ExanimusDeus

I pick up my forge on Friday. Bought a whisper daddy propane forge. Got a cheap Russian 110lbs anvil from harbor freight and we shall see how I do. I Might work in the forge in the Renaissance fair after I get some experience. I have been wanting to do blacksmithing for years now. My only experience so far is with silversmithing and casting. I have made a goal to specialize in forging sword guards and pommels. Rereading the complete bladesmith by Jim Hrisoulas right now and impatiently waiting for Friday. Really want to pound metal now.

RoddyM

I made a pair of swords out of scrap using a blowtorch and an arc welder. My son and I spar in the back yard and see how long it takes for the cops to arrive.

Jackalope

Sigh. We had a coal forge at one point, but it won't pass the air quality restrictions here anymore. George made what's possibly one of the ugliest wakasashi ever made, but it certainly works. It's been used to chop up quite a few things by now. I've mostly done smaller work. I do have a big-ass farrier's hammer for when I'm working copper wire jewelry. Why kill my arm when the hammer can do the smashing for me? The only problem was the time I hit my thumb with it. A carpenter friend noticed the bruises and said, "Hammer?" "Yeah, a 2 pound hammer." "2 ounces?" "No, 2 pounds." Then I had to tell him that it's pretty small for a blacksmithing tool...

I did a cajun-style triangle for someone starting with steel bar stock. Another "ugly but it works good" project.

My hands just aren't up to doing much metalwork these days. The last project I did was replace some of my silver ring splints. The orthopedist was highly impressed with my work and his first question was, "Who made those for you?" People keep asking me to make them a set, since they look so cool. So at least I've managed to construct orthopedic braces that 1) don't suck and 2) aren't ugly.

I wish the wiring at our house didn't suck so bad. No way we can run the arc welder here.

Dark Jedi

My experience with harbor Freight anvils is that they are tool steel outside, potiron inside. Poor bounce and they lose their work surface quickly.

My best anvil for bladework has been a chunk of railroad rail about 1.5 feet long that I annealed, ground the top flat (It's slightly rounded as a railroad rail) then tempered to a good hardness. (Heat to a dark straw color, then dunk in salt water quench)
Mounted on a stump using the rail plate from the same railway they were tearing up when I begged my chunk, it works great!

My big anvil is a 3 foot chunk of structural I-beam. It's 4 inches thick on the top, 3 foot long, and about 2 foot wide. It makes a great wide surface for platemail work, and weighs about 300lbs. I tempered it the same way, and added wood braces at the outer edges to prevent any bending over time.
BTW, heating and dunking that monstrosity was a 4-man job, with much cursing and swearing. I will not be doing that again if I can help it. I have NEVER had that much charcoal burning at once before, or since. it looked like the aftermatch of a forest fire in that temporary pit forge.

I have no true anvils, and don't miss them. The I-beam has a pritchel hole and hardy hole to hold tools when needed.

I would like a propane forge, but have to make do with a charcoal/coal forge I made out of a deep plow disk. Too poor to build or buy a propane one.

Dark Jedi

For a quick way to make a sword-like object: head to the junkyard and pick up some flattened leaf-springs.

Take 'em apard and grind them in to the shape you want. Heat them to red hot and dunk them in a trough of water.

Wrap the hilt with leather, or make a wooden hilt. Bingo, vaguely sword-like instrument.