Hello from Delaware

[CMS3900]

Hey I Forge Iron. I am Morgan from Townsend, Delaware and I am a Machinist/Blacksmith. 

I got back into blacksmithing about  a year and a half ago. I am 32, and I had previously done some blacksmithy in high school.

I am interested in anything I can learn, but mainly bladesmithing, Flintlock gunsmithing, silversmithing, armor making, casting and bloomery, tool making, power hammers , and solid technique.

I purchased a 150lb Bradley and a 100lb Little Giant last year, and am in the process of restoring both of them.

I am a member of the Blacksmith's Guild of Central Maryland, ABANA, and hopefully the Mid-Atlantic Smiths Association soon.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Morgan, glad to have you. Those are a couple work horse power hammers you got there. You're going to need to develop your skills sets to a level of proficiency before you'll be getting much serious use from them. Oh sure you'll be using them but nowhere near their potential for a while. What other kit is in your scope?

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

Hey Frosty, Thanks for the reply.

It will take some time to learn how to use them to their potential for sure. I also plan on putting them on VFD's and slowing them down a bit until my proficiency increases.

As far as equipment I have scrounged together for blacksmithing I made a vertical and horizontal propane forge last year which I am considering changing and putting ribbon burners in, I have a Fisher anvil (150#ish?), a 400 lb anvil that is broke at the heel that I am told is a hay budden and I plan on fixing, a caulking vise that's missing the foot lever, and a unknown make post vise. I also made a whitlock-esq coal forge and have yet to hook my buffalo forge crank blower to it. Next equipment goals are a press and a ironworker.

On the Machine Shop side we (my father and I) have 2 CNC mills, 2 manual mills, 1 CNC lathe, 1 small engine lathe, 1 medium sized engine lathe, two second op lathes, 3" horizontal boring mill, and a mess of other stuff. 

[Frosty]

Wanting to put speed controls on old mechanical power hammers is a common mistake new guys want to make. They  have clutches to control the hammer speed controls aren't worth the effort if they don't just screw up it's operation. Learning to control speed and power

Post a couple pics of the broken anvil, repairing it is more likely going to damage it than "fix" it. No name post vises is the norm, even if you have the mounting plate there's a good chance it's from a different vise. I'd definitely get the calking vise working those are darned handy tools.

The closest thing to automatic controls were the feed levers, heck I was the only kid in jr. high metal shop who didn't need learn to read vernier calipers. Dial indicators were for sissies!

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

I understand what your saying Frosty, and if slowing them down a bit interferes with operation then I will turn them back up. The VFD's will give me two other important features, being able to run the machine at low speed after the rebuild to make sure everything is moving the right way, and help with motor starting. We run all of our equipment off a rotary phase convertor, and the soft start in the VFD really helps.

I think the LG would be affected the most since it needs the speed to develop the force. I had read a couple places to make the drive pulley 4 inches instead of the LG recommended 3.5 so I guess I will wait and see how that works out too.

Here's two pictures of the anvil. I plan on facing broke end square with my horizontal mill and then making a piece to be welded on, out of a decent alloy.  Then once I am done I can true everything up, and mill the profile for the hardy. Eventually I would like to get a double horn, and sell this anvil, so knowing if it is going to hurt or help to fix it is good info.

Also included is a pic of the hammers from a a month ago. I have move some stuff around since then, and the LG is almost back together. I have yet to set either hammer on wood yet.

Thanks,

Morgan

 

[Frosty]

Changing pully size 1/2" isn't the same as putting an electronic speed control on it. I have a #50 LG with a pully about 1/2" too small and one of the guys in the club has one with the "correct" size one. Mine is pretty easy to use but doesn't hit nearly so hard. Standing at the treadle though I can ease up and slow his to a bare tap but no matter how hard I stand on mine it only hits so hard. It's not a huge difference but noticeable.

Putting mine on the 4"x12" timbers made a huge difference for comfortable use, I wish I'd used 6"x12" timbers, another 2" would be sweet. I also have mine pinned to gozinta in the shop floor, she still rocks but she don't walk.

A Hay Bud has a wrought iron body with a HC steel face. Welding WI isn't like welding mild or HC steel. I highly recommend you find someone who has actually done that kind of welding on WI before you try. More anvils have been ruined by experienced professional welders and machinists that "repaired." You should at the minimum use it a couple years before you mess with it. If you want a pristine show piece anvil cast iron Chinese anvils paint up nicely.

I'm not trying to be negative, I come from a machinist background and this is NOT a machinist vs. blacksmith topic. Honest, repairing anvils isn't a straight forward project, there is a LOT involved to do it right. Are you in a hurry? It's your anvil though.

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

Thanks for the reply again Frosty,

I had read from different sources that the 4" pulley would be a bit noticeable. I am hoping I can tune mine in to being able to have control like that.

I plan on using 8 inch timber, after seeing and talking to other guys it seems the right height for me, 6 foot tall, where I am not bending over too much.

I get what your saying about the welding Frosty, and no offense is taken. I have a decent amount of welding knowledge but my father has what I consider a exceptional knowledge of welding different alloys as well as techniques. We do a ton of cast iron repairs in our shop, using several methods; and while not similar to WI it looks like it takes a similar level of technique. I am not in a rush, and I love to research, and don't have a issue with buying the right materials to do the job right. I probably will use it for a while before messing with it, but it would be nice to know if its even worth messing with.

For my fisher, it had some beaten sides and I took the time to preheat the whole anvil, weld, peen, grind, and post heat, following a amalgamation of information found on the net, from ABANA sources to forums and local chapters. I am really happy with it so far, and haven't had a single issue.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have some good local people I talk to, but I joined IFI to expand my circle and learn as much as I can.

 

-Morgan

 

[Frosty]

Morgan: Wrought and cast irons are entirely different metals, about the only commonality being iron. Virtually no carbon in wrought but there is a considerable % of silica.

What method did you use on the Fisher, Rob Gunther's?

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

Hey Frosty, I had said it was different, I only meant that a similar amount of skill is required. To weld cast right, you need to have a bit of knowledge. To weld WI you need to have a bit of knowledge. I don't mind doing a bit of reading and practice to gain that knowledge.

I used Rob Gunther's method, with 7018 at 400 degrees, with a hammer and needle scaler peen and then grind and polish after post heat. The issues with the Fisher were not deep, or extensive, but enough that I felt they needed to be attended too.

[Frosty]

Sorry if I was sounding pushy I get jumpy when people start talking about "restoring" anvils. I would've used steel on stone hard facing rod, I don't remember the Stoody rod called for in Rob's how to. I don't have Stoody available within 50 miles so I used an equivalent the few times I've welded on an anvils face. I tried REALLY  hard to convince the kid his anvil didn't need it but the kid was going to do it himself anyway so I did it for him.

I can't tell you how nervous welding on a 200lb. Peter Wright that only had moderate edge damage made me. I would've been happy happy happy to radius the edges for him instead I would've bought the wheels. It came out really nice though and didn't lose any rebound but it really made the one delaminated corner really stand out.

Frosty The Lucky.

[CMS3900]

I get it, its a touchy subject for a lot of folks, and it's hard to know what someone does or does not know over the internet, and what equipment they have.  The fisher turned out well, lost no rebound that I can tell, and wasn't delaminted or anything before or after.

[ThomasPowers]

I've personally seen anvils ruined by "expert" machinists and weldors; who, while expert in their crafts, were clueless about anvils.  As such visible repairs to an anvil generally lower it's value substantially as people have no idea if it was repaired by an expert anvil repairer or was botched by someone else.  (When talking to machinists I explain that milling the face of an anvil is equivalent to pounding nails flat on the ways of their machine tools with a 4# hammer.)

[Anachronist58]

Ouch Thomas!

Robert Taylor