melloman3000 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Ok I can finally reply to this thread. I just received my first anvil(railroad track with improvised horn) for free. All I have to do is by my girlfriend Sarah's uncle lunch. It looks a little rough around where they cut the horn but I think im going to take a file or a grinder(if I can find one) and knock the rough cut edges off and then hopefully get rid of some of the rust. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johnnie Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Flap disc on a grinder will sort it out with ease. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Here in the USA such wagon tyres are often sought after by knifemakers as they tend to be a very low grade wrought iron. This works better fro making knife fittings as it shows a coarse pattern to it when etched that looks very good with "old" style knives. As to making them back then not too much as an effort as you would buy the flat stock and then heat it and roll it in a tyre bender and then forge weld the join. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neg Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Neg, I think your "hammer" is a poise or sliding weight for a scale. Hah, either way I'ma put a handle on it and try it out. As long as it works, I don't care. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 The yellowish material suggests the presents of sulpher in the rock . Supher contamination may cause problems for blacksmiths. It may well be useful but there are problems with corrosion and welding that you must learn to work with. Thanks, I've been using this stuff. Burns clean and hot. It does have a lot of ash. When the fire gets old I've got to be careful with the weld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melloman3000 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 So I found these on my front porch from my uncle who works at the Norfolk Southern railroad here locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Since I'm making copper jewelry now I took a couple of these and made miniature forming stake out of them. On one I pretty much just left the head as it was except for polishing it up and on the other one I just ground it into a tighter radius and polished it the hardened them up hopefully with a water quench. They are nice little tools, I just clamp them in my vise and hammer my copper over them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 RR spikes are handy, they make good stake tools and I made a stake, nail anvil for a friend from one though the cutoff blade wasn't welded well enough. They make dandy snakes and all kinds of cool stuff. something that makes them a popular sale item is everybody knows what a RR spike is and being able to see a recognizable object transformed into something else is a hit. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Picked up some huge Nicholson rasps and files.Ive been buying these things for years and one is the biggest Ive seen by far..Its about 18" long and a full 3/8' thick..Several other very large files too..Lots of good steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will. K. Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Picked up two used but in nice shape 15hp 3ph motors a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Big haul today!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 KYBOY- those are fantastic! I would love to snag a couple of those... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meteorman Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 rescued an anvil from certain death. pics in the anvil forum. /mike '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThorsHammer82 Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 My score for the month. One of my good friends from high school/boy scouts used to work at a bank where he became friends with the owner of a local rock quarry, Jim. I've met Jim a couple times at events at my friends house. and the last time I saw him, he and I had a long conversation about my forge build and Anvils and smithing in general. So the next week I discussed with my friend about getting a tour of the quarry (preferably on a blast day - didn't happen. Maybe next time), and maybe I could find something of an anvil type nature. Just a large hunk of scrap metal is all I was looking for. But I found far more than I expected. and this is what followed me home for FREE! This whole pile of metal was picked up on this trip. Manhole cover to be used as an Anvil type item because of it's many angles and shapes. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/37484-it-followed-me-home/ trailer springs, pins for holding on excavator bucket teeth and some 5/8" plate all for beating on. and a bucket tooth that will be used kind of like a hardy for it's curves and angles. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/37485-it-followed-me-home/ This came out of one of the rock crusher machines and will be used as a post anvil. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/37486-it-followed-me-home-post-anvil/ and this large hunk of metal is a rock anvil from one of the machines. The rocks are flung at it at high speed and the break on impact. so I think it will serve nicely as my primary anvil. It weighs approximately 90 lbs and has a lot of great angles and edges. FYI, this one is broken in half so I only have half of it. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/37487-it-followed-me-home-anvil-type-item/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Great score! take it you did'nt haggle on the price :D ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThorsHammer82 Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I could have brought home more. but I think my wife would have flayed than drawn and quartered me over a bed of salt if I'd brought home much more stuff. Luckily she likes "Free" which is the only reason I'm getting away with building a forge in the first place. I haven't spent any money on it yet. and coal really isn't that expensive. Cheaper than welding is. thats for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 WOW them Blades are Sweet that reminds me to go to our saw mill and check with them about a few of their old ones theirs are are about 48 in and a few 36 i think . thank you Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 There was a lot of small saw mills in our area..People don't automatically think of Kentucky as timber state but there was a thriving timber business in our part of the state,,In the Appalachias..There were small saw mills everywhere at one time..Sadly most of those old blades are gone but Ive managed to rescue about 6 myself, I still have 5 of them..Mom has one and my sister paints them for people..We'er getting ready to make a new forge sign out of half a saw blade(they other half has been turned into blades,LOL.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudbugone Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Picked up some assorted pieces of railroad plates & rails back before American Pickers spent the day wandering around my playhouse. I was at the scrapyard picking up a late 60's BSA stretched chopper some idiot scrapped and found about 700# of misc. metal (some rail pieces almost 4' long) as well as a nice anvil in pretty fair condition. Let's see if the pics come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Shears Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 (edited) I picked up a couple of points for loggers boom poles (similar to pikes.) Used for helping to move logs in booming grounds (gathering logs into rafts), while 'driving' them to the mill, and moving the logs into the mill for processing.The two points are now roughly 1/2 inch sq. material, obviously two different styles, and one has a makers mark.The threading on the smaller point was cut with commercial dies. The larger points threads were made by twisting the stock.The transition between the point and hook on the larger point is quite interesting, but doesn't look like a weld to me.'?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>'?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>'?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>'?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>I'd like to try copying these one day as a demonstration piece.My apologies, I forgot to post thumbnails.Don Edited August 2, 2013 by Don Shears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Don, I have one that I picked up in the Great Northwet some time ago. I will try to get a picture of it. It has a square tang with chisel grooves in a cross hatch pattern rather than threads to hold it in the wooden shaft. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, how about electrolytic cleaning, possibly followed by etching, so we could all see the grain, and any welds? I have done that with an old cast steel edge/wrought body chisel that I picked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Shears Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 John M.: I've never tried electrolytic cleaning - it's a suggestion to seriously think about for this item. If I do that I'll certainly post pictures of the results.I'm curious and would appreciate seeing a picture (or more) of that point.I'm usually pretty good at picking out wrought iron, and at finding the forge welds.I was back at the same scrap yard today and picked up a piece of wrought iron 1/2 inch round by 7 ft. Forge welded eye at one end (very big clue as to the material) and threaded at the other. Corrosion is revealing a very fine grain structure.Also stopped at a garage sale on a whim, 3 heavy chisels (1 inch octagonal stock) all about 12 inches long for $3.00.Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 So I stopped by my favorite local scrapyard Saturday and the boss strolls out and says "I was just thinking of you...." sending my wallet into preemptive convulsions... Staggered out with 6 100# cast iron balls to make armouring stakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Lets see if I can get a picture of them. They are appx 9" in diameter Anyone up for a swim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThorsHammer82 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 · Hidden by Steve Sells, August 14, 2013 - rude Hidden by Steve Sells, August 14, 2013 - rude "100 lbs balls? you sure must walk funny" Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.