ThomasPowers

Tom A; I think my Peter Wright missing everything above the waist counts as worse than that one---it's weight stamped so it was a complete anvil at one time. If my apprentice comes out to the shop this weekend I'll try to get pics made.

Folks that might be a good trade item at some meeting. A group of people go out and buy *KNOWN* alloys and cut them into useful sized "try" pieces and MARK THEM and then exchange them at the meeting so that all the participants get a full set. Wrought iron, Cast iron, 1020, A36, 4130, 4340, 5160.....

I use CP 1 or 2 as they seem to forge better than the Al-V alloys.

What Matt said. HSS rototiller tines would cost many times what plain steel ones do and wouldn't like rocks. As for blades, without the high tech heat treat you get an inferior blade to one from a steel you can heat treat well with "blacksmith methods"

Wasn't there a very long thread on this already?

I think I would try to train myself to work the steel at the upper end of it's forging range where it's softer and not worry about it so much. Early anvils were pretty much plain wrought iron and I know a bunch of blademakers using A36 improvised anvils. The ring is something you need to get rid of in use as it damages your hearing. There are a lot of posts on how to quiet an anvil. (As long as the imported anvil is not plain cast iron which the spark test should tell you quite easily)

In Japanese swords the Bohi is supposed to create a sound when your form is right. Of course since many katana do not have one it's not a mandatory thing.

My Blacker Powerhammer Fisher has no Logo on it. Still works fine. Demid: Wow that one where they tried to repair the broken heal using butterflies is wild! I love seeing stuff like that. My loaner anvil missing the heel has a prosthetic hardy hole added to it.

We are trying to get a differential etch. This means we DON'T want a strong etchant that would pretty much eat *everything*. So we generally dilute the etchants to get a weak solution that will eat some of the stuff preferentially compared to the rest and as most of our alloys are pretty close to the same we need to adjust the strength carefully! In printed circuitboard etching *any* metal left in the etched areas is a big no no and so they want to be sure it's all gone.

Considering that hot coals (charcoal) has been a major smithing fuel for over 2500 years I don't see the unconventionality---just most of us separate the production of charcoal from the using. Generally when I use my Y1K forge I build a wood fire nearby and transfer the hot coals to the forge as needed. Coal didn't get used for smithing until the High/Late Middle ages according to Gies & Gies in "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel" With your background and set up I would strongly suggest you ILL "The Complete Modern Blacksmith", Weygers, at your local public library!

Frick that is a Fisher logo on that first anvil and it has the Fisher mounting lugs, aare you sure that's a picture of your "Trenton"? The second one would still hold a hardy tool---or a shop door, NM is windy especially in the spring and any swinging door has to be solidly held open...I usually use a large screw press and a large house jack... Anyone want to see if SOFA would like to put a "Destroyed Anvil" display on at Quad-State this year? I probably can't go but then I've drug most of my bad ones out there before...

Right out of Les Misérables!

These are the sorts of questions where several different colours of modeling clay come in handy---much easier and faster to experiment in clay and then take the process to steel!

If you can't balance a marble on your axe you're guilty and will have to sweep dust off the floor of the shop! (As we have a dirt floor this is *most* amusing!)

You'll be giving my apprentice ideas with blades like that! Thom----just keep your eyes closed and move on to another thread!

looks like a great anvil for training a new striker on. I go with Fisher too because of the bolting lugs.

We don't know your background or skills but traditionally axes were made from real wrought iron with only the edge being a medium to high carbon steel. If forge welding is not your forte you could forge the basic preform and arc weld the edge material on and then finish forging to final shape----makes heat treat a WHOLE LOT SIMPLER too as only the edge needs to be hardened. As to usability I'd suggest mocking one up out of wood and seeing if the edge is where it needs to be with the handle design. Adjust as needed and then have the mock-up present when forging the steel one as a "live model". The wooden one can then be painted up and used as part of a Halloween costume

Glass is quite hard. I suggest you make a glass anvil and use it! Does that seem like a good idea? It would be cheaper than a good anvil. The problem is that grey cast iron is not a strong material under repeated impact. So there are several brands of anvils that have a steel face and a cast iron body to get the toughness and hardness of steel and get the cheap mass of cast iron. Facing a plain cast iron anvil is quite possible and probably would only cost you more money than buying a good anvil to start with. Buy the ASO, mill face of it smooth. Buy section of high alloy steel and mill it to fit and smooth furnace braze them together and try to figure a way to heat treat the face---A2 might work I'd have to check it's hardening temps vs the brazing temps to see if both could be done at the same time. Of course the cost of a new piece of A2 say 1x4x12 might be more than finding a used anvil ready to go... Better still is to buy a piece of steel at scrap rate and use it as an anvil.

For knifemaking it's a bit rough; you might kiss the forward part of the face just the smallest bit with a belt sander or angle grinder flap disk. The center section is for heavy hitting and is fine the way it is---it will clean up a bit with use from the plannishing aspect as well as scale being an abrasive. I'd leave the heel alone. If I was doing F&I or Rev War demos or Fur Trade era I'd be proud to use that anvil. Unfortunately it's a bit more modern than most of my demos call for...

As soon as you add *one* person to the shop you suddenly find that *both* of you want to use the same hammer, pair of tongs, anvil, etc at the same time. This is when it's important to make sure that *you* have precedence! (Well actually in my shop we *try* to have the person doing the fussier project have precedence---eg Knife forging over tent stake forging...)

We always called that the japanese water hammer technique: keep your anvil face brush in a can of water and use it to clean the face after every heat. Then hold the workpiece slightly above the face until the hammer blow forces it into contact. Some people will also keep the hammer wet; but I dislike the effect on the handle doing it that way. It's supposed to help "blow away the scale" making a cleaner piece to work on. I think it's greatest utility is in impressing the Yokels!

And those are the bestest kind! *Unfatigued* springs. Surprising how many folks take a brand new vehicle out and have the suspension changed. Also look for places that raise or lower vehicles; or I had one student who's employer converted trucks into EMS vehicles and so scrapped brand new springs every day of the week!

"Weight doesn't matter" Then this is neither a tool or a weapon! Weight does matter for each! I repeat: Weight does matter for each! Full tang would be stronger. If you want to make the blade heavier looking you could forge it thicker right were the bevel starts and taper in both directions like some of the historical "danish axes". I strongly suggest you look at historical weapons and their weights and then figure out how to get yours in that envelope as that range has been proved in by use! 5160 would be my suggestion; but you would need access to a large forge and powerhammer to work down a big chunk into those shapes.

And I wouldn't consider that a "destroyed" anvil at all. Still quite usable, face in decent shape and as mentioned it has the hardy and pritchel. I often suggest new smiths look for "damaged but not destroyed" anvils as the prices can be a LOT cheaper for a usable anvil. My Powell cost me $40 and is still over 100 pounds a great starter anvil! (The "destroyed" William Foster I paid $5 for at a fleamarket as I told the dealer that for $5 I'd put it in my backpack and walk off with it and he said for $5 he's like to see that!)

The gauge has to be rated for use with propane otherwise the propane can eat the seals and leak. I get propane fittings from my local propane dealer. Having a good working relationship with them saves money over the long term---they give me O rings for the soft nosed fittings I have, I can drop off my tanks and come back later to pay and pick them up, etc.