Any blacksmiths here?

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RussellSullivan

RussellSullivan

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East Liverpool, OH
I just picked up a little anvil made out of railroad track. It's pretty small to do a whole lot with, but hopefully I can manage to forge a few small items with it. I'll be making a coal/wood forge and stoke it with a bellows. Trying to do as much as possible without power tools.

If anyone here forges, I'd love to see some of the things you guys make.

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I don't do any forging but I am waiting on my friend who works for the railroad. He's bringing me a 4 ft section of rail for free. I plan to cut out and grind at least one larger anvil, I've seen on youtube how you can take two sections of rail and make a really nice anvil,it requires a little welding but that not a problem.
 
Ive seen many railroad tracks made into anvils, kind of like a poor mans anvil but they are very useful
Good sized anvils aren't cheap but if you keep a eye peeled, watch local yard sales and places going out of business, you will eventually pick one up for a good price
I always wanted my own forge, maybe someday...
 
Steve welder said:
Ive seen many railroad tracks made into anvils, kind of like a poor mans anvil but they are very useful
Good sized anvils aren't cheap but if you keep a eye peeled, watch local yard sales and places going out of business, you will eventually pick one up for a good price
I always wanted my own forge, maybe someday...
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An old steel wheel raised up off the ground with bricks makes for a simple wood/coal forge. That's what I'm going to use, since because I have all the materials already. Just need a bellows or a hand cranked turbine, which can both be had for cheap online. The goal for now is to make some usable items (bottle openers, knives, whatever) without using power tools.

Treblig said:
I don't do any forging but I am waiting on my friend who works for the railroad. He's bringing me a 4 ft section of rail for free. I plan to cut out and grind at least one larger anvil, I've seen on youtube how you can take two sections of rail and make a really nice anvil,it requires a little welding but that not a problem.
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You ain't kidding about the cost of a real anvil. Even the small ones are out of my price range for now. A sturdy base to mount it on is essential. This one's screwed into a piece of locust
 
RussellSullivan said:
An old steel wheel raised up off the ground with bricks makes for a simple wood/coal forge. That's what I'm going to use, since because I have all the materials already. Just need a bellows or a hand cranked turbine, which can both be had for cheap online. The goal for now is to make some usable items (bottle openers, knives, whatever) without using power tools.



You ain't kidding about the cost of a real anvil. Even the small ones are out of my price range for now. A sturdy base to mount it on is essential. This one's screwed into a piece of locust
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Russ, did you ever think of doing castings? Thats really what I wanted to try
Keep looking, im confident you can find a anvil and maybe things like tongs reasonably priced
 
Steve welder said:
Russ, did you ever think of doing castings? Thats really what I wanted to try
Keep looking, im confident you can find a anvil and maybe things like tongs reasonably priced
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I've had my share of castings, I used to make bronze plaques in a foundry.

RustyRatRod said:
Harbor Freight has a 55 pound anvil on their site. Funny part is, the thing has pretty darn good reviews.
55 lb. Rugged Cast Iron Anvil
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I did see that one before I bought this little one. It's nice that it has a hardy hole, but I didn't care for the horn.
 
RussellSullivan said:
I've had my share of castings, I used to make bronze plaques in a foundry.



I did see that one before I bought this little one. It's nice that it has a hardy hole, but I didn't care for the horn.
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I do agree. They could have shaped it better. But then, it's 69.99. LOL
 
RustyRatRod said:
I do agree. They could have shaped it better. But then, it's 69.99. LOL
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Hazard Fart does have some pretty good stuff for cheap. I really just wanted to get an eyeball on what I was getting so I opted to go the local route.

toolmanmike said:
Ouch, Anvils should be forged not cast. Duh on them.
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I noticed that too. Cast steel would be okay, but cast iron, ehh..
 
I would love to get into it. Please keep us updated as you progress.

I have the HF anvil. It has taken quite a few blows. I have seen a picture on line of one broken in half and its interior metal was not melted. You could see the old screws and junk it was cast from.

Mine is not mounted very solid so it has a lot of bounce. That may be one reason it has survived this long.
 
Cope said:
I would love to get into it. Please keep us updated as you progress.

I have the HF anvil. It has taken quite a few blows. I have seen a picture on line of one broken in half and its interior metal was not melted. You could see the old screws and junk it was cast from.

Mine is not mounted very solid so it has a lot of bounce. That may be one reason it has survived this long.
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I plan to mount my rail road rail on an old tree stump. I see people wanting to get rid of tree stumps all the time on craigslist and Facebook market place. A tree stump is the perfect base cuz it absorbs most of the shock when you're hammering on the anvil.
 
God anvils back in Mo last time I lived there 5 years ago, would bring minimum.... of $1 a lb and most old ones weighed over 200. I bet that railroad track will do as you learn and if you want to continue, got a farm suction and look for an old anvil, a 100 lb one wold no doubt be plenty.
Farriers (horseshoers) use a small gas fired forge.
I have built a lot of bits years back and never had a forge. Would have loved one. It take a special coal for the forge. If you can find someone local that is a knife maker or even spur maker, that is a good sourse for whatall.
I made the belly for a forge out of a semi brake drum and some pipe, etc, just never got the blower. Financially challenged at the time!
 
Gearfinger said:
You don't need a "real" anvil, but you really limit your abilities pushing air by hand...
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His bellows call for a...


Wait for it...










Wait for it...













Admit it, you were expecting a peanut gallery LS swap comment!
 
I have made handmade bits, spurs. Gas welded and brazed. I did all my hot work with just a torch.
The right belt sander is good.
What is really cool is the guys that can forge a "one piece" spur and out of a Model A axle. They are artists and a dying breed. They aren't cheap.
So much crap for everything is made in good ole China. You can tell fast by the price!!
 
When I worked at the landfill there was a blacksmiths shop. I was able to visit there once in awhile
They had a large forge and a big air hammer which was run by steam at one time....Only the blacksmith operated that hammer for obvious reasons
They would forge many parts and often hammer weld various items. I saw oblong rings about a inch diameter round bar that had to be one hundred percent properly made and to exact inside dimensions
That took some skill
 
RussellSullivan said:
I just picked up a little anvil made out of railroad track. It's pretty small to do a whole lot with, but hopefully I can manage to forge a few small items with it. I'll be making a coal/wood forge and stoke it with a bellows. Trying to do as much as possible without power tools.

If anyone here forges, I'd love to see some of the things you guys make.

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I have one of those. We made a lot of em when I worked for the railroad. They're a great tool that comes in very handy. Trust me they'll take anything you can hand out. They're used to having locomotives pounding on them! Lol
 
I have a friend who is a top notch blacksmith, so when our member PabstXX came to America, he and his wife stayed at our house. I was thinking of what we could do while he was here, so I called Jim and asked if we could come over for a forging lesson. To say those 2 hit it off is an understatement. When they realized that they had a German connection, the beers came out , at about 10am, and the forging and tomfoolery started. Uli and I both made leaves, which according to Jim is his benchmark test to see if you have the makings of a blacksmith. So anyway, here’s a couple pics of that memorable trip.

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cosgig said:
I have a friend who is a top notch blacksmith, so when our member PabstXX came to America, he and his wife stayed at our house. I was thinking of what we could do while he was here, so I called Jim and asked if we could come over for a forging lesson. To say those 2 hit it off is an understatement. When they realized that they had a German connection, the beers came out , at about 10am, and the forging and tomfoolery started. Uli and I both made leaves, which according to Jim is his benchmark test to see if you have the makings of a blacksmith. So anyway, here’s a couple pics of that memorable trip.

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Awesome. I'll bet that was an awful lot of fun
 
cosgig said:
I have a friend who is a top notch blacksmith, so when our member PabstXX came to America, he and his wife stayed at our house. I was thinking of what we could do while he was here, so I called Jim and asked if we could come over for a forging lesson. To say those 2 hit it off is an understatement. When they realized that they had a German connection, the beers came out , at about 10am, and the forging and tomfoolery started. Uli and I both made leaves, which according to Jim is his benchmark test to see if you have the makings of a blacksmith. So anyway, here’s a couple pics of that memorable trip.

View attachment 1715841070

View attachment 1715841071

View attachment 1715841072

View attachment 1715841073
Click to expand...
Great story, thanks for sharing!
 
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