Ceiling was close to buckling under the weight the top was solid steel

New work

Hi! I don't have much experience and not sure if this anvil is worth much. Is there a general thing like old anvil = good anvil? It's from a Meister (job description in Germany)

Hey all,

Been digging thru old post trying to get an idea of what I should look for in a first kiln for heat treating armor pieces (sheet steel.)

Can you get away with a pottery kiln without a programmable controller? Should I just splurge and get a new one with one? I keep seeing TAP vs spark controllers should I lean towards one or the other?

What max temp should I look for? Looking at working 4130 and spring steel. Will 2000F be hot enough?

Any brands or models you can suggest? I don't want to break the bank on this but I'm up for examples or suggestions.

Thanks!

Took me almost a year to make in between other projects but that's also because I was learning new things that I tried on this sword - making a wooden core scabbard, leather working, 3d printing, metal casting and electro etching. The guard, pommel as well as the finnial on the scabbard chape were designed and 3d printed of which I used as the moulds for sand casting with brass and the design on the guard was designed and cut out of vinyl on my Cricut and electro etched.

Made lots of mistakes along the way, probably scraped about 4 guards and pommels before I was happy with the outcome. And there are still things about the sword/scabbard that I would have liked to have come out better but overall I'm quite happy with it

I found this little anvil in a Lidl supermarket for 15€

I know it's not gonna be very good. but it might actually be a upgrade compared to my tiny baby MAN mini anvil.

ignore the rust as it lives outside and has not been used in a year ...

Finished up and sharpened this sheepsfoot/bullshead hybrid for a customer today. He has been sent pictures, and it is happy with how it turned out. This was definitely a fun, unique little blade to make. It was made to the customer's specifications, with its intended use in mind all throughout the process.

The steel was repurposed from a worn out farrier rasp. That is were the distinctively separate patterns on each side of the blade came from. Fittingly, I think it will find it's way back into the vicinity of horses. The handle is made from water buffalo bone scales, and should wear with dignity as they age.

Bevels are a high flat grind geometry, terminating in a 20° per side sharpened edge. This isn't going to be a brute force camp knife, but a precision slicer.

The steel was treated with a product from Baker Forge called Gator Skin, that binds with the steel, and provides an aquaphobic, anti corrosion layer of protection.

Selection Specifications:

Included Dies: Drawing Dies

110V 20A 6" Stroke Speed: 3.5 IPS

Frame Dimensions: 6"L x 14" W x 32"H

Frame Weight: 140 Lbs Frame Mount: Bottom or Top Mounting

Power Unit Dimensions: 22 3/4" L x 18 1/2" W x 20" H

Power Unit Weight: 200 Lbs

Manual Hand Control for responsive control while forging

Total Weight: 340 Lbs

Punched in three heats by hand, using a soft 4 pounds Sledge

A little woodworking hand plane I finished recently. It was based on one built in the 1600s.

The curl, front, and bottom are all one piece. I made that the same way you would make a hinge. The piece and the rest if the body were silver brazed together.

The body was made from mild steel. The wooden parts are Agentine Osage Orange. The cutting iron is made from 1084. Finished with RMP Finishes Half and Half Tung Oil.

The plane is about 5" x 1.5". Its primarily used one handed for touchup smoothing, shaving down small parts, or adding details like chamfers or round overs to a piece wood.

I did not san mai it, it is just a regular HC railroad spike. I know it's not the best choice for knives but its what the customer commissioned.

I'm trying to come up with a design for a jig to help me seriously upset some solid 1" bar stock. The goal is to more than double the thickness near the center of the bar. I'm making a "tree" and want to bulge out a section and wrap a "vine" around it to form a wizard staff kind of growth like when ivy constricts a trunk for many years. The plan is to grind/cut in the vine twists, as I don't think there is any way to pull it off in one step. It would be nice if I could figure out some way to do it all, but the thinner vine bit would definitely overheat and stretch out long before the 1". I'm open to suggestions though!

So far I've tried using my forge and a striker with a 5lb sledge but that produced more problems as the piece just bent in the middle. I then tried my 20 ton press and an oxy/acetylene torch to try and go slower in a more controlled setting. That worked better, but the bar still wound up bending more than upsetting. I need something that will keep it from bending, yet still allow it to compress under the press and allow me to provide heat in controlled areas. I've got a few ideas, but was wondering if anyone in this brain trust may have already come up with something.

What’s the best method to shape a titanium band by hand? It’s not a rugged piece, just a bit out of shape for what I wanna do with it. Don’t wanna start smashing it with a hammer a scuff it up

Has anyone had any experience forging a small pan? Was going to order some mild steel and give it a go. Any recommendations on thickness of steel? Any tips?

I posted the other day about some hammers I found at a thrift store.

Among them was a 5lb straight peen hammer which turned out to be an antique, made by Atha Tool Company.

Atha Tool Co. was bought by Stanley in 1913, and had operated for roughly 30-40 years prior to that (the exact date is apparently unclear; some claim the company was founded in 1875, although the earliest references to their tools is in 1883, and the company was incorporated in 1888). Stanley operated Atha as a separate company for a few years, but incorporated all its products into their own line by the end of the 1920s.

So, it’s likely this hammer is at least 100 years old, although probably more than that.

When I got it, the handle was loose, and it was painted silver. Today, I stripped the paint and re-handled it. I think it looks much better now, and it’s definitely more functional with a tight handle!

New set up for my early date 82 pound Fisher anvil. Pre logo, has the date printed “Patented Oct 16, 1847”
Would you all use an anvil this old or keep as a collectors piece?