superflux

Or, take another grinder and grind some flats inside so a spanner wrench will fit. You can always grind down an open end to fit inside.. Might have to take a hammer and break the wheel that is stuck on so you have access to perform the grining of the flats.

I guess at this point, well, it was a curious observation but probably not worth the time and money trying to reinvent a square wheel. Thanks to everyone for their input. I'll let this one die off.

I've seen some good deals on pneumatic jack hammers in pawn shops and was wondering... Has anyone modified one of these into a trip hammer for forge work? Yes I do have enough air to run a 90# jack hammer in the shop.

Get some 6013. BEST training rod ever. Keep your lenses clean. Use Lemon Pledge or similar to extend the life of your clear lenses if you have the expensive custom fit like in a lot of Speedglass hoods.

Since you already have an engine driven welding machine (DC I assume?), why not by a small TIG torch and bottle of argon for your tacking. Once you have it, you'll find many other uses for TIG. Besides, your friends and neighbors will think a TIG rig is WAY cooler than some cheap wire gun.

These guys make a true chemical match for either Braze welding or TIG (GTAW) welding. Most of the time if given the choice, I usually recommend TIG over all other processes. For THIS application, I make the rare exception and advise Oxy-Acetylene braze weld. Due to its high zinc content, it is closer to common yellow brass than your typical bronzes. Arc processes are simply too much concentrated heat and will burn off the zinc creating a mismatch in the tie in area (HAZ) of the base metal. Me personally, I would MIG weld it since I have a spool of 0.035" silicon-bronze wire. InWeld corp doesn't make a spool wire so mig is out for that. As I said, considering it would be a special order item (read EXPENSIVE!), MIG is fast enough with Si-Brz that burning off the zinc (in the base material) and WARP would be kept to a minimum. As is with all things there is a give and take, so by mig welding with Si-Br, it's possible to keep the warp down but lose on the color. http://www.inweldcorporation.com/datasheets/Inweld Naval Bronze.pdf

For higher carbon steels (over 0.8%) use a plum colored draw temp

downsfish, I think your anvil will be just fine judging by the hardness figures you posted. With 0.3 carbon and 1.1 manganese, I think your anvil would benefit from some work hardening. I run the numbers you gave us and came up with a carbon equivalent (Deardon-O'Neil formula) similar to 4140. Sounds to me you did everything pretty right on and you could cold work your working surfaces a little bit with a pneumatic "welders scaling gun" or preferably with a rounded/blunt chisel bit. That's all I would do...looks good enjoy!

Unless a steel item is cold cut with a water cooled band saw (and even then to an often imperceptible degree) there WILL be edge shrinkage. Here's what happens...The heat will expand the steel, but when cooled back to ambient, it becomes smaller than it's original size. Since the edges (cut line) get hotter than the center, there will be more shrinkage at the perimeter and the buckling will be seen as "belled" or dome shaped. When am fabricating Oxy-ace cut plate, my trick is to cut it slightly (1/8" or 3mm) oversized. Then using a hammer (flat faced for large, thin parts and ball peen for small or thick items) pound the edges. By doing this, you are "stretching the edges" and relieving the strsses and therefore letting the hot/cut area to get back to it's original size. Since you cut (per my suggestion) the part oversized, and after smithing the edges will also expand its dimensions, it will need to be ground back to proper size. As with all metal working, there is no hard fast rule as to how much to beat on the edges since the variables are not controlled, ie. torch tip size, speed of travel (inconsistent speed too), thickness variations etc, etc, etc you get my point? Experience will have to be everyones' teacher. Of course, you can over work the edges and the result will be the same. On thicker material ... 10mm (3/8") or thicker, place part on edge and use a ball peen and pound the edges. You will note that on the thin stuff, you are thinning out the edges and on the thicker material it will be "upset" and therefore thicker at the edges. This is why no matter which way you go, if final dimension is critical, you gotta cut it oversized. Just beat the edges...trust me, it is magic! A final note, if you try (getting clever and smartter than the iron!) and heat the entire part, the warp will be completely unmanageable! As you found out with the gas ring exercise.

Just joined up, and wanted to say hi and hope to learn and contribute. Been involved with melting and moving metal both professionally and recreationally for many years. Know a few tricks and cheats but also the wisdom to know when to get help or call in the pros (still have all major body parts attached, but in varying degrees of use and functionability).