Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Index to Articles

Compiled FAQs, Articles and Glossaries at anvilfire.com

A

Adobe Spanish Colonial Forge

Building an 18th-Century Adobe Forge at The Presidio de San Agustin del Tucson, AZ. History, Materials, Construction and Testing by Eric G. Thing.

Alphabet Soup

Acronyms related to the metalworking industry. Includes many association links.

Anvils Our collection of anvil articles.

Anvil Selection

What type and size anvil do you need? Weight ranges, styles. Links to our other anvil articles.

Anvil Finding NEW!

How to find an anvil anywhere in the world.

Anvil Making

Index to our collection of old and new anvil making articles.
Gallery of DIY and Fabricated anvils

Anvil gallery

Gallery of anvils including rare and unusual anvils from private collections, classic anvils and new anvils.

• Grizzly and Chinese Cast Iron ASO's
• ASO's on ebay Dealer Fraud - avoiding getting stung.
• Fisher-Norris 'Eagle' Anvils
• German Anvils Comparison of types early and modern.
• Hundredweight Calculator
• Review of cheap Russian 50 kilo anvil
• Review of Delta TFS 100b anvil
  
  
• Anvil Series
  1. Types and Specifications
  2. Index to anvil making articles
  3. Buying used anvils
  4. Quality, welding and other anvil miscelania
  5. Anvil Radiuses - Grinding corners
  6. Testing Anvil Rebound
  7. Weight of Anvils
  8. Cast Steel vs. Forgings
  9. Styles and Preferences
  10. About Hardie Holes Includes table of brands and sizes.
  11. Anvil Stands from the iForge page


• My First Anvil A true story.

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Apprenticeships

An institution of the past, history of and current state in North America.

The ABANA Journeyman program and links

B

Bellows, Great

Great Bellows built by the guru in 1977 and used until 2005.

Bells, Gongs and Triangles

Math and Design of Simple Vibrators. The 12th Root of Two, Binary series.

Bench Hooks and Bench Pins

Woodworkers bench hooks and standard bench pins.

Benders 1

Common blacksmiths benders for duplicate bends.

Benders 2

Commercial benders, DiAcro and Hossfeld.

Benders 3

Special Benders. Belly pickets on weld platten, custom built U bolt bender.

Brass and Bronze

The difference, alloy specifications, forging and selected Q&A

Borax

Sodium tetraborate: Used as flux, how to dehydrate, 20 Mule Team History. (Also info on Flourite or flourspar.)

Buffer Polisher

A simple motor buffer polisher made from a common motor. Costs, pros cons and links.

Burners, Black Beauty

New budget burner made by DEMPSEYS FORGE / anvilfire.com. Details and mounting information.

Burners, Gas Forge DIY

Gas forges and DIY gas burner design using MIG tips.

Burner, Really Stupid

Blower type gas burner for forges, furnaces, kilns. . . .

C

Case Hardening

Surface hardening of steel, color case hardening, primitive case hardening.

Cast Iron Properties

ASTM cast irons with comparison to common steels.

CHAIN HOISTS

Types of chain hoists and how they operate.

Chinese Working Holding Bench

Traditional Chinese work holding and a "Sen". International Metalworking

Claying Forges

Reasons and how to.

Coal and Charcoal

Differences. pros and cons, selected Q&A. Links to coal information resources.

Charcoal making and links to coal forge information.

Coal Fire Management

Building and maintaining a coal fire.

Copyright Issues on anvilfire

Copyright and those stealing from anvilfire. The Hall of Shame

D

Drill Press 101, Mounting a Vise (vice)

How or where to mount a drill press vise. Links to iForge Drill press articles.

Drill Coolants and Lubricant

Keeping drill, taps and cutters cool and sharp.

E

F

Famous 10 Minute Gas Forge

Building the famous 10 minute gas forge, photos and drawings.

Fiberglass Handles vs. Wood Handles

Advantages and disadvantages

FORGE, Blacksmith

Blacksmith Forges, Ancient and Modern : Article in progress

Forge Blowers

Chart and article from MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK, 1914, Champion and Kaynes

Forge Burner by DEMPSEYS FORGE

The Black Beauty Forge Burner designed by Jock Dempsey.

Forge, Convertable

Stands horizontal and vertical.

Forges, Gas

General information about propane gas forges and burners.

Forge, Lightweight Fiber Panel

General information about building with lightweight fiber panels.

Forge, My First

A junk yard forge I built in 1969. Jock Dempsey, anvilfire guru

Forge/Punch Lube Comparison Report

Informal forge lubricant test report by Jeff Reinhardt AKA Ptree of Persimmon Tree Forge. Forge/Punch Lube Testimonial article by Jeff Reinhardt AKA Ptree of Persimmon Tree Forge.

Above have links to product reviews and factory information sheets.

Forge, Micro

Miniature propane torch burner forges.

G

Gas Facts

Fuel gas information, burning temperatures and rates.

Gas Forges

Building your first gas forge. Links and more.

NEW!

Galvanic Series

Factors in bi-metalic corrosion.

Getting Started in Blacksmithing

Things you need to know and where to find information about getting started in blacksmithing.

Glossary : English

Blacksmithing and Metalworking terms glossary by Jock Dempsey (in progress).

Glossary : International

Blacksmithing and Metalworking terms in English, French, German, Italian and Swedish.

Selected terms in Latin, Dutch (Holländisch), Afrikaans and Portuguese.

An ongoing project that will eventually link to individual glossaries in each language.

Got Away With It Factor

Gotta-way with it, Lucked Out, Waiting for the Darwin Award . . . The world is full of those who get away with things that us mere mortals cannot. . . . eventually . . .

H

Hammer Handle Repair Day

Annual wood handled too repair and maintenance day. Make it a spring tradition.

Hammer Weight Table

Common hammer and sledge weights in grams, pounds and ounces.

Hammer Eye Dimensions

Hammer eye sizes for forging hammer punches and drifts.

Hand Crank or Post Drills

Hand crank drill presses, Acme, Buffalo, Champion.

Handles, Rough

Handles for punches, chisles and flatters. Why they are loose fits.

Hardy (Hardie) Hole use and sizes

Purpose, sizes, fits and dressing. Table of brands and sizes

Hardness Conversion Table

Metal hardness value conversion table Brinell to Rockwell A, B, C scales.

Heat Treating

Hardening, tempering. Selected Q&A and metals heat treating specifications. Added Salt Bath information 11/23/2003

Links to materials information resources.

Heat Treating 4140 Hammer Dies Includes temper table.

Hydraulic Piping

Piping specification, fluids and safety considerations

Hydraulic Presses, Manual

Four Manual Hydraulic Presses.

I

Iron in the Hat

A NEW blacksmithing tradition.

Bad Illustrations

A warning to authors who self publish. Do's and don't and some how-to.

Images, Before and After

Image repair and enhancement for publication. Examples of "Photoshopping" images for publication on anvilfire and the web. A high resolution slide show.

J

Jewelers Saw Blades

Jewelers Saw Blade sizes, dimensions and recommended use. Images from iForge.

Junkyard Steels

Using recycled steel or steels of unknown pedigree. Rail road steel Specs.

Just DO IT

Editorial comment about flippant advise.

K

Kaowool, About

Refractory blanket information and comparison, Kaowwol, Durablanket, Inswool, Max-Wool

L

Lafitte Welding Plate

1905 Patent forge welding process using "Laffite plate".

Lathes

Should you have this King of Machiine Tools in your shop? Problems when buying used lathes.

Lathe Setup

Reverse engineering your old lathe to install a replacement drive.

The Law and Blacksmithing

What laws apply to my blacksmithing business?

Lead Pb Plumbum

Lead in the shop, Health and Safety.

Low Loss Stack

Low loss stack for forges. Correcting flue problems. Side draft hood links

M

Mathematics

Shop math and online calculators. Cone and Oval layout. Hole punching force. Riveting force. Metric to English conversions. NEW! English Hundreweights Calculator

N

O

One Pass Tenons

Machining pickett tenons on a lathe. Machine Tools in the Blacksmith Shop.

P

Photos - Before and After

See Images, Before and After

Platform Scales

Weighing devices in the Shop. Types of scales and their uses.

Polishing Mistakes

How to polish and the mistakes often made.

Punch/Forge Lube

Testimonial article by Jeff Reinhardt AKA Ptree of Persimmon Tree Forge.

Punch/Forge Lube Comparison Report

Informal forge lubricant test report by Jeff Reinhardt AKA Ptree of Persimmon Tree Forge.

Q

Quenchants

Coolants for heat treating. Air, Brine, Water, Oil, Synthetics.

With Rob Gunter's Super Quench Recipe.

R

Rebar

Reinforcing steel information. Selected Q&A

Repousse'

Sheet Metal Relief or Sculpture. Tools, materials and techniques. (Updated)

Repousse' Tool Making

How to make repousee' and chasing tools from existing tools. Types, design, photos, drawings and links.

Rifling Machine

Unique custom built Rifling Machine by Maj. J.G. Smithley - 1944.

Rigging and Moving Loads

Rigging tools, rollers, chains, wedges, pry bars, slings, eye bolts and shackles. Use and safety inspection.

Roller Chain Damascus

Selected Q&A on forge welding roller chain for knife making.

RR-Spikes

Rail Road Spikes, material and use.

S

Scales - Calibration

Calibrating weighing devices in the shop. Basic rules and procedure.

Spam, Viruses and the Nigerian scam

What you should know about being a cyber-citizen.

Steel product types

Commercial forms of steel, hot roll, cold drawn or finished (HR and CF bar)

Steel, Where to buy it

You cannot go but so far using scrap steel. Eventually you will need to buy new steel.

Sweet Iron

Sweet Iron for Horse Bits. What is it?

Sword Making, Gen X

Article in progress for those who ask "How do I make a sword?" Article in progress.
Bibliography : Sword Making Resources

T

Temper Color Chart with Steel Hardness

Standard temper color names text plus HTML color with Fahrenheit and Celsius. NEW Steel Hardness Temper data for four common SAE carbon steels.

Thermal Light iPhone App

NEW! Use your iPhone as an Optical Pyrometer! Simple App that lets you measure high temperatures with your iPhone.

Testimonials

anvilfire.com Testimonials, Praise and Press. What users have to say about anvilfire.com

Tongs, Blacksmith

iForge tong making how-to demos and dimensions chart links

Travel

Getting a passport, International Driver's license, Q&A, links

U

V

Vegetarian, Vegan or Nutritarian?

Diet for a healthy future using a scientific food rating system. Cure disease with diet and live longer.

Vises, Blacksmith Leg or Post

Solid Box Vices, size chart, make and mounting. Details.

W

Web Sites for Craftsfolk

Getting started and HTML basics. Anti-spam sample code.

Welding Benches

Welding benches for professional welders, blacksmiths and general metal workers. The four types of bench.

Wheels (briefly)

Grinding, buffing, polishing and wire. Compounds and speeds.

Woodworker's Work Bench

A heavy duty work bench as built by the guru.

Wrought Iron

Definition and identifying

X, Y, Z

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