Javan C.R. Dempsey

Aye definitely Phil. I'm only set up to heat one die at a time anyway.

Yeah, I probably could get it done commercially, but I won't. I'm keen on the exercise, since I've never HT'd anything this large before, and I'm not obsessed with 100% perfection on this as much as learning how to do it myself. I normalized the dies after grinding them on my belt grinder last night. I didn't have any trouble getting them up to non-magnetic stuck in the top of my forge while I worked on other projects. After they got up to a good uniform color which probably took about an hour, I just cut the forge off and let all of it cool together. A 100lb pull magnet wasn't getting any traction, so I feel like I must have passed the curie point through most of the die itself. I'll probably go with 7 gallons of canola, which is a very fast oil. I think that'll get me acceptable returns.

Thanks everyone. Yea I plan to do a couple of normalizing cycles, these dies will fit right in the hole in the top of my forge if I take the lid and plug of ceramic fiber out of it, so I'm just going to put them on there while I'm forging tonight, and switch them out to cycle. So do we think 5gal of canola will be sufficient, or should I try to up it to 6-7 just to be on the safe side?

Might should have posted this in the HT section, but I didn't. Trinculo hooked me up with some nice unhardened 4140 dies for my Bull, and I'm looking for some advice on quenching. I've got a vertical blown gas forge that I can take the lid off of, and fit just the working portion of the dies into the forge, so getting them up to temp shouldn't be that hard. I'm going to heat them in sessions to try and even out the heat as much as possible, but I'm uncertain about quenching these. I've got 5 gal of really fast quench oil, Park HB #50, and I've also got plenty of canola. Will 5 gal of either of these be sufficient? The weight calculator tells me the actual weight of the die block itself should only be 3.4lbs, so that's below the 1g per lb rule I've heard tossed around, but the weight with the base plate is ~11.5lbs. The Parks 50 should be the closest approximation to water quenching for 4140, but it's expensive oil and I dont' want to overheat it, it's gentler than water so should harden well, but maybe I need to go with a higher volume of canola? I've only got 5gal of it atm, and not sure I've got a tank big enough for anything larger. Could I put my quench tank into a big tub of water? It's thin walled SS, but maybe not conductive enough to do any good? Thanks!

Yeah, I'm totally with you. Honestly I feel like these days, if I pass up a deal like that, the person that doesn't is likely to be reseller, who'll simply be out for a quick return, further proliferating the outrageous market of these tools for something other than their intended utility. Or worse, it may end up in the scrapyard.

I'd say hang on to it, and pass the deal on whomever you run into later on that actually needs a good one. Unless you're planning on becoming a collector. I'm not a collector, so I plan to rotate my excess anvils out as I find people that'll actually *use* them, although I don't feel obligated to give a killer deal to every new guy that takes interest, since I feel like 90% of them will have moved on to a new hobby the next time I see them. I've got one that I'll probably be passing on to the next guy I meet that's actually making stuff with a hunk of scrap, RR track, or whatever other ASO, and isn't letting it hold him back.

Haha yeah, I'm with you, on both counts. I'm always in need of another VFD, and uhm yeah, the money part is obvious. ;)

Danger, I've seen a 20hp or two at the scrappy.. Let me know what you need and I'll keep a lookout. I seem to find a useful motor every time I'm there.

Wow nice one Jeff. I wish I had one with a face like that.

wowza!

People get hurt, and it sucks, but I for one am happy that we still have the right occasionally, to take some risks of our own inclination. It's getting rarer and rarer to find something you're allowed to do that's dangerous, and an injury in the pursuit of stupidity, is still an exercise of freedom ;)

Lot of really low prices on hammers these days popping up compared to a few years ago. It's the same with all big ticket items. When times get rough, people start to re-evaluate what they really "need". I'm guessing you didn't see that Anyang on craigslist in CA for $2500 or whatever it ended up going for. I'm still crying over it, although in the end, I got as good or better a deal on a Bull.

I'm guessing the OP has already succeeded or failed. But here's a pic of me moving in my compressor, which was much harder than my hammer and bandsaw due to the really bouncy plywood skid it's on.

Rig it to something overhead, or build a ramp up to your truck, or both. Assuming you don't more specialized tools. If you've got a couple of rachet straps and a come-a-long, you should have more than enough. Just take it real slow. Personally I'd just ratchet it to an overhead beam if you've got one, pull out from under it, and lower it. Then you can shuffle it around, or use digging/pry bars to scoot it. GL, that's a big one.!

Yeah I've seen 3 older tool room type metal lathes at my local scrap yard recently, already laying sideways in the pile with the handles busted off, which kills me. No signs of there being anything wrong with them.

I already asked about something like that, seller said they can't sit long because the property has been leased and promised to move them off it.

"Is there any doubt that the yr of manufacture was 1950?" None, those holes in the feet only come from one era, and it ain't 1850. Sorry dad.

I'm always on the lookout for these type anvils, but never seem to see any in my area. I wonder how many sawer's anvils have been discarded as scrap because nobody realized they were anvils.

Been meaning to make a charcoal forge out of a SS sink for quite a while. With coal, you'll likely have to adjust the depth, but it's definitely a good use for a sink. There's already a hole in the bottom to work with, you could even hook a drain up to the slack side if you decide to use it for water, hell, while you're at it, run a faucet! ;)

I like cleaning old tools in white vinegar. It takes the rust off, but leaves them looking their age..

Nice! I'm somehow instantly obsessed with making something similar also ;\

This followed me home a week or two ago... =\ Jet VBS-900 36" metal cutting bandsaw. Zoe Crist saved me from a brutal crushing death by heavy machinery. Thanks brother! Needs new tires, but otherwise, it's a beast, and I got it for a steal. It's amazing how inexpensive a really big piece of equipment can be, compared to a small piece.

Wow. Seriously awesome. I want!

Yeah it definitely looks very very close. Mine doesn't have the notch, but the handling holes and other profiles are the same. I have no markings what so ever other than the "Eagle and Anchor" cast on the body, and a couple of indentions on the top of the feet from the casting. Does it ring or "crack" when you smack it with a hammer? How's the rebound? Might be hard to discern if you never heard the ring of a steel bodied anvil, but it's unmistakable. If you doubt that it's a bright "ring", it's not. Fisher's have a sharp "crack", and great rebound, it'll seem like 1:1.

Having lived around Augusta many times (although thankfully no longer), I'd say you're a fool if you don't pick this up. Anvil availability there tends to be real slim. FWIW, it looks like a dead ringer (get it? ) for my big Fisher, although lacking the Eagle and Anchor. Could be due to it's southern residence? Wasn't it the older Fishers that were sometimes unmarked in the south due to peoples association with the North? Anyway, if it is a Fisher, it wont ring regardless, but that's a major advantage for city forging. Both of mine have great rebound, and I wouldn't trade them for ringers of any make.