Semi newbie questions, NC brand anvils

[Jack-O-Lantern]

O.K. vets. 3 questions.

 

1. Are NC brand anvils any good? 70 lbs goes for about 280$. I'm thinking of getting one.

 

2. Is there a noticeable difference using a Japanese style hammer?

 

3. Whats the deal with "non-magnetic" and why is it important enough to be brought up so often?

 

Thanks

[jmccustomknives]

As far as the anvils go, I've never used one of those.  At 70lbs I'd break it. :o   As far as hammers go, it's a taste thing.  Some like that style some don't.  To put it most in a very simplistic way, non-magnetic is the point where the carbon molecules start moving around in the iron.  At that point they move into the iron molecules and is quenched fast enough get trapped causing the steel to get hard. 

[Steve Sells]

one of the guys that is training under me left his 100# NC anvil here, it works well, not as good a rebound as a Peter wright or my Kohlswa, but a good anvil,  you can do better than that small for $280 tho.

[Nobody Special]

I've only played with NC anvils a bit, but at $4 a lb, I'd much rather the "old, used" anvils I've got. Most I've payed yet is $90 for a 115 lb mousehole in good condition. 

 

A japanese hammer......short version is yes. They handle differently. Whether you prefer that or not is up to you. For those that like them, they seem to be popular among bladesmiths. To me, they just kinda feel weird and off balance, but maybe I haven't played with them enough. I've certainly seen them used effectively.

 

Non-magnetic. An easy way to test when you're close to quenching temp, because a magnet doesn't stick anymore. This is about 100 degrees-ish below the "austenite phase-change". Quenching at this point changes the molecular structure of the steel to harden it, and must be done at the right point, and in the right way, in order to control the size of the metal's "grain" as well. And then ya gotta heat it again to temper it. It's complex. Search the forums, there's a LOT of material on this and links to reference materials. Steve has a lovely thread somewhere on here that I can't find right now complete with diagrams.

[Matt_K]

Just don't get an NC with the turning cams on the side. (Unless you're left handed) They're annoying as... well, they're annoying.

[Steve Shimanek]

I have a Journeyman 125 as my main anvil and for what i do it is reasonable. Paid about $400 for it if i remember right. Face is a little soft but minimize the bad hits and you're ok:)

[jacobd]

Iron has small (I guess they are particles) called domains, slightly larger than the atoms. In the presence of a magnet they line up in rows and are drawn to the magnet. When they domains reach a certain energy level (from heat in this case) they are vibrating and moving so much that they won't line up. This also explains why metals becomes malleable and expands slightly. The atoms are vibrating and jumping around so much in their respectivr positions that they actually move enough in distance from one another to weaken the electrostatic bonds (because they distance themselves from one another due to the movement) and their movement away from one another due to increasing vibration also explains their expansion. My guess is (if I remember correctly) the atoms near the magnetic point are shifting far enough away from one another to allow carbon to travel freely through the iron atoms MATRIX. This allows when cooled rapidly for the carbon atoms to become trapped in an iron matrix (called carbides) and form martensite (that's the really hard brittle one right?). That if I remember correctly explains the significance of the non magnetic point. Correct if wrong, I learned this from my chemistry/physics professor, via word of mouth, not extensive reading. I very well could have missed something important. I think that should kinda help.

 

typo corrected

[Jack-O-Lantern]

Thanks as usual guys. I was saving quenching for when I made something worth it. I fiddled around with spikes and pulled off a decent hardening on accident I guess. The quenched spike was hard enough to ding the non quenched spikes and stay in good shape. I just used water but when I try it for real I'll make a brine for it. Seems more fun to make brine than fuming up my garage with oil.

 

After how many times I've read the words "non-magnetic" I thought it was some complex process. I'm sure doing perfectly is tricky but I did'nt know it just takes heat. People always mention it with knives and I started thinking that they do something to make the blade ultra hard and that it being nonmagnetic was the sign of its strength. Not so magical anymore.

 

Japanese hammers are something I wanna try at least once. I was messing with a brass hammer I got my hands on and it had a way different feel. I know I can't really forge with it but it got me thinking about inertia and all that.

 

The NC anvil....tsk. Its the cheapest I could find. Yeah Matt those cams do look troublesome. I'm stuck between Centaur forge (free shipping!) or ebay, which is usually mega pricey. I'm in a blacksmithhole guys! There's one prosmith close to me and he's a bit of a grump. Where are these magical estate sales and auctions you guys go to!? I'm gonna have to forge weld 1000 spikes together at this point. And getting coal around here is like ordering gold bricks so that welds gonna take ALOT of charcoal.

[DKForge]

Well if you live outside of Chicago you live 4 1/2 hours away from one of the largest sources of anvils in the country that is taking place next week. Quad State in Troy, Ohio is only a week away and for $280 you would be able to find any number of anvils that would serve your needs better than the 70 lb NC which is truly a farrier's anvil.

[DSW]

. Where are these magical estate sales and auctions you guys go to!? I'm gonna have to forge weld 1000 spikes together at this point. And getting coal around here is like ordering gold bricks so that welds gonna take ALOT of charcoal.

 

 

 

Search my good man search....Searchtempest shows me an anvil listing from 5 days ago in Chicago on CL that was deleted. There's a $300 one listed in Racine Wisconsin ( site has a policy of no CL links, so you'll have to dig it up yourself or PM me.) It's hard to tell much about that anvil, but it looks cast. There's an older listing also on the Racine page that shows a 200 lb anvil for $385. It's still up so I assume it's still available.

 

there was a 300 lb one listed in Sounthbend earlier this month... Right below that there had been a Peter Wright listed. A 200 and 400 lb ones that were also listed in August. ( all deleted, so I assume sold)

 

Milwaukee has an 80 lb fisher listed in Kenosha at the end of last month he wants $300 for, Listing still pulls up. That listing also had an 80 lb Vulcan that's gone. Two more were listed in mig August that are now gone.

 

 

Do I have to keep this up are you getting the point... I'm over 750 miles away and I've managed to locate quite a few in less than an hour....