Blacksmithing tools

[VaughnT]

...wishing I had something hanging out in space a little to get a better angle and/or induce a bit of curvature.

This is why should buy one of everything. No more of that silly talk about "need"ing a tool. See it, buy it. Stick it somewhere and someday it'll come in handy. If you talk with your wife, maybe she'll let you use the living room wall to create something like a tool display, almost like a museum, so you can store all the neat rusty iron that you run across. I hear wives don't mind that kind of thing.

If you want a horn on your anvil, make it happen. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And make yourself a cone mandrel while you're at it. Cones are handy and you need a lot of different sizes.

[SlowBlues]

Anyone have any experience using a Stainless steel (not sure of the exact alloy, nothing exotic they're just local metal supplier drops) for a bench block?

Any reasons NOT to use stainless over mild steel?

Would AR type steel be better or even suitable?

I don't have an anvil, and buying one really is not in the works (anvils/vises are ridiculously expensive here in the land of almond milk and organic honey). For the small amount of "smithing" I do, I use mild steel bench blocks and wonder if a stainless or AR type bench block would be better.

If all else is in vain I might just add hard face to my current bench blocks, but that is time and relatively (to the cost of the project) expensive.

Thanks guys!

[VaughnT]

...using a Stainless steel... for a bench block?

If all else is in vain I might just add hard face to my current bench blocks, but that is time and relatively (to the cost of the project) expensive.

Stainless steel is fine. The surface might lose its stainless quality because of the heat you're putting into it, but that's just cosmetic.

Hard-facing is 100% good-to-go. It's actually how old worn out anvils are repaired and brought back to like-new condition. The Gunter Method of Anvil Repair has been used for thousands of anvils, and there's a guy in Nova Scotia who's made quite a name for himself on facebook and Instagram. Folks love seeing the before-n-after photos of the anvils he's saved.

Grindstone - 214lb Mousehole

Before:


After:

[VaughnT]

Lots of progress pics on Grindstone's page, and always a joy to browse through.

https://www.facebook.com/250.grindst...rnal&tab=album

240lb Mousehole....





He'd definitely make a good American with all that Can Do Attitude he's got going on!

[VaughnT]

Would AR type steel be better or even suitable? I use mild steel bench blocks and wonder if a stainless or AR type bench block would be better.

In the olden days, the best smiths in the world would have killed to have an anvil made from our mild steel, so don't fret it if that's all you have. The critical component is the mass you have under the hammer. To many people think that a big slab of steel makes a great anvil, but they would be wrong. A 12x12x3 chunk of steel laid flat is about as useless as teats on a boar hog. That same chunk turned on edge, though, so you have a 3x12 face and 12" of mass under where the hammer strikes.... well, that's a horse of a different color.

Try it and you'll immediately see the difference.

Of course, what the anvil is setting on also makes a difference. Benches are, by design, pretty flimsy. There's always some give.

My bench has a solid steel top that 1-1/4" thick, and the legs are 4x4x1/4" angle iron. You'd think this would be stout, especially since the whole thing weighs over a 1000#.

My Fisher anvil is only 300#, and it's sitting on a stand that weighs 150#. The difference in performance between the anvil and the big ol' bench is night and day. Even though my bench is far bigger, heavier and just generally looks awesome, the lighter anvil out performs it every time because there's no bend to the top when I'm hammering. The anvil's mass is all directly under the impact zone of the hammer.

A block of mild steel will get you through a lot of work if you set it up to be effective. Plus, it just looks better, like it's a tool to be used seriously and not just some chunk of iron sitting on the bench!

Throw in a little hard-facing rod and you'll be golden!



You can even weld up a super-sexy design that's sure to make the whole family overjoyed for generations to come. It really is too bad that nobody makes anvils with style and grace anymore.

[Lis2323]

Lots of progress pics on Grindstone's page, and always a joy to browse through.


He'd definitely make a good American with all that Can Do Attitude he's got going on!

Around here we call that a normal “working guy”. Must be the beer. Whtbaron and others will back me up…..


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[Shootr]

This is why should buy one of everything. No more of that silly talk about "need"ing a tool. See it, buy it. Stick it somewhere and someday it'll come in handy. If you talk with your wife, maybe she'll let you use the living room wall to create something like a tool display, almost like a museum, so you can store all the neat rusty iron that you run across. I hear wives don't mind that kind of thing.

If you want a horn on your anvil, make it happen. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. And make yourself a cone mandrel while you're at it. Cones are handy and you need a lot of different sizes.

I had a sign that read like this in my Snap-On truck...the wives were not amused. They did like the "Got Tools" thong underwear we had made up for them for Xmas though.



Living room is too far to walk. I subscribe to the "ask for forgiveness, not permission" mantra when it comes to my purchases. I'll figure out the horn eventually - probably get the one from Holland you linked to if nothing pops up here.

[shortfuse]

Lots of progress pics on Grindstone's page, and always a joy to browse through.

https://www.facebook.com/250.grindst...rnal&tab=album

240lb Mousehole....

Wow! I checked out his facebook and webpages. That guy does some fantastic restorations. He has breathed new life into a lot of old Mousehole anvils. (LOL, I almost wrote "breathed new life into a lot of old Mouseholes", but that would NOT have gone over very well.....!!!)

[VaughnT]

Grindstone is pretty dang awesome. And he's a great guy to shoot the bull with. Very knowledgeable and helpful every time I've run into him. Takes a mean picture, too!

I can't wait to see what the next anvil comes out like. It's really cool to see him fix up something that you'd think was beyond saving.

[whtbaron]

Around here we call that a normal “working guy”. Must be the beer. Whtbaron and others will back me up…..


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Uhhh.....yea....sure. Call me lazy, but I would have cut that mouse's tail off square. He does do great work though.

[SlowBlues]

Thanks to the insight and information everyone, as always you guys not only come through with information but with inspiration for a few new projects and improvements. This forum is truly a gem.

Fortunately my bench blocks are all very tall, cylinder and block shaped.

I don't have them on a stump type SOLID stand though, I'll remedy that and go with the hardfacing.

Hell, those "super sexy design" anvils have me thinking about adding a horn and/or heel to some of them. It's easy to forget that function should always trump form when looking at those gorgeous restored anvils. That is some beautiful work - and I love the idea of those anvils seeing another 50+ years of work.

VaughnT - always a wealth of useful information. Grindstone does some very inspirational work!

[VaughnT]

Before:





Grindstone - "Keeping that interpass temp up. most people think that you have to limit your arc time to keep the face from getting too hot. Unless your anvil is 100lb or less this is not the case. I had to reheat this anvil a total of 3 times plus the post welding heat , to keep the interpass temp up at 400 degrees."

During:



After:



If you know how to weld, there's no anvil you can't save. It's just a matter of time and money!

[psacustomcreations]

A little bird told me about a 12 Ton forging press for sale on Instagram. It is from Coal Iron Works. The seller was only a little over an hour away. I combined one relatively quick trip to the seller with dropping off an art piece.

Now I can easily squish hot metal.



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[VaughnT]

Nice score! Can't wait to see what you squish first!

[Lis2323]

Ooh. Sooo jealous


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[psacustomcreations]

Nice score! Can't wait to see what you squish first!

It is not too loud. I have it in my enclosed shop and while there is the usual whine of a hydraulic pump, I would not say it is that bad.
I normally wear hearing protection when forging anyway so this is no big deal.

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[Shootr]

A little bird told me about a 12 Ton forging press for sale on Instagram. It is from Coal Iron Works. The seller was only a little over an hour away. I combined one relatively quick trip to the seller with dropping off an art piece.

Now I can easily squish hot metal.



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Ooh. Sooo jealous

Me too! That's awesome!

[whtbaron]

I like it... any rating for blows/min when it's fast or slow?

[psacustomcreations]

I like it... any rating for blows/min when it's fast or slow?

It is more of a slow squish. It takes about three seconds or so to move that distance. Once it presses on the metal it slows of course.

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[Lis2323]

I like it... any rating for blows/min when it's fast or slow?

It is more of a slow squish. It takes about three seconds or so to move that distance.

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WTF???? Am I the only one reading this???!


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[whtbaron]

LOL...what??? I'm used to seeing stuff like power hammers for sheet metal moreso than blacksmithing tools. The hammering process there is much faster... I was just curious... nothing nefarious to see here...

[Lis2323]

Sorry. It was late. Perhaps I was reading too much into that ….


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[Lis2323]

A really nice fellow and his son sent me these photos of their forge setup and current 3” belt grinder.

I think the forge is a Mighty Forge with two doors for pass through heating.



Their belt grinder is a King 3” which gets them by,





but they will be upgrading to mine with a custom cart.

These fellas are serious knife/swordsmiths and the father is a Hakido Master. . Definitely not to be messed with


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[VaughnT]

Looks like a very nice set up.

[Lis2323]

Looks like a very nice set up.

The fellow is a diving instructor and fastidiously orderly! Made me immediately think of PSA.

HIS words "Pretty much every diver here on the site collects knives or likes blacksmithing, so now you know why we like tools "


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