swedefiddle Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Good Morning, If you are allergic to Coal fumes, don't go near Coal. You can make a Propane Forge with a pile of fire-bricks, if you want simple. You can make Propane Forge as complicated as you wish. Byproduct of using Propane Forge is the exhaust is not healthy. You MUST BE in a very well ventilated area, NEVER in a confined space!! If you purchase a known Propane Forge, you will remove the guesswork. Connect a bottle and go to work/play. They are not expensive when you factor in the real costs of creating. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Amen to the cost factor, swedefiddle. I've got way more invested in this forge than I ever thought I would and it's not even finished yet. If I had been forced to shell out what this thing is costing all with one check, I'd not have done it. Kind of like boiling a Frog alive............one degree at a tiime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 There is No perfect Forge. You are on your way to 1st Base. Enjoy the journey, there is no final destination!! Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Note that the fumes of all forges that emit fumes are not healthy! (And if a forge that doesn't emit fumes, does, then that's not healthy either! ie: if a workpiece in an induction forge starts emitting fumes it generally means it was galvanized or other plating or painted or...; but those fumes are BAD as well.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 CTC. 20/20 vision is rarely achieved till after an event or learned experience.. I teach many things. Martial arts, scuba diving, rock climbing, blacksmithing, Farrier skills, MIG/TIG welding, It is extremely rare to find someone who can see what is needed before they actually get it or have 20/20 vision. When I go to smith at someone else shop I don't even bring a hammer. I bring safety glasses and my apron because I want to use the same tools they do so i can help them to see that it is only skill that limits their ability.. My suggestion would be to acknowledge what has been offered as suggestions by Pnut and Chris Williams (Well said Chris) and then field videos and such and such. I to when i started thought that an anvil or a forge or etc,etc would make me better.. There were 2 things that I purchased or borrowed that really changed the ball game.. A real forge blower (Buffalo silent 200) and a skill set.. Most people want to upscale because there is a limitation they encounter. So will build their own or buy.. I personally can fabricate anything I would want now so would rather spend the time to make exactly what I want vs toughing it out.. The forges used in the new school will be such items.. Anyhow. Practice is better than not practicing and while having a 150lbs brand name anvil can make it simpler have a good forge, a good vise and an ASO is really all that I would need to make 99% of anything.. Where convenience comes in is where a commercial anvil or a custom made anvil comes in to hold hardies and such. I just flashed back and personally in this order made a difference to what I could do with limited skill sets 38 years ago. A hammer the right size type, A real forge blower, real smithing coal, a real forge, a real vise, and a real anvil.. These items because of how much i was forging became limitations to what I could further do.. If you notice the anvil was the last on the list.. The reason is that I used many other items and had owned other anvils before I got a real anvil and what it did was more mental than physical. As I all ready mentioned.. I can go anywhere with very little now and simply use what is there to make whatever I want.. Skill ultimately makes the 3000.00 bow help the 10000k fiddle sound the best but without the ability from practice the item is just a doorstop or a wall hanger.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Yes, Jennifer you are correct...............as is everyone else who has posted in this thread. Seems I am conceived as being combative, (not the case) so I'm going to stop posting in the thread. It's one of those.......................I want a white pickup truck, but a blue sedan will get me there just fine. Can't help it, but I'd prefer to wait until a white pickup comes available. I'm not saying anyone is wrong in the wisdom being shared with me, I'm just saying I'd prefer waiting for a white pickup. I'm fully aware my purple motor-scooter will serve me just fine in the time being..................and I'm fine with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Chris I don't see you as combative.. I have been told nearly all my life that something I have thought of was wrong or not typical.. Well I'm not typical.. I came from an environment where if I wanted something I was told to work for it.. From a very early age like 3 years old.. LOL.. I not wanting to work very hard-learned to save.. A Penny saved is a penny earned.. this Saving of pennies has gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion as people will take it to heart as insincere or a fake person or rude or what have you.. when you mess with someone's lively hood imagined or real people take offense.. Anyhow, If you want an anvil and you want a particular anvil it for sure will happen.. I've wanted a Refflinghaus #58 460lbs monster. I've called or emailed the guy who is the US distributor for the last 4 years every few months to find out when one will be coming in.. YUP 4 years.. I just got word a few weeks ago that one is only coming in and it literally is the only one that has been imported in the last few years.. He (Dick) said he doesn't know when one might come this way again.. So, I know about waiting.. Every piece of equipment I own I waited for.. I skrimped and saved including the shop, including the trailer.. Including all the smithing equipment. Not one piece of it came to me easily.. If you desire to buy a particular thing just be ready for it when the time does come.. I think the point was why wait till you have the "Right " piece.. Practice makes perfect.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 "Purple motor-scooter" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 And if driving your PMS allows you to pile up money towards paying for that WP-U; use it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 When i got my first "real" anvil, a 124# PW, it did make me a better smith! Perhaps not skill wise, but certainly psychologically, I knew I was working better. A year or so later I got my second anvil. A brand new 125# Enders farrier pattern anvil. This was my 2od year as a professional farrier and 6 years after I started shoeing. Without a doubt the shape of this anvil is designed for shaping shoes and from the get go my improvement was astronomical. The first 6 or so years my anvil was whatever i came up with. So its situational and without a doubt the psychological boost I got was probably my biggest step forward. So be patient its worth the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Will do...........thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Chris, being in Oklahoma, you might consider joining up with the Saltfork Craftsmen, a great blacksmith organization in OK. Often, it's easier to source an anvil from other members who generally won't try to rip you off on price or quality. Some of those guys may have several anvils and possibly could sell you one out of inventory at a reasonable price. I got my anvil from another member of our blacksmith group here in NW Arkansas. PLUS...a great way to get involved with other smiths, meetings and conferences and learn from them. Good luck on your anvil search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 anvil just expressed what I was thinking earlier. It may not actually make you a better smith, but it gives your confidence a boost. The psychological boost he was referring to. The skills that I have obtained, I've had to work for using the tools that I have. Or lack thereof rather. It made me HAVE to figure out other ways of doing things and thusly, has helped me to be a better smith. The new anvil I just got is a pleasure to work on. It makes my time spent more enjoyable and it's opened more options that I didn't have. I didn't have a hardy hole or pritchel hole. So I forged my first hold fast and used it to help with the next two items. I was tickled to have made it, and use it. Just like that. No struggle. But the struggles, like everything else in life, hone you as a person as well as your skill set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 My apologies Mr Curious. I was unaware of the propane forge build underway. I recalled you saying you didn't have a forge. I wasted a lot of time that would have been better spent forging instead of looking for the perfect kit. When I finally decided to just go ahead and get forging I was up and running in less than a month. It would have been sooner if not for the strangely wet winter. The only point that I was trying to communicate is don't lose too much time waiting on the perfect tools. Find something that will suffice to get you started while you continue your search for new and better tools. I really do regret the time I spent hesitating and waiting for what I thought I needed to start blacksmithing Instead of starting to blacksmith. I'm stoked for you though now that I know you're close to having a working gasser. Good luck and you'll find an anvil in due time. I've been looking for almost a year and like you can only find overpriced junk or great anvils people don't want to sell because someday they might...just maybe.....one day, but they don't know when, get around to putting it to use. Pnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 5 hours ago, Chris The Curious said: "Purple motor-scooter" On the bright side it teaches ya balance. 6 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said: 20/20 vision is rarely achieved till after an event or learned experience.. This brought back memories of my mother. She always said "hind sight is always 20/20" to me when I was a teenager. I haven't thought of that in decades, thanks Jennifer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Everybody learns differently.. Sadly I am an after the fact question person.. (hind site)... My friend is a question person usually way before it should be asked or even looked at... He was a pleasure to work with as he was always one step ahead of the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Williams Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 There isn't anything wrong with being determined, so long as you are headed in the direction that you want to be. You are forging for your reasons and not mine, after all. I hope I haven't overstepped my boundaries in being so direct, and I apologize if I have. I just wish I had been told what I told you about 5 years ago. In fact, I may have been and didn't pay attention. Fun story. I recently saw a large group of (probably) high school kids leaving a restaurant parking lot together. The fun part is that they were basically a motor scooter gang! I've never seen anything quite like it in my life! I think there were two or three purple ones among the score+ in the group. The remainder were seemingly every other color and some combinations to boot. Back to your original point -- everybody starts somewhere, but we feel better about our situation when we all share the same kind of ride and all the other kids don't have a convertible. The convertible is certainly more fun, whether we're good drivers or not! [When I put it that way, I definitely see your point! Good luck on the gasser build.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 16 hours ago, arkie said: you might consider joining up with the Saltfork Craftsmen, a great blacksmith organization in OK I've been one of their members for 3+ months now. That's where I go on Thursday nights for "open forge". They all know I'm looking...............and believe me, no-one has mentioned having any unused spares laying around. 13 hours ago, pnut said: My apologies Mr Curious. Good Lord, Pnut, no apologies are needed. All of you have just been trying to share your experience.................I'm the one who feels he's come off argumentative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I was assuming that you had no access to a forge and weren't in the red zone of a build. You know what they say," When you assume you make an @#&! out of u and me. I was commenting without all the info. Hence the apology. I haven't seen a post that I thought you were being argumentative in. I also seen the coal rake you made. Good job. It looks to be stainless steel. Were you surprised at the difference in the feel of it under the hammer compared to 1018 or mild steel? Pnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 Stainless? Heck no. So far most of what I've worked with has been the lowly rebar............as was this piece. Thanks for the compliment, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Chris you did a good job, forged it so thin I can't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 Not hardly, but thanks for the compliment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 IDF&C, you're just not looking hard enough ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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