Jack Evers

Nearly fifty years ago as a starving graduate student shoeing a few horses to make ends meet I really needed something to bend iron over. Went to the scrap yard to get a piece of RR rail and saw about an 18 inch piece of what I recall as 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 bar. whittled a rough anvil shape with an underpowered for the task O/A torch. Added some I-beam for a base, Anvil stand from old "T" posts, channel and rebar and this rough looking ASO made me a good bit of college money. Only about 40 pounds, but got the job done. Picked up a used 85 pound Tyler after graduation that is still my truck anvil, but have a 100 pound and a 280 pound in the shop now. Took a while to get used to a smooth horn, those torch grooves really held a shoe in place while I beat on it..

In reply to your question about welding, I have about a 12 foot section of rail (500 pounds or so) that I drag my fields with. I welded a couple of horseshoes near the ends to fasten my chains to and with several years use as it ounces over rough fields, the welds are holding fine. Probably used 6011 or 6013 rod, nothing special.

1986 3-wheeler, gets used nearly every day.

Frank's right on the money

http://www.centaurforge.com/searchprods.asp

Haven't thought about, I don't use it anymore, but checked some of my farrier suppliers and don't see any listed. Why ez weld particularly?

Thanks for the good replies. I'll do some more research on the links you provided. I think my problem is that I just don't understand how a forge that can heat steel to a working temperature is not also destroying the propane burners. But I'll read up on that too.

Again, thanks for the links and responses.

44-1/2 kilos, approx 100 pounds. Set it on a scale and find out. By the way, even tho metric is seldom used in the US (mostly for liquor), it has been recognized as a legal commerce system since the late 1860's. Other countries are probably similar.

44-1/2 kilos, approx 100 pounds. Set it on a scale and find out. By the way, even tho metric is seldom used in the US (mostly for liquor), it has been recognized as a legal commerce system since the late 1860's. Other countries are probably similar.

I suspect you could google up a contact for Ken Mankle and ask him. This is the last info that I have. May be out of date. I still have a Mankle "Horseshoer's special + 4 forge that I bought in the middle 70's.

Mankel Blacksmith Shop Box 29A, 7836 Cannonsburg Rd Cannonsburg MI 49317. Phone: 616/874-6955. Fax: 616/874-4053.

When torque is in pounds rather than in-lbs or ft-lbs, I have to question the scientific credentials of the researchers. I don't worry about some unit sloppiness on the part of everyday posters. I do worry about it on a so-called "study".

Sorry, it's a Canadian anvil. Approaching 90 Kg

I'd agree with, Dan - approaching 200 pounds.

That's nice work.

Zinc melts around 1000 F and vaporizes around 2000 F. It's the vapor that causes respiratory problems -- been there, done that, it ain't fun but unless you have pre existing problems, it will pass. It's a one time deal. A big fire or a blowtorch in a ventilated area will do the trick. As TIMGUNN says, white smoke is zinc, black is paint. Both need to be removed.

Build a big wood fire around it and burn the coating off.

Washing soda can be prepared from baking soda if not locally available.

http://naturesnurtureblog.com/2012/05/08/ttt-turn-baking-soda-into-washing-soda/

I made some hooks to support heavy pipe, they weren't strong enough so I hardened them. May not have even rinsed them and a year later no problems. I did leave a pretty heavy scale since they were in a corral where appearance didn't matter. They are outside in a very dry climate. Humidity rarely above 20% in the summer. I store mine in a plastic bucket with a tight lid.

My newest anvil - cast steel, modern mfg - has a fairly true 3/4 inch hole. My big 280 lb shop anvil apparently had an original hardy hole 1-1/4 at the top and near 1-1/2 at the bottom. It had been peened to somewhat smaller at the top and I just filed it out to 1-1/4, then built a sleeve with a top plate to use my 3/4 inch hardies. My other anvil, (a 1914 Trenton) is about 15/16ths (0.95). I only had one tool with a 1" shank so I ground it to fit that one.

It's actually not the melting point (around 500 F), but the boiling point (around 900F) where fumes form, here's a good article. :

http://www.theodoregray.com/periodictable/ZincSafety.html

Note that simple brazing creates fumes. I braze dril-tec with its brass matrix onto horseshoes in the forge and get the white zinc oxide coating the front of the forge. Beats useing a torch where I'm directly over the brazing.

I repaired a Vulcan (280 pounds) about 20 years ago using 7018.and sort of following Gunter's procedure. My preheat was a guesstimate. The damage did not go into the cast, it was due to someone using the anvil as a rest for cutting and cutting into the edge of the plate. That anvil is still good today. Don't know your welding skills, mine are minimal, but I used a copper strip to contain my puddle. Clamp it to the side of the anvil, weld from the top, grind smooth, lay the anvil on it's side and repeat with the copper clamped to the top face.

Perhaps low angle lighting and good digital photography and then messing with contrast and maybe even digital photo enhancement software is all I can guess.

Didn't attach. Here's another try.

Here's a pic of my first, much cruder than yours, shaped a lot of horseshoes and made me a significant amount of money.

Nice job. It would be extremely light - around 20 pounds, but at that price it would be worth it as a conversation piece or a door stop. Or perhaps a lightweight anvil would suit your purposes. My first one was homemade like that, but the basic stock was 3-1/2 wide by 2-1/2 thick. Still only about 40 pounds.

The pic of the Tyler didn't make it - here it is plus a view of chisel marks on a leg of the Trenton. I read those were likely a smith testing chisels that he'd made - any truth to it?