BM454

The mills that build them around here use a lot of popular as well. I have seen them made of just about anything though. Oak, pine, ash and so on. Scott

I'd grind everything flat and see where it's at from there. You might find it to be usable as is. You can always weld it up with 11018-M and try that. The sides will be cast once you get below the top plate. Not knowing how deep the welds go I'd probably grind them out and start over on the sides. You can put A LOT of money in nickel rods for welding cast if you are not careful. I would weld it with 7018-A1 and cap it with 11018-M for the top layers. If you are not careful you could end up with $500 in a $50 Anvil 7018' are $20 per pound and nickel rods are around $52 per pound. You will need to preheat the anvil weld and then post heat. Once post heated I will need to be cooled slowly. There's a few ways to do this. A easy way is cover with insulation and let cool. Scott

I work as a Boilermaker by trade. Some of the older boilers and power plants still have tons of asbestos in them. Last fall I worked at a plant that was built in the 50s and it was hard to find insulation in the plant that was NOT asbestos related. Some of the newer plants don't really have that much but, in places still used it.

It looks like one of the Russian anvils that are made of steel. Some of those are good anvils. If it has a ring to it and does not dent when struck with a hammer, it's probably a good anvil. Now $175 is a bit high though.

All the TIG welding I've done on the job as far as Tubes and Pipes go, was done without a foot or thumb control. We call it a (dry rig). I'm sure they're more than one name for the welding process you are talking about. Only down side to it is, you have no heat control at the rig. If you are working inside a boiler or something like that, you're almost NEVER close to the machine. Most of the time the welder is 3 or 4 floors above or below where you are working and it's never easy to just change the heat. That's where a good apprentice comes in handy. Scott

That anvil looks like a Hay-Budden to me and it's in great shape. Would not shock me if it brought over 3 to 3.50 per pound. If I wanted it (and I do) lol, I'd bid on it.

Beautiful knife.

If I was going to do that job. I would build up the pitted areas with something like 7018 then add the hard surface to it. I know for a fact here in the US, 7018's are much cheaper than a hard surface rod. If you have a flat base to start from. Your surfacing will look much better. If it was just a few small pits I would not sweat it. Scott

If it's working on ya that bad, I'd buy a 300 degree temp stick preheat and weld with 7018 or higher then post heat. If you have some old Fiberglass insulation, after welding and post heat cover the (HAZ) heat-affected zone and let cool very slowly. Then it's a matter of just cleaning with a grinder. I'd use at least 9018 though if it was me. I'd be more than happy to send you enough welding rods if you want to wait a day or so to fix it.

Honestly, I think I'd use that anvil as is.

The more you hammer the easier it gets :)

That anvil will do you a lifetime. I'm sure it's outlived an owner or two already :)

Here's some numbers that will help you figure out how much it weighs once you get the true size of it. http://www.martinsprocket.com/PDF/wtsteel.pdf

The Boilermakers give a test called Common Arc. It's a heavy walled tube on the 6G position. It's 5/8 thick and 2.75 OD. Tig root and 7018 cap. When you take the test you have 4 hours to take it. They give you a hand brush and file. No power tools of any kind. No more than 3/32 push through on the root and about the same on the cap. I have to say it's a tough test. Very few pass. I passed it but, spent many hours learning how. Scott

Thank you. It's going to be my daily knife for sure

I had a new Kershaw Leek that the wife washed and ran through the dryer. Well when I found it it was open and the tip had been broken. My fault for not taking it out of my pants but, I still had a new broken knife. Anyway I took the time to make a pattern welded blade for it. It took me several hours to make the blade. Took me longer to shape and fine tune it but, it works flawlessly. I know this is not the first one ever been done nor will it be the last but, it's the first folding knife I've worked on and it turned out pretty well. The grinding is not perfect but, I'm very happy with it. Not to bad for my first. Hope you enjoy.

Sweet!

I took a weld test yesterday in Chattanooga Tennessee and needless to say it was HOT. I was given 4 hours to take the test and finished it in just over 2. I got a lot hotter than I realized. By the time I got into my car I was soaked with sweat. I drank plenty of water during the test so I didn't think I was that hot. Well, by the time I got home I was so weak all I wanted to is shower and lay down. After a warm shower to get clean and then cooling it down to cool me off, all I could do is lay down. It's best to work at your own pace in this kind of heat. Scott

This should help

Sweet knife! I'd be happy to have it for sure. If you need my address for shipping just PM me ;) Scott

Not to bad for ya first one. Keep on hammering and they will get much better. It's a very good site for learning if you are willing to listen that is. Some do, some don't. :) Scott

Sweet knife. Scott

Nice blade for sure. Keep up the good work and they will start coming faster. If you are like me though, finding the time to forge/bladesmith is not so easy. Scott

That's a fine looking blade all around. I really like the brass work as well. I'm going to borrow that someday if you don't mind. Scott

I'll try to get some pics of the wood before working. What I have was cut well over 60 years ago so its had plenty of time to change.