Antony N. Lord

Here's a shot of the overall anvil. I got a file and tested normal / cut / repaired areas - very similar hardness - if anything the areas around the oxy damage are slightly harder...

Hi all - I'm in the process of setting up my forge at my workshop so I don't have to go down to the group shop anymore I picked up an Australian 224lb BK (Bradford and Kendall) some time ago which needs some minor work. One of my first questions is to the construction of this anvil - the interwebs have conflicting reports as to if they are cast as one piece or have a separate face plate. Having a close look I can see no lines, protrusions or discontinuities that suggest there is a separate plate. Majority interweb consensus suggests one piece casting... It seems previous owners have done some fairly stupid things including hitting the heel with the old gas axe (probably while resting something on it). I'm concerned with extended work on the heel that the corner cut all the way to the pritchel hole is going to chip off / fail down the line. Worse is the middle of the far edge - looks like it had some kind of damage and has been badly welded. Whatever got used chips like bullets if struck... I spoke to a couple of the professional 'smiths locally (one of which is also a spec welder). He suggested simply vee-ing the heel and grinding back the edge to remove the bad weld material, preheating the anvil, then simply MIG welding with standard low hydrogen wire, peening each bead then finally leaving anvil to cool in a box full of lime... Any thoughts? The Gunther / Schuler repair guide seems to be the most definitive even though Stoody rods aren't commonly available here (I'm sure the local welding supplier can match based on spec). I am confident with MIG / TIG and can pull off a stick weld on a buzz box when needed. Thanks in advance, Anton.

Hello there all. A small number of people from local Perth Hack Space "Artifactory" are interested in visiting BAWA this Sunday (10th July) if anyone is around at about 10am. I'd personally be interested in getting my hands wet (hot?) if at all possible so I presume wearing natural fibre gear, (steel cap)leather boots, safety glasses and gloves will be a requisite? I look forward to meeting some of you then - I should have a confirmed number of attendees shortly if this time is agreeable. Cheers!