hammer rack

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randyt

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here's a old photo of my hammer rack. It's nice to be able to keep the hammers all gathered up in one place. I need to build a couple more, I have a lot of hammers.

byHgssJl.jpg
 
Forge not working, not time to repair until after the wedding on 11/2020
Never got around to making knives, a lot of people start with knives, but not me.
 
Forge not working, not time to repair until after the wedding on 11/2020
Never got around to making knives, a lot of people start with knives, but not me.
If you fix your forge. All I need is bar beat out 1/4'' thick x 10'' long x 1.5 wide
I will take it from that point
 
If you fix your forge. All I need is bar beat out 1/4'' thick x 10'' long x 1.5 wide
I will take it from that point
Do a quick search for blacksmithing guild in your area. If no results, come on over. We’ll getchya set up. Whole group of goofballs who love beating on orange metal 😁
 
What size is your anvil.
I have an anvil 150 pounds,that is dated 1925, but I can not find any information on who made it.
Do you have a picture? Also, any idea of where it came from (area)? Sometimes you can find a probable maker by figuring out if there was dealer of a specific brand in the area. Library might be able to do a search of old papers/records to let you know that.
 
Got part of a number, but daughter of the owner, used it as a garden element & most of the number is rusted away.
"
the print:
Below weight is words/ letters "PARC" "LOSL"
On the other side is "SONEUSONS" "???VENON".
Do you know anything about this anvil or a link to someone who could.
Thank you for your time. "

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/got-1925-93-years-150-pd-anvil.2639/
 
Do you have a picture? Also, any idea of where it came from (area)? Sometimes you can find a probable maker by figuring out if there was dealer of a specific brand in the area. Library might be able to do a search of old papers/records to let you know that.
My anvil
20201014_220855.jpg
 
Got part of a number, but daughter of the owner, used it as a garden element & most of the number is rusted away.
"
the print:
Below weight is words/ letters "PARC" "LOSL"
On the other side is "SONEUSONS" "???VENON".
Do you know anything about this anvil or a link to someone who could.
Thank you for your time. "

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/got-1925-93-years-150-pd-anvil.2639/
I don’t but will ask a few folks with far greater knowledge than me (that part really doesn’t take much 😊.)
 
I'm pretty sure i have the head and a big fork for pulling railroad spikes. is the gandy dancer like a sledge with a long nose?

A "gandy" is a long, heavy steel bar used to line the track left or right. Nowadays we call it a Lining Bar. If you get 8 or 10 guys all shoving in a coordinated movement it's actually quite efficient. "Gandy Dancers" are the workers who perform the movement, they all move in unison almost like a choreographed dance. It's rarely done anymore because we have machines that do it faster and better, but we still use those bars to do things like maneuvering ties into place under the rail.

The long skinny sledge is a "spike maul". It's shaped like that so that you can stand on one side of a rail and hit the spike on the other side without breaking the hammer handle on the rail. The tool for pulling spikes, with a heavy claw on one end and a prying tip on the other, is a claw bar. They weigh about 28 pounds and get real heavy if you have to carry it all day.

@randyt you could probably build taller racks and sell them to the railroads to put in their shops. I worked in a shop in Iowa that had a big table, but the surface was built with parallel bars instead of being solid. Whenever you had a little spare time, you'd fix broken handles on mauls and other tools, and put them in the tabletop rack to be ready for use. It was handy but used up a lot of space...
 
I've always heard the rail types called Anvil Shaped Objects (ASO's) while an anvil is a cast or forged steel tool.
I use a 3 pound hammer for forging most often preferring a 100 to 150 pound forging anvil. I like the longer face of the Austrian anvil but like to have both the round and square "Hardy" holes found on most "classic" forging anvils. Farrier anvils are not really heavy enough to do a lot of forging but have heel clips and horn clips needed to fit shoes properly. They are generally made of cast ductile iron instead of steel.
The important factor is finding one that works with you in what you do.
 
I conduct blacksmithing demo’s (have for about 20 years) and use two 70 lbs farrier’s anvils with a coal forge and Buffalo blower. There are definitely times when I could use a larger anvil, but setting up and tearing down the two 70’s and their stands is enough of a chore.

village_smithy.jpg
 
I have two pole vise.
Nice table, I like the way the brace interlock with the legs.
I worked in a food plant & have a metal table with a 3/4 steel top, it was a bace for a glass jar labeler & I got it for free, when they replaced the labeler.
 
That great, I do not know where my father got the one we have, but it has been in my family for over 60 years. The other was my Father in laws & I have no ideal how long he had it.
 
I've always heard the rail types called Anvil Shaped Objects (ASO's) while an anvil is a cast or forged steel tool.
I use a 3 pound hammer for forging most often preferring a 100 to 150 pound forging anvil. I like the longer face of the Austrian anvil but like to have both the round and square "Hardy" holes found on most "classic" forging anvils. Farrier anvils are not really heavy enough to do a lot of forging but have heel clips and horn clips needed to fit shoes properly. They are generally made of cast ductile iron instead of steel.
The important factor is finding one that works with you in what you do.
Square hole is Hardy hole. The round is a pritchel hole (sp?).
On my lookout is to someday find hubby a nice swage block. Since the TV show F & F, anything smithy is a ridiculous price.
 
I've been wanting a swage block. A 98 year old man passed in our town the other day. His father was the town blacksmith back in the day. There is a complete old time shop at his place, not sure what will ever become of it. He wouldn't even think about selling any of it. If nothing else it should be moved in to the local historical society display.
 
I've been wanting a swage block. A 98 year old man passed in our town the other day. His father was the town blacksmith back in the day. There is a complete old time shop at his place, not sure what will ever become of it. He wouldn't even think about selling any of it. If nothing else it should be moved in to the local historical society display.
I put love that- might sound wrong. I’m sorry he passed, but am glad he kept the shop together and love the idea of it being part of the historical society.
 
yea, his dad was like a town father, anyone that knows local history knows who he was. When he had got up in years everyone called him uncle dave.
 

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