addenbrokedennis

Thanks for the responses. I’ve been haunting this sight for a week or so now lots to learn from everybody. Very informative and mostly friendly and helpful folks here. I especially like the references and videos of primitive smithies. Makes me feel better about what I got. Interestingly the fellow who gave me the anvil was named Glenn too. This is my first real anvil even if it is only an ASO. I’ve mostly used bit’s and pieces of heavy equipment for anvils in the past. I’ve been pounding on hot steel off and on since I was 14 and now that I’m looking down the barrel of retirement I though if I got a forge going maybe I wouldn’t get board. Out here I don’t have access to forklift parts but would a heavy chunk of spring steel suffice? I have one of them. Neil, I’m at Addenbroke Is. (thus the moniker) north of Port Hardy about 50 miles. If you Google it, it’ll make you want to come here and fish. Sadly the dog passed last Oct. for such a small mutt she left a big hole in my house. Best fishing buddy a fellow can have. By the way is there a problem with the chat room? Every time I go there it locks up on me could just be my limited internet……. D

Called my dad for his 81st. birthday. Headed down to my shop to beat on hot things, then the genorator quit. Spent the day rebuilding the fuel pump. Always tomorrow to burn and beat I guess.

So I was given an anvil……. I was told it was “a hunnert ponds”. Turns out it was 47 lbs, I have no idea how many "ponds" that is. The deal was if I built the fellow a knife I could have the anvil. As stated in a previous post it would be best to call it an Anvil Shaped Object. I think it was used in Warner Brothers cartoons. It is soft, the hardy hole is not square, and it’s not square with the anvil. About it’s only redeeming feature is that is heavier than my hammers. My question is there any way to improve one of these old ASO’s or are they best put out in the yard for birds to perch on?

A fellow co-worker recently told me that if I would build him a knife he would give me his old anvil. Picturing in my head a venerable classic anvil I agreed and started planning the knife. Not long after a heavy parcel arrived and when I opened it out dropped, for lack of a better description, a 47lbs. Anvil Shaped Object. (ASO). I’m not sure where it came from it has been beat up pretty bad and was rough cast in the first place. The only markings on it are, 1 4 7 . When I put it on the scale it is just under 47 lbs. the one might be a result of the rough life it had, it looks like some one chopped on it with an axe. I’ve dressed it up with a flap wheel and stripped off many layers of paint. I built the knife and a few more but I guess I have to keep looking for a better anvil. Here is a couple pics of the anvil, the knife and just because some of you guys said you like them one of my old dog, and a fish we caught. I’m the one in the red coat. But I digress.. As stated before the anvil was rather rough and crude in it’s construction. When I was grinding on it the sparks were rather orange, so I’m guessing case iron or lesser steel. When struck with a hammer it rings like a loaf of bread, and I think the bred would bounce the hammer more. It is heavier than the hammers I hit it with so I guess it’s better than a rock but I wonder if there is any thing I can do to improve it? Can they be tempered or are they best suited to sitting and looking rustic in the yard. ,