Newbie in Missouri USA

[Shainarue]

Thanks TwistedWillow. You've given me something to ponder now. Since the grill is on wheels, I can set up the forge anywhere but I need to decide where to mount the anvil. I do have a shade tree in the opposite corner of the yard - but I'd like to be able to continue practicing during the winter months and I'm concerned my fingers would go numb out in the open as opposed to a space heater in the shed. For summer months though, the shade tree is definitely an alluring prospect. Ah, if only I had two anvils, lol.

I was also considering the noise aspect of the hammering and was thinking that the shed would act as a barrier for noise to my neighbors. Maybe I'll just set up a fan inside the shed to help with the heat. (Grill would be outside, but a metal shed with no windows gets awfully stuffy in the summer months!)

Kinda funny that I started this thread with intentions to forge in the firepit - out in the open with no concern for weather or noise and once I realized I could do the forge in a grill, I become all conscientious of such matters, lol

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Winter time 30s an 40s isn’t bad once ya get up an moving you stay pretty warm,

summer in a 110 heat index? I don’t even bother lol

theres lots of people here who have open air smithy’s I’m not tryin to sway you one way or the other, just letting ya know others forge that way,

heres some pictures of my junky open air smithy to give you some ideas if you choose to go that route 

ive Got two permanent table forges setup with post vises next to them and the slack tub Between them an treadle hammer opposite both stations but still central Anvils set about a step away opposite the forges an my traveling forges are over to the side, the blue job box is where I keep my tooling,

 

[ThomasPowers]

Billy, if that was mine I'd have a shed roof out of used metal roofing over that set up so fast the wind would keep it cool for the first month!

With my used gas grill cart that I have my gasser mounted on I have over the years put crisscross bracing and replaced the cheep plastic wheels with an axle and ball bearing wheels.  I guess I'm too lazy to get another grill, (saw several at the scrapyard today), to replace it when it wears a bit.  I even have a piece of heavy plywood that I use as a ramp for my pickup and roll the forge up into the bed to take it on the road.

[Shainarue]

A few years ago, my fingertips & toes started to lose feeling at around 50 or lower. Sometimes even in a really cool A/C room - happened at a conference recently where I had trouble writing my name. It's dumb, lol. Just a few fingers/toes but it really makes a difference in how you hold things or stand! So already, I'm at a disadvantage in winter and have no idea if I'll be able to keep it up but I'm willing to try

As for the heat - yeah, that sucks too. But I want to try anyway. I can take breaks & keep chugging water and just see how it goes. As for rain ... I assume the open air forge doesn't work well in the rain, lol 

Love the pics of your work area. I think it looks like it has a nice flow! Everything within reach of the area you're in. Question though: Do you collect forges/anvils or do each of those have their own purpose? I'm honestly too new to know if that's a thing, lol - I mean, other than bigger forges allow you to work on bigger items.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Thomas,

I’ve gotta stack of sheet metal ready to go! I’ve also located commercial steel chicken house trusses!

im just to lazy to Put it together! 

Shainarue,

That’s not even half the piles of junk that inhabits my property lol

All that junk is magnetically attracted to me for some strange reason it just keeps showing up all the time! 

I could be wrong but i think it has something to do with the earths magnetic field here in peavine Oklahoma! Lol

Seriously though I only use about half that stuff, the rest is just spares, or projects I drug home to get back up an goin again,

and some of it I rotate in an out of use or I haven’t got around to fixing or mounting yet,

ima scrounger an I pick up stuff all the time, even if I don’t need it,

someone always comes along an says they need something for their smithy or a part for an old blower ect…

so it’s kinda handy to keep some spare material an tools around Incase someone needs something,

Not everyone but there’s quite a few smiths that collect extra stuff around their smithy’s,

I think Thomas has a limit now on how many post vises he keeps around the shop! Lol

as far as forging in the rain, it depends on what season it is!

If my trees an wisteria are leafed out they do a pretty good job of keeping things dry in there,

well as long as it’s not a full blown thunderstorm tornado type storm with crazy amounts of rain blowing in all directions! 
 

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, Shainarue said:

winter months and I'm concerned my fingers would go numb out in the open

You should be, what does your doctor say? Cold fingers and toes are precursor symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, something that costs diabetics fingers toes, feet, arms. . . . lives.  There are also supplements good for circulation. 

I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV but I'm diabetic and have some experience, direct and indirect.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Several other syndromes that can cause it too; none of them good and the faster it gets identified the better!

I have a finger I crushed 40 odd years ago that hates the cold; but I know the circulation is messed up in it.  (As well as having Adult Onset Juvenile Diabetes...)

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Jerry,

have you stayed at a holiday inn? 

actually I was thinking the same thing, if your getting numb in 50 degree weather ya definitely might wanna get that checked out!

i know I’m pretty comfortable outside till it gets below freezing with a strong wind, or if it gets down in the teens or negatives then I’m not doin nothing but settin by the shop stove

[Frosty]

How much do I get paid if I say yes?

Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

$361.90 ZWD an a cookie

[Shainarue]

Is a galvanized bucket okay for the quenching water / annealing ash?

[ThomasPowers]

Yes, though I don't quench often, just to cool off tools.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

You should be okay with a galvanized bucket for that, 

galvanized metal is only dangerous if you were to weld on it or put it in the forge,

just don’t make the mistake countless others have an use a plastic bucket! It works great until it don’t! Lol

[George N. M.]

Shaina, just to pull this topic back in line from the random direction the gang is dragging it:  Hammering hot metal on the anvil isn't that loud.  The hot metal is soft and only makes a thud sound.  If your anvil rings too much there are a number of ways to reduce the ring such as putting a magnet under the heel or seating it in a bed of caulk.  Noise and vibration do become an issue when you move up to power hammers and large power tools.

Cultivating and not annoying neighbors is a good thing although sometimes you live near a sorehead who doesn't like anything.  I went to using coke instead of coal to minimize smoke and odors even though it was some distance to other houses.  An occasional small gift such as a bottle opener is nice.

"By hammer andf hand all arts do stand."

[Shainarue]

Re: the fingers. Well shoot, I didn't know that was anything to even be concerned about. I truly hate going to the doctor and generally put it off until I can't function - other than standard scheduled medical stuff like colonoscopies and paps and whatnot. Diabetes does run in my family on both sides so I understand catching it early and whatnot. I guess I need to get an appointment booked. I just feel like every time I go for some "mystery" ailment, I end up with months' worth of appointments at various "specialists" (each with their own awesome copay or diagnostics fee) and then sometimes nothing is even figured out. So I'm maybe a bit jaded at the process other than standard diagnostics. I suppose I should just be grateful that I have health insurance and take care of myself while I can. (sigh)

Re the anvil noise - I have read up in these threads and have notes on how to get the best chance of minimal noise. I will have a 16" railroad rail to start with, and I've heard from many people that those are the noisiest.
My plan was to get a tree stump (or bundled lumber standing on end if I can't find an appropriately sized stump soon) and bury it 6-12" into the ground, depending on how tall of one I can find. So far they've all been less than 16" wide and at least half as tall as I'd need. If I can find some wide enough, can I stack & screw together maybe? I assumed the anvil needed to fit inside the base and not have overhang.
Anyway, then outline the anvil and use the router to carve out a "seat" for it.  Lay a thick bead of silicone caulk in the seat and place the anvil in. Then drive the railroad spikes into all four corners to hold it down good and tight. And I also have the magnet from an old blown speaker that I thought I'd slap onto the side. I considered gluing a piece of anti-fatigue mat into the stump recess before the silicone but maybe that's overkill? 

I saw that I could mount the anvil on its side instead of its bottom but I'm not comfortable with that option yet. I learned on a rail in the classes I took so until I am more confident around all this stuff, I don't want to change up too much. 

[Frosty]

Have an A1C run, that'll indicate your 90 day average blood glucose level. It's the basic benchmark test.

I understand doctors who believe it's their duty to harvest your insurance for what it's worth. I've fired a few and on the most recent occasion enjoyed it thoroughly. Then I lit into my Endocrinologist and Neurologist about the recommendation. Well, not lit into, I like them a LOT but didn't make any bones about what a crook the other one was.

Deb was concerned because I was napping pretty often during the day, often watching a TV show. I was recovering from a TBI injury and later discovered lots of naps is normal. Anyway she makes an appointment and when I went in it had been cancelled, the doc had determined I needed a different one run first come back in a week. Take that over night test and sure enough I need to take the other day long test. A week or two later at the consult he informs us he needs to run another 5 before recommending CPAP equipment. I don't snore, don't have any symptoms of apnea and my blood oxy levels are in range. But THAT is what the never ending tests are for! 

Deb and I stood up almost simultaneously and the look on his face when I told her, "I've had enough of this fraud," was rewarding. We stopped by the front desk where the gal was working on my appointment schedule to tell her there would be NO further appointments and if this consult was billed I'd file charges with the AMA. The only thing she said as she closed the screen was, "Have a nice day." It was almost like she'd heard it before.

We didn't get a bill either. 

I get insurance harvester doctors, unfortunately I don't see it getting better. If your A1C is very high, say above mid 7.5 ask for a referral to an endocrinologist. They're the diabetes specialists. Amongst other maladies that is.

Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Shaniarue,

i dunno if y’all ever get down to northeast Oklahoma or not but if y’all do lemme know what size stump you need for your anvil,

I run through tons upon tons of oak an hickory firewood every year so I can set aside a log for ya if you want, 

I also got plenty of material to build steel stands settin around,

but it’d probably be faster to just hook up with a local firewood cutter in your area an tell ‘em what your wanting, with fall around the corner it won’t be long before they’ll be back out in the woods again,

[ThomasPowers]

Doesn't have to be a log; I've built and used a number of anvil stands from scrounged dimensional lumber held together by power company pole bolts or bolts from guardrails---both available at my local scrapyard.

Since I do some teaching I need a number of different height ones.  BTW I wouldn't bury a stump until you have worked a while and decided where and how tall works for *YOU*.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

That’s where a sand stand comes in handy!

[Frosty]

Your cat's will love them too. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Jerry,

Sheesh don’t you know anything? Cats much purrrfer anvils, firepots an forges

 

[Shainarue]

Oh, the cuteness! 

[Frosty]

And THAT'S why Billy doesn't have a sand box anvil stand. 

Gotta love kittens, thanks for the pics Billy, they put a big happy smile on my face. I might need a couple extra units of insulin though.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

They look pretty interested in the kettle slack tub too.

[George N. M.]

Actually, a piece of rail works best as an anvil if mounted on end.  That gives you the most metal under the hammer.  Mounting it upright as if it was actually a section of RR rail is OK but end on works better.  Experiment and use whatever feels best for you.  There is no "right" or "wrong" way.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."