OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Idle Chatter The End Of My Hobby?

G'day folks,
That anvil isn't all that old; it was used by the last soldier settler 'blockie' at Red Cliffs, Vic, to use horses to work his fruit block. He was a Gallipoli veteran, and retired to the house next door to the one I lived in for most of my school years. This was his shoeing anvil.

I have one of those hand blower riveters/farriers forges, too. Picked it up for cheap at a rural clearing sale, because it didn't have a fire tray.

This is it as bought;


The first fire tray I built was full size, using a discarded plough disc for a base;


Then I thought that having a small fire tray would be handy too, for heating smaller tools and such. That one's based on a small cast-iron car brake drum;


I've been pretty lucky with picking up tools as onesie-twosies at swap meets, markets and junk shops.
One advantage I have is some good reference books, including a couple of repros of actual 19th century books on blacksmithing - written just before the trade began to go downhill. It helps a lot if you can recognise a tool's purpose, when you find it in a bin in a junk shop.

My smithing bookshelf: