First time Scrounging

[Brian Carlson]

Went out this weekend and walked about a quarter mile of newely redone railroad tracks near my wifes parents home.

Came back with around 50 railroad spikes and a piece of railcar coupling that might do as an substitute for a proper anvil. Its definitely heavier that 50 lbs, but beyond that its hard to tell. I'll have to put it on a bathroom scale and see how heavy it is.

Anyone know what those couplings are made of? Seems to reason the strain of then railcars bucking back and forth would harden it pretty good. Other than figuring out how to mount the bottom to something it may work. If nothing else it's one heck of a door stop.

I'm currently saving money to take a course at John C. Campbell Folk School and we'll be moving out of the apartment and into a house around August. Until then I'm gonna be scrounging and looking for tools, and having fun reading the posts on this forum.

[ThomasPowers]

Has a flat spot, has a curved spot it's heavy and tough as all get out---sounds like an anvil to me!

I used the exact same thing as part of my "complete forge set up for under US$25" and it worked a treat.

[Brian Carlson]

I used the exact same thing as part of my "complete forge set up for under US$25" and it worked a treat.

Do you have a post or a blueprint of this complete forge setup Thomas?

[R Funk]

I welded the rail coupler on the sides of my first RR track anvil.

It approximately doubled the weigh of the anvil.

I don't remember of hand, but it is good steel, Probably 1050 or better.

They are under a lot of stress and a failure would be catastrofic so they are carefully engnieered including the material and heatreat.

[ThomasPowers]

I've posted it a large number of times before; basically it was a set I built to show that starting smithing does not have to be an expensive thing. I also Built it with an adjustable wrench a 1/4" drill, a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and a hacksaw as the sum of the tools needed.

The forge was a brakedrum found on the side of the road. It was supported by a barstool base it fit in nicely. Grate was expanded metal from an ilegal dump. the tuyere piping was a couple of floor flanges; 2 nipples and a T and a cap for the ashdump---all scrounged or bought used at the fleamarket as was the ridged radiator hose that lead to an ancient handy vac---all Al housing; but no bag so cheap at the fleamarket, Couple of hose clamps (flea market) Rheostat dimmer for the universal motor'd vac (good brushes I checked before buying). Funny thing that at certain air flows the radiator hose would bugle.

Anvil was the RR car knuckle scrounged by the tracks on a stump from an ilegal dump.

Tools were all fleamarket finds: hammers, large pliers, couple of punches, hatchet to act as a hot cut.

To make for a deeper fire for welding billets I took a strip of sheetmetal---not painted or plated! and bent it into a C to fit inside the brakedrum leaving a 2" gap where the ends would meet and cutting a "mousehole" ipposite the gap to slide long pieces through.

Total cost was under US$25, no fancy tools required and it was my main billet welding forge for a number of years with no upgrades needed to use it as such.

I could do a US$0 set up using a hole in the ground, charcoal from a campfire and rocks but my knees are not up to that anymore---I cower in the back of the Yoga class and have been known to burst out laughing when the instructor says "and now do this!" haven't been able to do that since I was low single digits!