TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 12 hours ago, Shainarue said: Oh, the cuteness! Lol they’re only cute when they wanna be! 12 hours ago, Frosty said: And THAT'S why Billy doesn't have a sand box anvil stand Lol I’ve got two anvil sand stands but the trick is to make sure the footprint of the anvil takes up enough space that they can’t fit in the sand! 11 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said: They look pretty interested in the kettle slack tub too Yeah these goofy cats where harassing a tree frog in the kettle just a couple days ago till I shooed them off so it could get away lol, Shainarue, if you haven’t already you might wanna look into a sand stand, as they are adjustable for different heights, so you can fine tune what works for you, then in the future if you decide to get a different anvil an it’s taller you can use the same stand an just remove sand to make it the right hight for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Joking aside, even if Billy's in the thread. Sand box anvil stands are about as good as stands get. Height is easily adjustable and leveled precisely. They're easily portable, remove anvil, turn stand on it's side and shovel the sand into easily carried bucket loads. My anvils are on steel tripod stands though. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 So, rail on end in sand stand, which is basically a box with sand in it, right? Something to consider down the road. I don't have sand, nor the patience to go sift some from the river. And building a box at this point just seems overwhelming, lol I have some stumps though that would work with it on end. Just carve a bit of the vertical of the log to make a shelf of sorts for the anvil to sit on. I have the metal strapping tape I could use to strap it to the log. Or I could use the railroad stakes. I'll send pics hopefully tomorrow with the progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Shaina, you could just go down to your local big box, hardware store, or sand and gravel place (bring your own buckets) and buy bagged sand (often sold as "play sand" for sand boxes) or loose sand rather than having to harvest "wild" sand. You could use a plastic tub to hold the sand but plastic around hot metal is a bit problematic. It's OK if you are careful but you have to pay attention that nothing hot lands on it. One of the advantages of a sand base is that it is easy to adjust the height of your anvil up and down to whatever is comfortable for you. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Yes it’s just a box of sand, you can make em outta wood or steel, An if you don’t wanna build one you could always repurpose a 20 gallon steel drum, they are already pretty close to the correct hight just fill one with sand an your done, easy peasy! both of my sand stands were a little more involved they are made from some heavy square steel pipe I cut off an just welded a plate on one end, the sand packs down rock solid after it settles, and it deadens the ring of an anvil almost nonexistent, so if your worried about your ears they are the most quiet stands, I went down the the local concrete mixing operation and told the Forman I wanted to buy some sand and he just told me to go shovel out what I needed, no more then I wanted he wasn’t gonna fool with the paper work, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 Not finished with the blower portion and haven't added the sheet metal to the arms yet but here's the setup so far. I found the wooden bin used for $5. Found two 60-lb tubes of sand for $5 as well. Hair dryer at the thrift store for $5 (in sending a theme here, lol) Grill, railroad rail, and dirt were all free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 So far, so good. It won't take much more for you to be hammering hot iron. ;-) "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Looks awesome! I can’t wait to see it fired up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 You're rocking it now! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 I finally finished the (very crude) air flow setup on my JABOD and fired up the forge for the first time tonight. The hair dryer set up worked well. I could easily reduce airflow by shifting the tube off center a bit. I do intend to someday change that setup to be a more stable pipe and then a damper-type flipper between the pipe and the blow dryer. A few alterations to make in the inside and Lots learned. I think next time, I'll start with kindling and then volcano the rice coal like I saw in one of the anthracite threads. I really don't want to redo the whole thing but I think I started the floor too low and the two long sides not high enough. I can add more clay dirt to the bottom and add more to the two sides but I'd have to create a new tuyere hole. Also, this is the third time I've rolled it into/out of the shed and every time it gets more unsteady. The extra weight of the dirt is just too much for those spindly legs, lol. I'm no metal worker, so I thought I'd try to find some scrap lumber and use the existing holes in the legs to screw in some braces. Maybe add better wheels if I can find something. I was so impatient to try something tonight. I didn't want to wait until I had time to get the mild steel bars from the local Metal By The Foot place. I found a piece of rusted up rebar when I was clearing the shed so I grabbed that. Figured I'd just use it to get the hang of the forge and had absolutely no plan in place other than "hammer it flat". I hope to look back at this image someday soon with a feeling of pride at how far future me has come, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Some steel strapping and self drilling, self tapping screws and you can have rigid X cross bracing on the 4 sides. (Be sure to get the frame square before bolting the braces in place.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 No doubt it is a great feeling to move some hot metal. You will be able to look back if you keep it up and say "look where I started". You just keep learning and building skills from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Dear Shaina, You have now made something by hitting hot steel, a flattened piece of rebar. Maybe it is a paint stirrer. You are officially a blacksmith. Now, you can spend the rest of your life becoming a better blacksmith. That is what all of us have done. May your journey be fun and rewarding. GNM "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 You be BLACKSMITHING! Measure how long one of the flat stock X braces you need are and cut that one off that length and flatten the other end on the same plane as your first forging, drill a couple holes and you've made your first structural forging. No need to go to the steel by the foot store you have rebar, fire and a hammer! Fun isn't it? Welcome to the club Sister! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Looks great! it has begun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 Welcome to the Dark Side; the Emperor will be pleased! What Frosty said, flatten some rebar and make your cross braces, If you will want to get fancy twist them together in the middle and then open them up into the X. Twisting the rebar will give the exterior ridges more of a custom pattern too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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