Hi all, I just thought I'd introduce myself and see if there was anyone else nearby.

Names Matthew, I'm 28 and just getting my own forge set up here in Bathurst, NSW, Australia. 

I'm a contaminated land, environmental and marine scientist who is taking a break from the city rat race to set up an off-grid workshop here. I'm looking to make groundwater sampling equipment for the mining industry in the workshop and research and patent a few remediation methods while I'm at it. Hopefully I'll have time and space to also do a bit of forge work, and build my John Welsford "Navigator" a 5m sailing boat. I have a 200A AC/DC TIG welder, table saw, pedestal drill, drop saw, cut-off saw

I managed to source myself a 45kg anvil for $200, and a forge for $110. as well as an antique set of leather bellows for $120. 

The bellows are too far gone and a little on the small side for what I'm looking for for the forge, so I plan to build my own great bellows. I have sourced and stripped a free fake leather couch of its PU leather and will be using that for my bellow material for the time being. 

I'm planning to make my bellows slightly lighter than the other plans I have found so far, by using more cross-bracing and thinner planks. I can get hardwood planks free from used Australian pallets. here's a video of the forge before  I got my anvil, linked to youtube, so it won't take up server bandwidth. 
 

 

Welcome aboard Matthew glad to have you. RR rail makes a good anvil but not so much setting on concrete blocks. Concrete tends to pulverize under the hammer. If you mount the rail on end at the correct height it will move metal much more effectively, the more steel under the hammer the greater the depth of rebound and more energy returned to the work.

There are quite a few of you fellows down under practicing the craft and spending time on Iforge. I'm sure someone will speak up soon.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks mate! 
I'm using a 75kg anvil I picked up for $200 at the moment, and have a proper wooden block to go under it now (45kg in the original was a typo).  A solid base makes a big difference. 

Welcome aboard.  Check out DF in the Shop on YouTube for his ideas on building a bellows.  His design is quite nice.

Thanks mate! the DF in the forge videos were some of the ones that have inspired me to have a go myself at them. His look great! hopefully mine come out as something similar.