Archerdan

I get the impression you feel I am working alone without feedback from other experienced Blacksmiths. Steve from Rat Hole Forge, has his anvils cast at one of the local foundries I am talking about. They are cast from H13 steel. They are probably heat treated at the same industrial heat treating company who I will have heat treat my self made 300# 1045 anvil. The foundry making the low carbon cast steel anvils, also casts large machine components out of good high alloy steel. I wasn't thinking of trying to cast my own anvil with a backyard foundry, (Though it sounds fun, I have an idea for a solar foundry using gathered light through a shielding gas). I was trying to see if I could talk this foundry into casting a better quality steel anvil, since they obviously could if they wanted to. RR rail steel is plentiful and cheap. But the grain size is a concern. I believe that the rolling process makes the steel fine grained. Cast, the steel may have a larger grain. That is a valid point, but has anyone tried it? If they can get enough quantity from H13 drops to do some runs at an affordable price, Blacksmiths would be willing to have them heat treated for $100. (That is what it is costing me to have it done. Archerdan

We have 3 foundries that I know of within 60 miles. We have small steel mills that recycle steel. It is interesting how they use additives to remove the alloys they want and leave what they want. From what I see, if there is a demand, they can still produce what we want. I would love to see something turn in the right direction!

Why? Because, what you just pointed out bothers me, a lot! I remember when, if the local steel mill sneezed, the whole valley caught a cold! I remember when they shut it down. They started it back up briefly, and there was no one left who knew how to start things up! The college I graduated from cut the vocational classes: Welding, Machining, Mine engineering, metallurgy. An entire nation built on computer technology, that produces nothing, is a house of cards. What are we going to do when we need to build a bridge? call someone in China and have them do it for us? I figured if our local foundry could caste anvils out of low carbon structural steel, maybe I could get them to cast decent anvils out of good steel. Get back to making things the best we can. It bothers me that American Made products are now considered the "cheaply made" products. Sorry, I am a little OCD, maybe:-) but, I didn't design and build bows that set dozens of world distance records by building "bow shaped objects!" Yes, I am hooked on designing and building things. A recreational student ;-)

Would RR Track Steel Be Good For a Cast Anvil? Though the shape of RR track anvils leaves a lot to be desired, I haven't seen complaints about the steel itself. Actually, it seems to be a good quality steel. What are your thoughts?

The anvil I am building now. All 1045 steel. Researching if the weld will crack if I have it heat treated. Will hardface if I have too.

These were from a run they made years ago when business was slow. It is not slow now. I asked if they would cast some anvils for me with steel I supplied. They never got back with me. Not worth their time for a couple of anvils. I had thought of supplying railroad track for steel. If I could be sure I was getting 5160, I would supply Truck springs. Their is a spring shop near by. Could wind up mixing 5160 and 1095, or something else. Wouldn't know how to heat treat. There are companies near that do large scale heat treating.

Thanks, both of you, that is what I needed to hear.

Before I started building my anvil, I was prepared to buy one from a local foundry. I was able to verify that the cast steel is A36. As I will be hard facing my 300 LB anvil anyway, would hard facing a new 130# cast A36 anvil make it a good anvil, and a good buy at $385?? I have to decide by morning. Sorry, No picture. Any experience would be appreciated.

I was planning on welding a 24"X 3/4"oval plate to the bottom, with holes drilled to lag it down to the Stump. I was concerned about it affecting the rebound, but there is a lot of steel between the hammer and a loose bottom plate. It probably won't ring right, but that is aesthetics. I was going to weld the piece I cut out as an upsetting block.

I have seen something similar to what you describe. Thanks for the Info.

It folded over the home made awl I tried to punch it with, so I may just hard face it. That way I won't have to wiry about the weld. If resear h shows that the weld material is compatible with the 1045 for a heat treat, I will send it out for heat treat.

Having fun putting this together. 265 # slab of 1045, from a friend. Drilling the hardy and pritchel. Turning a shaft of 1045 for the horn. Sawing the angle. Welding the horn.

Thanks frosty. He did mention I would want to radius an edge, now that you mention it. Only one lesson of many to come I'm sure.

I have been lurking for some time, without joining and posting. My internet searches kept pulling from this forum. Studying posts from this and other forums is why I had this particular heavy metal in the back of my truck in the first place. The 3" forks are 220 LBS. The 4" block of 1045 is 260 lbs. It wasn't long enough for the pattens I had studied, but I knew it was heavy enough to pound on and would do well for me. I got it from another blacksmith about an hour away who I trusted when he told me it would serve me well. He invited me in his shop and let me watch he and his apprentice work. He even let me work on his anvil, (which was incredibly selfless, letting someone new to the hammer have at your anvil) I learned a method of "Fullering" I believe is the word to isolate the the section to be tapered to a point. This is why the concern about the horn. I have been thinking I may be able to accomplish the same isolation using a cross peen without the horn. I don't have permission to use his name or go into details of his methods, but this is a first class human being. Research has led me to purchase some 1084, and Cru Forge V, as well as HC RR Spikes for us to learn to use our anvil and and hammer, as well as heat treat. We already had a 58# section of RR track. Thanks for your insight. Archerdan

A friend had a large stump to set the block on. I guess I could cut a slot in it with a chain saw to hold the steel block on edge. I was going to weld an upsetting block on it to make it more stable. Maybe feet at the least. I envisioned the hardy tools being what I would need most. Seems to me like an extra set of hands. I have even thought of cutting a 1" slot into a thick piece of 4 inch wide steel to eld on the end to give me a hardy hole. I live in Salem Utah. It is is my profile now.

MLMartin, The 1045 seems soft, probably annealed, and we are brand new with a hammer. I guess it does have 4 sides. I used a break drum forge with kingsford charcoal and a hair drier to show my son the colors, where the magnet stops sticking, soaking, and quenching a stock removal knife blade. But two rookies with hammers on a soft block of steel.... At least it won't be a $2500 anvil. ;-)

My son and I are just beginning on a small budget. We always seem to be a day late finding an old anvil. We have found some big steel. Just in the planning stages of what to do with it. Any ideas would be appreciated. First is a 4"x13"x18" block of 1045. Yesterday, we found some forks off a large fork lift and bought the vertical sections. 2@ 3"x8"x36" Was thinking of smaller, mobile anvils with the 3"X8" fork stock. A large, stationary, shop anvil with the 4" 1045 stock. Was thinking of turning a horn from round stock, and having it welded to the 1045. Have found suitable cut offs of CS steel, A2, S7, D2, 320, and H13. I have a feeling only the CS will work. I am afraid the others would crack out. Can have finished anvil heat treated for $100. Was thinking about laying out a pattern on the longer 3" stock and cutting and grinding Your thoughts?