Hi I'm tex  from Cootamundra NSW.

Just getting into it . Keen to learn

I have collected, made or refurbished my tools using a hand turned charcoal forge and just finished my first gas forge. Other than that I have no idea even the nuances of hammering  are a mystery to me! So it is trial and error. 

G'Day tex62 

                     If you contact the  Artist Blacksmithing Association NSW they might be able to hook you up with someone close to you 

 

Artist Blacksmithing Association NSW (artistblacksmithnsw.com)

Dale Russell 

Hi All, My name is Simon and I am from Western Aus.... Perth.

Hi Craig from the Sunny Coast, looking at making knives and architectural hardware. Looking forward to getting into it once I'm set up.

I feel like we need a map we can all pin our approximate location on so we can see who is close by who might want to get together for a hammer-in!

Not really sure of the easiest way to do it, though. Could we make a public Google map we could drop a pin on?

If you put your GPS coordinates in profile it'd be easy to Google earth location, get driving directions, etc. I'm not of something on your AVATAR but something on your profile. 

A thing a number of us did back in the emai.list days on one that is was sketch up a face on a cardboard cutout with a name and pin/tape it to a  wall so we had someone to associate with emails. A wall map of your part of Aus with tags pinned in locations, or sticky tabs like you see at sales with a name might do it for you.

If I'm traveling I put word out to anybody on the route or in the area who wouldn't mind a visit. 

Frosty The Lucky.

G'day, hobbyist blacksmith, making things from rusted iron is fun, from east Gippsland Vic. 

Jim.

G'day and welcome, Jim! It's good to see another Aussie on here. We never seem to post enough!

Cheers,

Jono.

Thanks Jono, good to be on here!

Jim.

Hi again all,

Hobbyist from Sydney Australia.

Melting metals in my propane furnace and doing some casting projects.

Don't know why my first post disappeared ??

Hey again Kopper. I just replied to your introduction and won't repeat that long ramble. Try NOT to post the same message in different sections, it irritates the moderators.

I just got back from picking up one of our dogs at the Vet and see your most recent post wondering where your first post went. See above.

It takes a while to learn the common courtesies of Iforge, they're not too onerous and go a long way towards some 50,000 members in countries around the world getting along so well.

Frosty The Lucky.

Usually when a post disappears, it's due to one of the moderators or admin. However you should have received a message as to why, sometimes a warning, don't fret about it unless it was a serious violation with points attached.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

Welcome aboard from 7500' (2284 meters) in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

And sometimes things just diasppear into the internet ether.  No one knows why.  It just happens.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thanks guys! It's all good

Carl here currently of no fixed address as traveling around the county with my wife and 2 kids in a caravan.

Originally from Warrnambool Vic and will end up somewhere in SA in 12 months when we finish our 3 years of travel.

I have always had an interest in Blacksmithing and will be doing my first Workshop at Pt Elliot SA in 3 days so can't wait.

Looking forward to heating up some metal then bending, twisting and banging it into something useful.

Welcome, Carl! My family and I travel in our van a fair bit and I've often thought of getting a little travel anvil, an 18v blower, a hammer and tongs and forging from the campfire.

Let us know how your workshop goes, and don't forget pictures! We love pictures!

Cheers,

Jono.

Hello Jono

It would be great to carry around an anvil but weight wise we are already on the limit.

The workshop was fantastic. It was a full day do I am a bit puffed and sore now. I mainly wanted to make tools that I could use when I set up my own hobby shop one day.

First off we made a hammer from a blank using the power hammer. I had never used a power hammer before so took a bit of getting used to. Tom the instructor then put a handle on it while I forged out some coil spring steel into some punches, chisels and drifts. By the last couple I was able to use the hammer we made first up which was pretty cool.

Then we made some tongs. I much preferred hammering out by hand as I was learning where to hit and how to correct when I hit the wrong place. This was slow going but I learnt a hell of a lot. Tom would then use the power hammer to tidy things up. We used the punch made earlier to make the holes for the rivets then set them with the hammer we made.

I am truly hooked now!! I have an even bigger respect now for people that are good at it because it takes a lot to get right. All the stuff that we made is rough but I love it because it shows my skill level when I started and now I have a yard stick to improve on.

 

That's an impressive workshop!! Really gives you a great leg up in starting off!

Cheers,

Jono. 

Hello All, 

Apologies in advance if this is the wrong place to post the below. 

I have two anvils that came from my grandfather who was a blacksmith. I would like to sell them and this is the only information I have for each:

 

1. Empress, 5 hundredweight would be 560# or 254 KG

2. Hardware 1-1/2 hundredweight is 168# or 76.2 KG
 

I'm researching but come up short for a reasonable price every time. 

I’ve attached photos to show quality. 
I’m located in Melbourne, Australia.
My father said he was offered $1500AUD  10 years ago for the larger Empress anvil but we don’t know if that was fair and/reasonable. 

Any other helpful insights for price will be greatly appreciated. 

Cheers and thank you for your comments. 

Fair 2nd hand anvil pricing in Australia can be pretty tough.

For comparison, I just bought a new, 40kg cast steel anvil from Nordic Edge for about $460 (not including shipping) so that's over $10 per kilo. Some of the big-name farrier anvils sell for $20+ per kilo.

Then you also see swaybacked, cracked and chipped anvils on marketplace where people have slapped the word antique on them and jacked up the price to match new anvils. Sadly, there's still not as much blacksmithing presence here than in the States and Europe (though it is growing a bit, again) to give stable, reliable 2nd hand pricing.

Yours look to be in good condition with flat faces and minimal chipping so I'd say $8-10 per kilo would be a good price. So, say, $500-$700 for the smaller one and $2000-$2500 for the bigger one.

You can always accept less if you need to move them a little quicker.

Caveat: I am by-no-means an expert. Others here will have more detailed knowledge of current market, or of older anvils, and manufacturing and material types, which may affect the price further.

Cheers,

Jono.

Thanks so much Jono. This is a great start. I appreciate how difficult it would be. Much appreciated. 

Better add my name to lost.

Rab up here in brissy. Been melting and casting woth my brother for a few years, and making diy projects and hitting metal heated up in my dads barbecue since I was little

Where abouts in Brissy are you, Rab? I'm in Daisy Hill, near the border of Brisbane and Logan.

Cheers,

Jono.

 

Im in west end. I've never been to daisy hill, though I've gone for a few walks in the bushland next to it, nice place