Anvil help

[Hillbillysmith]

I just started back to school at the local vocational school learning the welding trade. At our class, there is an anvil that is just sitting out back of the shop and it is BADLY fractured. It has a big crack all the way across where the horn meets the face, and another all the way across where the heel meets the face. They're deep too. They set it out back so noone would use it, and I might be able to get it. It has it's own stand too. My question is: how in the world would I be able to fix that (IF I can get it or course)? Should I just break off the heel and horn and just heat up the pieces and arc-weld the anvil on a high amperage to fuse it back together? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Chris Pook]

I'm no expert on anvil repair but depending on the material its made from, I'd be tempted just to heavily gouge the material along the cracks and use a torch to preheat it and weld it up but like I said it depends on what its made of..

[ThomasPowers]

If it's a cast iron bodied anvil (vulcan or fisher) just use it till the ends fall off and continue using the center part.

If it's a cast steel anvil gouge, preheat and weld is a good way to go---though if you put too much heat into it you may need to re-harden the face.

If it's a steel faced wrought iron bodied anvil it will be harder to weld up due to the silicate stringers in the WI but you could try.

If its a totally cast iron Anvil Shaped Object use it as a doorstop.

Wire brush the side and see if you can find a trademark; if so we can probably tell you how it was made. Remember that hornless heelless anvils are very typical of anvils for most of the world---the japanese swordmaker's anvil has no horn or heel yet they are considered to do good work....
Thomas

[FredlyFX]

If it is a big anvil then it will probably work just fine without the horn & tail on it. I might try to weld the horn back on since it is more useful in my opinion, but it would work without it.

[Thomas Dean]

Just a note on the gouging route...If you go this way be sure to grind all the gouged area as there will be carbon deposits that will cause HARD spots in the weld causing premature cracking. My$.02 worth.

[irnsrgn]

Thomas, 1/16 or more needs to be ground off the gouged area if an air arc is used because of the carbon precipitation, but I have never had a problem using oxy-acet gouging tips.