IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Hello! My name is Ian I am from Carroll Ohio, which is SE of Columbus in Fairfield County. I am in my mid thirties. Ive worked in the automotive industry for almost 20 years (started when I was 13 washing cars at a dealership). I've been welding/building things in my free time at home since I tore apart my first truck when I was 15. I taught myself to weld when I was 16. I did attend college for a few years for mechanical engineering, however did not finish. I do play guitar and some piano. I love history, especially interested in local and my own genealogy. I have 2 Allis Chalmers D14s, a '58 and a '60. As well as a few small garden tractors. I have amassed quite a collection of tools, some of which I haven't used yet, but just in case... I also have an unhealthy affinity for collecting cows, not real ones mind you, ceramic, paintings, pictures. But back on track... My experience smithing is limited as I've only been dabbling for about a year now. My grandfather was a pipe fitter most of his life and his grandfather was a smith. (His father owned and operated a funeral home in Point Pleasant WV, and my father is an engineer, apparently the metal bug skips a generation.) I've been lucky enough to have acquired my gg grandfather's anvil and vise and so began this "addiction" as so many here refer to it. His name was Edward Green from Gallia county. Patriot and Gallipolis to be exact. I'm always searching for more info, so posting that in case anyone knows of anything. The anvil is a 1909 140lb Hay Budden, which I've cleaned up and used for about a year now. It spent many years under my grandfather's porch and then under my father's workbench. The vise is a large 4.5" jaw (82lb) but is unmarked. Both are in good shape. I started to clean the vise up too and then stopped after I cleaned up the threads and screwbox, as I thought the dirt and crud built up on the legs probably actually came from its original home, and well, I'm sometimes overly sentimental and didn't want to get rid of it. I do have a small finger vise as well, that is simply marked "Germany" and with a small "S"/scroll touchmark. I started by cold forging copper leaves and rings. Then used my wood stove and an air blow gun as a forge, then put coal in it. Then got afraid i was going to burn the shop down or melt the stove down. So I built a proper coal forge. however I haven't found a good source locally for fuel supply so it prompted me to build a gas forge. I fell into the beginners trap and built a huge 3 burner behemoth that works ok but is way too large and I've adapted to blocking 2/3rds off and using one burner most days. I do have a "super C" in the works that I've robbed plans from David Hammers videos. I unfortunately did a bunch of research about lining, insulation, and burner design, but ignored all the advice about starting small. I haven't sold anything, simply built gifts and trinkets for my own use or for the sake of learning. Watched probably hundreds of videos and read a large chunk of this forum since finding it a few months ago. So I figured it was time to actually post something. I've been involved in many forums, Garage Journal, Practical Machinist, Welders Web, The H.A.M.B, Pirate 4x4, etc. What seems special to me about this one is the willingness to help, to actually see people EXCITED to teach their craft. I for one definately appreciate it. I apologize for being long winded, I do that sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Welcome! I hope to see you at Quad-State in September; I'll be wearing the disreputable red hat (with horns) and on Friday I should be wearing my lederhosen and an aloha shirt, (part of a joke that predates this web site). Your vise sounds like a heavy version, (or as I like to call them "robustus"), I have a 4" one that's more gracile and weighs about 45 pounds; but the *big* ones are generally considered 6" jaws and up and can weigh 200 pounds! I like to have some of each as they each have jobs where they are better than the others---I can close my light vise with my knee much easier than my heavy vise; OTOH my heavy vise doesn't mind the 8# sledge being used on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Thomas, I intend to try my best to attend. I will watch for you! The vise is much bigger than most I see. I have it mounted on my grandfather's welding bench, which is not ideal. The bench is flimsy and moves around so beating on it anything other than straight down doesn't work well. I've adapted to lean against the bench and pushing it hard against the wall when I use the vise. I've been in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my shop for about 4 months now. Hopefully I can make a better stand here soon. Even now though I use the vise almost every day even for non smithing tasks. It's definately become one of my most used pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 North of you in Amish Country there are many farriers and they use coal. I live/work in Ashland/Mansfield area and teach blacksmithing in Zoar in Tuscarawas Co. on weekends. There is a farrier supplier that sells all sorts of smithing tools; used and new,very near Mt Eaton and coal as well. Another dealer near by in Applecreek sells all sorts of coal. Fairfield Co. ? Isn't that the LAST Co. fair of the year, like 2nd week of October? There is a basic smithing class in Ohio Village on July 16th. There is a blacksmith in Columbus who teaches class and another south of you along the river. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 SR I actually read a post you had written mentioning that farriers supply place. I even wrote your directions down. I have family in Cleveland so I go up every so often and will check it out sometime. I'll admit I work 2 jobs and have little time free so I haven't done much beyond compiling a list of places to investigate or call. I did find a few coal suppliers in the Nelsonville area and even a few in Columbus but I haven't called or visited yet to see what they have available. And yes that's us. Ussually right when it's 78 in the day and 40 at night. I would love to take a class and plan to sometime in the near future. There is a class in Logan which is about a half hour south of here too. I would love to attend any and all of them actually. How would I find more information about yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Adlai Stein teaches blacksmithing at the Idea Foundry in Columbus. Adding a 2" inch slab of steel can help stabilize a bench---if it survives the application! I have my light travel vise bolted to one of those steel fold up saw horses and miss the stable one back in my home shop so much that I bought another postvise last Q-S I went to ($40, rosbustus) and have it bolted to the telephone pole that is the carport support in my rental casita. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Oh I have seen their website Thomas. I'll look more into that too. That's a great idea and i'd love to have a 2" plate bench but the current bench would most definately not survive... it is built from the bottom half of scaffold legs and has a 1/4" plate top. There's little bracing between the legs and it's just not suited. My plan is to cut a log down to square like I did for my anvil and mount it and another smaller vise to the other side. Once the shop is setup completely I'll bolt the stump to the floor. The telephone pole I'd imagine is indeed solid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I spent 15 years in Columbus and still have a lot of folks there that will admit to knowing me if you twist their arms enough. I have my heavy vise in my shop attached to a utility pole set 5' into the ground and then concreted in---it holds up the roof of the shop and makes a great mounting point for my 6.5" heavy vise---except that the building is metal roofed and walled and so when I whale on a piece in the vise it pumps the wall and roof. Luckily no near neighbors. I still plan to make a center of the shop floor vise mount by burying a heavy piece of sq tubing---say 4-6" structural---and concreting it in level with the floor and mounting the vise on a second piece of sq tubing that will just slide in the first one so I can drop the vise in when needed and have the floor clear when not needed. Probably do another one like that outside so I can run a 20' stick around the vise without hitting anything. Quad-State is usually a good place to buy vises; if I have leftover spending money I may pick up another one or two this fall to bring back to the blacksmith tool desert of NM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Adlai. Yes.Thanks. recently had two fellows from Columbus attend my class. Asked me if I know him but I have never met him. I asked them; if he is local, why not his classes. They said something unbelievable for the cost and informed me his class is booked per hour (!!!!) So they came to me as that is what they could afford. LOL ! My classes are booked through Ohio Historical society (connection ) aka OHC and directly through the zoar site ; historic zoar village . I believe that other class ** is ** in Logan. I friended them on f-book so they send updates. I have made a few comments on their f-book class pictures and they seem to have taken it well. Looks like they are a college as it shows five or more forges and anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Thomas I will be as committed as bolting one to the floor but really hope to find a place with more land sometime in the future so I don't know if I can bring myself to bury a post in the middle of the shop maybe someday. I know what you mean about ringing metal buildings. I have one of each, I would much prefer to work out of the post beam, but I'm afraid of catching it on fire... as far as the vise outside. Sounds like a great idea, but the scrappers would have it torched off and gone by morning. I can't leave anything metal outside. They stole the nose to a truck once out of my driveway. We'd removed it while doing an engine swap on a friend's truck. SR I will definately look you up sometime soon. Cost is unfortunately a factor for me as well. A friend's father took the class in Logan; Gary I believe is the gentleman's name who gave the class, though I don't know his last. Thomas I forgot to ask what part of Columbus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Yes I used to live in inner city Columbus Ohio, (brick house, slate roof, brick street) and had to bring the anvil up from the basement through the kitchen and out the back door every time I would use the forge till I got one big enough to not worry about it being left in the rotting detached garage. Bringing it back inside when I was tired was the kicker.I had a deal with some of the local scrappers: I told them that anything left in the alleyway in front of the shop doors was fair game and I'd shoot anyone taking anything out of my yard. (Didn't own a gun back then; but they didn't know that.) Even out here in the country I would not leave the vise outside and just place and remove it as needed. (think cherry picker). As the forge section of the shop has a dirt floor no problem making a hole. (20'x30' of enclosed concrete floor "nice" shop and 20'x30' of smithy/dirty shop with dirt floor and open gables---and I'm thinking of adding another section of "carport" for even more ventilated forging options...if I could just get enough gravel screens to make secure walls.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanOhio Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 I had to look up gravel screens on google. Is that for security? I've also thought about a carport off my building as well. Both of my forges are on wheels, it'd be nice to be able to roll them outside in the summer to save on heating the shop to 100+, open doors just don't seem to make a difference some days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Well if you found the ones I am thinking of the would work for security. Just to prevent smash and grabs; but still allow a lot of airflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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