Avadon

Yah I was looking at the top down.. really not bad at all.

Question for the others.. what is the quams about taking a torch.. heating the anvil up just a slight bit to get the chill out of it and then using a precision TIG or MIG to fill in small chips.

???

I would investigate some really good ear plugs. hehe That baby will probably rattle your teeth, but I wouldn't be so quick to lose it either. That thing would make an excellent stand for heating and welding or even setting things for cooling. I woud weld some feet on it with some holes so you can bolt it down. Never hurts to have an all metal surface that you can heat on or set hot metal on that you know won't catch anything on fire.

As for really cheapo anvils I suggest going to your local steel yard. Nearly every town has one, or has one within decent driving distance. You can get something like this brick I mounted to a large log. It is 2" thick by 6" wide by about 12" long. I'm sure you could probably even get 3" or even 4" thick. They always have cut-off stock that is dirt cheap and it should be easy to find a rather large billet you can hammer away on for a good age.



Granted it's not hardened material, it's just A36 mild steel, but it will still hold up to plenty of bashing for a good while. Then when you get the bug, and I bet you will hehe, then you can drop the big money on a serious anvil.

I used #8, 1/2" NF bolts and nuts. I also ground a heavy chamfer on the ends of the bolts and let them contact the anvil but did not grind detents in the anvil. It just pinches the h#$% out of the anvil in the box and won't let it come out. However, indentations would be a good idea.

Hi Avadon,

Been watching your build and saved asking alot of the same stuff:)

just welded this one together...2" top...3 1/2" round x1/4 legs (what I had)

waiting to see how the sand works out for you. My daughter-in-law is going to show me how to take pictures and get them on the cpu so I'll try to show this one.

Thanks Dave

okay I have been looking around at building a sword forge and wanted to weld together one out of an i-beam. i was looking around the web for some ideas when i came across this

Forge Building

this evening i tried a modified version and just dug a hole in the ground stuck a pipe in there and taped my blower to the pipe and it worked like a charm

my question is why don't more people do this? or at least i have never heard of anybody doing it?

Yes, the bolts go through the nuts and they do lock the anvil into the frame very solidly. You may not be able to see it but there is a short piece of angle iron opposite the bolts which is welded to the box and acts to trap the anvil foot so it can't rise out of the box. In fact, I move this assembly around the shop with a bridge crane and only have to sling under the horn and heel. The bolts secure the base to the anvil without it falling off - and the base weighs about 250 lbs.

The harm with any vessel that is not specifically designed and certified for holding pressure (like an air tank) is some level of temperature variation will build air pressure in a container and cause it to rupture so you always leave a small hole(s) so it can breathe. I learned this from an engineer who used to build high pressure freon systems. He would always put a valve or blowoff on any closed tank so it could be dumped to atmosphere - even if was as simple as a bolt threaded into a hole somewhere in the system. If you don't think the pressure is much, try purging a tank to ambient then close the valve and set it out in the sun for a while. A simple enough thing to do on your stand is drilling a 1/16" hole in each leg in a discreet place and be done with it.

Here is a pic of my anvil stand. You can clearly see the angle iron box and the cramp bolts.

I don't think it makes any diff whether the sand is welded in but like any pressure vessel, I'd leave a small hole in the top of each leg so it can breathe - 1/16" is enough.

I put cramp bolts on all my anvil stands. I build an angle iron base just big enough to fit the base of the anvil except a bit longer in length (parallel to the centerline). It's a little longer so I can drop a piece of flat iron between the anvil and the locking bolts to act as a spacer. Under the heel, I drill two holes and weld nuts on the outside. Two bolts go through these holes to touch the anvil, then are tightened to lock the anvil into the frame. This will kill almost all of the ring.

There is nothing wrong with your idea and it's fairly common to see someone who has cut down a 55 gal barrel to the proper height for a base and filling that with sand. The anvil is then placed on top of the material. If it moves about or sinks, it is simply lifted and re-leveled.

In your case, the sand adds mass and will dampen vibrations to a degree but it's more important to tie the anvil to the stand if you are trying to eliminate ringing.

So i'm soon to be welding up my anvil legs on my anvil stand and was thinking of what may be a really good idea. The legs are 5" x 3" x 0.25" Steel rectangular Tubing and ~17" long.

Each leg has 255 square inches inside it and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to fill them with sand? I was thinking of either making a metal plug at the top of each leg so I can fill them, or simply just weld the sand in. I would think that would take any ring out the stand, or an ring the anvil itself is trying to transfer to the stand.

Is this a good idea? Or is there something wrong with this?

I settled on 32.5, and i'm 5'9". It just seemed to work well without me having to bend over a lot and it also made for keeping the stock level in my left hand at a relaxed stance. Since its on the high side I can always use the advice here, like standinig on a comfortable mat, or mat ontop of plywood to lower the anvil. Thanks for the good advice everyone.

The Brazeal bro's anvil is cool especially if your on a very tight budget but aesthetics mean a lot to me. So i'd much sooner go with dodges design (plus it has a horn) or just save up for a real anvil in the 100# range. My Gladiator was my big 30year old present which came from parents, grandparents, and family all chipping in. It was a very cool present, one that they couldn't really understand why I would want, but now they are seeing more of my work I think they get it ;)

I think i've settled on 32.5" which is just highe enough for sheet metal work and blade work and still not so high that working on 5/8's rnd stock is doable. Coming from a jewelry making background, and the fact i'll always be working alone without a striker, I think the higher height will allow me to get my face closer to the detail work and keep me from endless hunching over.

I have a super ergonomic computer setup so I guess i'm finicky with the feel of things. If I totally messed up I can always cut the feet off the legs caerfully and then reweld some feet on where it needs to be, and if I need to raise it I can always put a piece of steel or board under the feet or the anvil itself.

Good posts all, appreciate all the quick info. Thank you very much, i'll keep taking a few measurement and then start cutting today :)

Jeeze, i'm really glad I asked before I just started cutting because what Matt was saying was sort of in the back of my mind. See I don't intend to work giant stock, I will probably mostly be doing armour and blade making so hunching over makes your back sore and I want the work closer to my vision and not where i'm stooping over to see get at it. My initial height guess was about 30.5" (i'm 5'9) and now I wonder if that is a little low. Can anyone else tell me what height their anvil is just to have something to go by. Probably going to low is more of a fear then a little high.

So I know about standing square and measuring the height just below your knuckles but I also remember about people in here liking their anvil a little higher so it didn't bother their back or because it seemed closer.

So i'm 5'9" and i'm looking for a good anvil height. What height is everyones anvil at here, and do you guys have it higher then just below your knuckles?

(This is kind of a one shot welding, so I want to get it right. My initial measurements show about 31". I'm guessing if you go higher then your knuckles you lose some of your hammer stroke, to low and you may hyperextend your arm during its travel?)

How is it heating it? Is it creating friction by restructuring the grain? I imagine that is work hardening the **** out of it because your constantly tightening the grain to create friction, right?

From worcester to marshfield it's about 1hr 20min drive, but thats not really that far. Just come with some big containers and stock up.

They are pleasent and easy to work with on the phone and they are expecting blacksmiths and small orders as well as large so I get the feeling that things go fast and smooth there.

Okay did some scouting they, WILLIAMS COAL, IS still in business.

Welcome to Williams Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, Propane, Kerosene, Diesel

You can get a 50# bag of coal for $10.95

Or you can fill up your car/truck (obviously with some sort of container you bring) and they can weigh your car before or after.

They do deliver coal but you have to order a minimum of a ton.

Here is their correct contact info.

Williams & Sons, Inc.
39 Adams Street, P.O. Box 850310, Braintree MA 02185
717 Plain Street (Route 139), Marshfield MA 02050
781-843-0415

I guess I score because I have aubuchons around me in every direction and Williams is only about 30 mins away :)

oh nm it really is called Blacksmith Coal, 40 Lb. I thought you were just referring to it by description.

What is the name or brand of the coal they sell at aubuchon?

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!



You do good work!

Try oil clay. I used to get mine from farwestmaterials.com as you can get oil clay in very very firm grades. You can also get it in very pliable grades that mold easily in you hands. But get the very firm oil clay and then place it in the freezer, it will become extremely firm, you won't be able to manipulate it by hand it but will have excellent control with hammer and an anvil and it will also NOT stick to your anvil or tools easily.

I don't reccomend water clay, paperclay, or the like as they will stick to most things especailly if they get saturated with water. A firm oil clay cooled down in the fridge of freezer will give you exactly the right firmness and control your looking for.

Because of it's range you can get high detail with oil clay and it will hold indefinitely and not crack or shrink like water based clays

That chimney is AWESOME looking blksmth! It looks like a miniature opening in some castle. I keep thinking a little troll is going to pop out of there. You do excellent brick work.

The right gloves for the job are really a must, aren't they. Found this out recently when I was wearing some thin rubber gloves while hacksawing through a 1/4" rod held in a vice. I was in a hurry and taking aggressive strokes, and on the final stroke the hacksaw cut through and my left hand (which was supporting the grip) went right into the sharp edge of the rod. It punched deep into the skin right below my pinky knuckle. Even after healing (it's now months later) it is painful to touch. I think I severed a nerve. Way to go huh. I should have gone to the hospital, but you know how that story goes.

Right gloves for the right job ;)