Dan C

Until anvils from heaven fall from the sky, make a plan on how you're going to earn enough to buy a useable used anvil. As 5starhobo suggested make a RR track anvil into something like this. I made enough money from stuff I forged on this one to buy my current 190lb PW. You'll appreciate it a lot more by earning it!

On my anvil stand I have large eye bolts on either side of the anvil. I was thinking I could fabricate a clamp of sorts to use these to hold a twisted wrench over the anvil's horn to shape the bracelet. My attempts just holding it w/ tongs & shaping it didn't work out so well yesterday, I resorted to the vise and pliers. Zanshin, if you come up with a better method let us know.

I used to do newspaper as you describe, then found the charcoal first method was quicker for me. Often times I have small windows of forging opportunity, so I want to get it going as fast as possible.

That looks real good Eddie. I wouldn't be giving those away unless it's a case of getting something good or useful in return, or if it's a gift as you mentioned. You might consider making small knives out of old files which is faster. Last time I was at a pawn shop getting a handful of wrenches, the guy there asked me if I'd made any of them into jewelry. That not really my thing so I hadn't considered it, but if someone wants me to make something and will pay for it I'm good with that. Here's my first attempt at one made into a bracelet, I need to come up with a better way of shaping & sizing it.

Could make an old wrench into a key chain/beer opener.

Clean out the forge of ash & small pieces, then pile of charcoal size of a 1-2 fists, air from a squirrel cage blower full blast, light pile of charcoal with propane torch 1-2 seconds til it glows, then pile around coke. I haven't timed it, but seems pretty fast 5-10 minutes maybe.

Steve, points well taken and definitely faster making trowels or gardening tools out of them. They seem to hold up well and I get a real pleasure out of using them.

I haven't had one tested, just read online here and also on anvilfire that the HC ones were in that range.

I make a lot of these as they are one of my best sellers, trowels, cultivators & weeders. Those and bottle openers. True you could get better steel as suggested, the carbon in the HC ones is at best 40-45 point which is below what you want for a knife blade. I haven't had any gardening tools come back for any reason, whereas I did have a knife or letter opener come back, which I later quenched in ice water and then didn't temper. Next time I'll let them bake in the oven at 325 for an hour just to relieve the stresses, but not enough to temper. Anything you make is going to be far superior to what someone is going to be able to buy in a store, and people like the novelty of them being a reclaimed RR spike. Just make sure you are getting them legitimately. It's very easy to make contacts with the railway workers who will then let you have them for free, or often times I exchange a knife or bottle openers for spikes. Welcome to the group btw! My forge is a brakedrum forge as well, with a squirrel cage as a blower. Dan

I was just impressed with how uniform and even both of them were. Guessing they were made with a power hammer or press using a die. At 50 cents each I thought they were worth picking up, at least to save them from rusting away

Any ideas as to what these are? I picked them up at a flea market all rusted, cleaned them up and then quenched in oil for the black finish. They're about 4" from top to bottom, I really don't know what they are other than thinking they were interesting.

$180 for an anvil in that fine of shape is an incredible deal! I'm a bit envious and would like to know how you came by it. As far as a stand goes, mine is 3-legged made out of drops which I arc welded together. I went w/ 3 legs as it won't wobble even if the ground isn't level. The legs are filled w/ sand & oil to quiet it and keep it from rusting. The eyebolts are for a spring loaded hold down. Hopefully you can get it put to work soon, welcome to the group! Dan

Alan, I actually thought they were brazing at that point. Either way definitely not arc.

We'll take as much as we can get in the Austin/Round Rock area.

Depending on your type of forge you might be able to put a lid on it. I use a mixture of charcoal and coke, when I get close to the point that I'm going to stop I put less fuel on the forge and when finished put a heavy cast iron Dutch oven lid on my brake drum forge. I'll loose some charcoal to ash, but it smothers it fairly well.

That is really one sweet anvil! And if you ever have the need for sharp corners there's always hardy tools which can be forged from jackhammer bits as described in the links below. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/33432-making-a-square-edge-hardy-anvil-tool/?hl=%2Bedge+%2Bhardy http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/16953-new-edges/?p=172153&fromsearch=1#entry172153 This is another useful link on making hardy tools. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/30141-forging-a-cut-off-hardy-out-of-a-jackhammer-bit/?hl=%2Bjackhammer+%2Bbrian+%2Bhardy

I definitely need to have a tool day then if you not giving out freebies. I tried... Just checked it out, that's a good looking forge you built. Though mine may be the only forge that has pink Barbie roller skate wheels on one side and RR spike feet on the other. Mine cost maybe $30 total (most of that was the refractory cement). What are you using for a blower?

Nice job Eddie, I hope you did some quality control testing on that afterwards. Even with the majority of beers being twist offs, bottle openers are one of my best sellers. I need to do some in that style, looks nice!

I'll need a closer look at them. Please ship them to my house and I'll evaluate their performance. If they really are as ugly as you say I'll send them back, though I'm guessing I'd be very pleased with how they turned out and you won't see them again! While you're at it please send the punch as well, I have the ugliest homemade forge built out of scrap you've ever seen and he's quite lonely..

Yes, it's very hard to cut. I used a friend's 12" chop saw and started from the bottom. I used a 220 arc welder for all the welding. I wasn't too sure the welds would hold, but they held up to an 8 lb sledge hammering it down onto the post and hasn't given out or cracked yet. It's very useful for sharp edges and different dies. It was what I used until I got the 190 lb PW, which was paid for by things forged on the track anvil. Now that I've re-arranged my garage & work area I'm going to anchor both anvils into the concrete once I'm sure of the new layout.

I cut out a section from a piece of RR track plate, not sure what type of steel it is. I used the square hole that was already there and then used spikes as the base for hardy tools. On the underside I welded a plate which helps hold the whole setup to the post and also wedges the spike or hardy hole into place.

Thanks for the English version, there's a lot of good info in there. Might have to make one of the cylinder stoves you see there. It'd be great for camping.

I have a 190# PW. When I first got it I researched how to restore it and thought the Gunther repair method would be the way to go. The majority of advice I got was just use it as is and later see if you still feel the need to restore it. The more I work with it the more I think why bother. It works just fine as is, I don't have the time or money to potentially risk messing up an anvil that already does what I need it to do. I'd use that anvil as is. Dan

Here's what I did with mine. Still use it sometimes even though I have a 190# PW.