This is a show us what you got thread.   

I have been asked to fill in at a local community fair for another smith who has double booked himself.  So I need to come up with a portable smithy to do demos and a table display of items to sell.  As always photos of your kit and set up are great for ideas.

 

I have a small 50kg anvil, a 3" leg vice (need of stand ideas), and a hand cranked forge which I can use. I'm thinking small light and portable, am I wrong?

space is a 3x3m marquee. I think that translates to 10'x10'

Here's a thread that has some good info on vice stands- http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/43404-home-made-vise-stand/

Yes, you are right about coming up with equipment that is small light and portable.

I don't have much to offer on suggestions, as I have not done any demos yet (I really want to), but as for what to make while demoing, something quick and entertaining that the public will enjoy. someone once said- "don't do something in public that you haven't practiced (a lot) in private". a few ideas- leaf key rings, s hooks, knots, coat hooks, and NOT forge welding.

Hope some of this helps.

                                                                                                             Littleblacksmith  

 

The fat guy in the apron is me, my beautiful assistant turning the hand crank is from the audience. Everything had to fit in the back of a Honda minivan for transport and set-up by one person.

The other photo is Brian Brazeal's traveling kit for going to Kenya this year.

As far as the vice goes, think about fabricating a set of fold out legs making into a tripod. I wish I'd taken pictures when I saw that setup just for times like these. When is the demo scheduled? I'll see if I can contact someone to get pictures but I don't know how long it might take.

As far as the forge, I was thinking about making a portable coal/coke forge using an old turkey fryer that I have for the legs and fabricating a table using some heavier sheet metal I have. I haven't done it yet and probably won't any time soon, just sharing my ideas.

Here are a few different takes on mobile leg vise stands from the archives. I need to build a couple for myself.

The show is early November.

I like the idea of those folding vice stands! That's the kind of stuff I was thinking of. A few tent pegs in the feet would be the go.

Fixed my blower this morning and made a light weight rest for long rods then I got to making a few camp tripods and toasting forks to take to sell

My modern set up just uses a folding steel sawhorse that I picked up at the curb one junk day.  The previous owner had modified it by welding on 2 sq tubes on either side of the flat part and placed sliding tubes within them  so I now have a vise stand that I can hang tongs on.  It did require a piece of 2x6 to space the mounting plate of the vise over the top of the saw horse and I use a piece of scrounged plywood with a hole to capture the vise's acorn.  

Not good for heavy work; but I usually don't do that at a demo anyway.  The postvises attached to telephone poles in my shops are for heavy work!

I have a folding vise stand and it's too insecure to do much with. The stretchers between legs and center post need to be stronger and lay on the ground so a person can stand on one to do any twisting or bending. It all folds up pretty nicely but needs tweaking.

Frosty The Lucky.

For a less modern demo look I have taken some stock and flattened and forged the top to match a strap mounting on a vise then bent the ends down and out and where they hit the ground flatten them for about 4" and then bend a 90 deg and forge a 4" spike.  Still works better with someone standing on the flats and you have to have a support under the leg (I found a 6"x1/4" washer that works)  Oh yes the legs bolt to the mounting straps.  I also forged a semicircular ring with a couple of loops to hold tongs and hammers that I bolt on too.

Thomas is your saw horse something like the wooden stand in the background here? Do you have a photo?

 

 

The one John shows in the second and third pictures is like the one I was trying to describe.

These work good for me. Both built after Aspery's instructions found in the Skills of the Blacksmith vol. 1. (Minor modifications done as the scrap sources dictated them.)

The anvil weighs 114 lbs. The vise is a 4"-er. With this type and size of vise stand the securing nails (10-20") are a must if heavier work is done.

I just try not to make things that require a vice, that way I don't have to lug a heavy bit of kit around with me!  I have a nail in my anvil log next to my stake anvil (think Viking style forging set up) and I can wedge a pair of tongs between them with my leg to hold small things when filing or sawing

In the past I have put a hardy shank on the bottom of a engineer's bench vise for sake of 1 day demos when it's not worth killing yourself lugging around a tonne of gear. Dropped it in the hardy as & when it was needed.

knocks apart in to small pieces, has a tong rack , a swinging grill for making coffee, cooking on charcaol could be bigger but I have forge welded throwing axes made from farriers rasp in it, use a tripod mounted vise 120lb haybudden  with hammer rack on the stand

So this is what I'm going to try out.  It will knock down into three main parts, two wooden A frame ends and a steel centre piece.

I have some z shaped cross bracing that will have a saddle on the wood and pass through a hole in the steel. Hopefully it will hinge for dpackdown and bolt in and stay put when assembled.

There is going to be a bracket in the centre which will sleeve a removable post for the stake anvil.

A seperate small plate with a hole will go under the foot of the leg vise.  Also thinking to add a few eyes to the legs for some hold down stakes.

Between the steel rails, I plan on adding some racks for hammers, tongs and chisels.

Like the bick

Good morning all

Here is my version.  Everything can be man handled by one person, I usually find someone to help with the vice and the anvil, a lower truck or trailer would help,  The construction box is on wheels and there is a set of ramps.  I lock all the small stuff in the construction box a night, then cover the box during the DEMO with a painters cloth and use it as the display area.  

This one is a peach!