymore as most live on their phones. Your new anvil will enter your life sooner than you think if you keep this up. Then your next steps will be easier. I'm too new to be right about much, but I'm right about this. Best of luck to you.