Leeknivek

Been a while since I've gotten on here. It's been a looooong winter. I'm in the process of deep-cleaning my shop, which has netted me with an immeasurable amount of hardware, solvents, grinding discs, lubricants, scrap (read: stock) - you name it. So I think I'm going to build a tire hammer. I totaled my crappy Hyundai this past November, and steel being $200 a ton here, I haven't scrapped it yet. I have a donut spare with matching hub, ready to use. Lots of aluminum to play with casting later, too. Anyways, I have a large majority of parts needed to build a tire hammer. I'm debating between either a DuPont style linkage, or a Beaudry Champion style linkage. Leaning towards Beaudry. I won't be buying Clay Spencer's plans, mostly because I'm using found parts - and I don't wish to get into the politics, either - so I'm looking here for help and documentation of my build. I'm collecting parts right now, as I'm cleaning the shop, and hope to be finished by June or July. I have a lot of this figured out in my head. I haven't built anything really mechanical, though I understand the principles. This is a list of what I'm stuck on right now, since detailed, documented builds are few and far between: - ANVIL My local yards usually have large steel drops, but I haven't been out yet this year with the snow. An alternative I *might* be able to use is an old Clark Michigan payloader. The hydraulic pump has been shot for 20+ years and it barely ran up until about 8 years ago, where it's sat in overgrowth since. (not my choice!). The engine is also just about siezed up, so it isn't worth too much more than scrap. I think it has solid steel axles - if I can separate them I might be able to use them. I'd prefer to find something at the yard, though... The nice thing about steel being so cheap is that I'm ready to have a hay-day at the yard! - DONUT SPARE I'm concerned with welding the rim of the donut spare. From what I understand, the Clay Spencer hammers would have the tire pried away from the rim with shims and jammed full of wet rags. Is this true? Safe? Has anyone tried a bolt-on method of affixing the plate for the eccentric shaft? - DRIVE WHEEL I don't have a drill press anymore, nor a lathe - has anyone made the drive wheel without these tools? Is there a source (in scrap or new form) of something like this? I think it's a 3-4", usually aluminum wheel with a small I.D. to attach to the hub of the drive motor. - BUSHINGS/BEARINGS Using the DuPont-style linkage, are bushings necessary? Are they preferred? I have a lifetime supply of grease and grease nipples (like, 40 gallons). What have some other builds used? I don't have any bushings off-hand, though I do have a number of various roller and ball bearings. I want this to last forever and plan to start a real business after having the economy of a power hammer. - MAST Square tubing is first choice, of course, but how is I-beam? I've read about and have seen small plate trusses welded onto the webbing for stability. Anyone have experience with this? - Guide Tube Again, I have a lot of grease. Is this acceptable? I know these things are pretty simple, but I don't think it hurts to ask. My Budget is about $350. Here's a list of what I still need: - Anvil - Hammer - Mast - Baseplate - Drive Wheel - 1HP motor - Coil Spring - Pillow Block(s) - (very easy to find en masse and inexpensively on eBay, I've found) - Bushings? Thanks for reading. Wish me luck!

Unfortunately, no - and because of it I ended up having to teach myself. That's a good idea though. My younger brother needs to learn.

Yeah, some of it is alright. A lot of it, on the other hand, has turned brown and moldy. $40/ton is crazy. The $220 was an average. I got in an accident last November and still haven't scrapped the car because it's so low.

I've been cleaning out the shop - used to be my grandfathers, an autobody - and today I cleared out allllllll of the 30+ year old junk weld rod. Some of it looked ok still, I use it here and there (MIG is more convenient than stick, don't use the arc welder much). The grand majority of it, however - all 100 pounds of it - is sitting in a five gallon bucket. 7018, 6013, 6022 mostly, but if you name it it's probably there. I was thinking of scrapping it, but scrap prices are so low right now. I read somewhere steel is down to $220 a ton or something, which is $0.11/pound. Last year I could sell for $0.30 around here. Good time to buy stock, anyway. Is the flux worth scraping off into a can, or something, to use for fire welding? Is the rod worth trying to weld into bar? Rivets?? It's no good for welding, and even if it were, I have another 50 pounds of still sealed rod. By the time I use it all....

I did have my pants over my boot, and I wrap my laces around my ankle instead of the conventional way of tying. Which was nice, because I was able to get them off fast enough to minimize the damage. the burn is right behind my pinky toe, on top of my foot. The only opening is, like, where the tongue of the shoe starts and even then it would have to autonomously push its way in to get me from there... And with no burn marks on my boot (to boot!), I dunno.

Oooook been a couple weeks. I've been working on this when I've had time. I have a base cut and welded on (cut meaning I cut a hole into it so the body of the anvil rests on the ground rather than rests on the base forming a hollow). I have the square horn cut to shape and the hardie hole partially drilled. Both of these are partially welded, to where its useable, but not aesthetically pleasing and provably not as strong as it could be. It is usable right now so that probably means I'll be forging until I get up the gumption to finish it. We'll see. :) I did some forging today, too. I had a wagon wheel that needed fixing for my inlaws, and it ended up I had just enough mig wire to do that. So that means I've used a pound or so on the anvil already, and it may be some time before I get a new roll. So ... As I said, I did some forging. But, prior to even that, I added a chimney to my forge, which is a 55-gallon drum, 1/3 cut off and upside down to form sort of a table with the remaining 2/3 forming a hood and a hole on top. Brake rotor fire pot. So I added some 6" stove pipe in there, making one of those "super sucker" type things, and let me tell you, this is like going from lit match to bic lighter. My slack tub was full of oil, a few feet away, and the smoke from some hot steel I places in it (I'm outdoors don't worry!) was sucked into the forge hood and up the chimney. i also lined the forge with wet clay/sand, as sort of an experiment. Anyone tried this before? In their forge? It just got extremely dry and powdery instead of hardening, like i expected. so it is, all in all, a work in progress. I think most of you could relate. I will post pictures when i go on a computer next, probably tomorrow. Uploading from a phone is tedious. EDIT: Completely forgot to add - when I started this, I started with the cutting and I used a torch. I ended up walking around with a pretty nasty burn the past two weeks. I have absolutely no idea what happened. I was cutting the plate on the bench, then all of a sudden my foot was burning. I hurriedly shut off the o/a torch and took off my conveniently tight high topped boots to find what looked like a piece of broken glass that was COOL TO THE TOUCH and a large blister. later, after I had come off the adrenaline rush, I realized there was absolutely no visible or otherwise damage to my boot. No marks, no burns, no holes, absolutely nothing!! its just about healed up now though, so no need to worry. But how strange is that??

Is anyone aware of where one could find coal around Eastern Connecticut? I've been buying 50lb bags from Aubuchon Hardware - $13 a bag - but I've seen prices online of $100-150 a ton... I would like to get in on that. just for reference, too, how much physical space does a ton of coal take up? and how do most of you store it in bulk??

Ronin, the piece that I am adding with the hardie hole is a solid block that's 3x3x3 ... It will have two seams of built up 7018 that are 1"w x 3"h, the other dimension being tapered so that as much original material remains while giving me a hole to build up the weld. I did think of that though, but the hardie hole would have to be off center, otherwise it would go into the web (almost defeating the purpose) ------------------ my work week is almost over. I will start fabrication on Wednesday (my day off) and post pictures. If everything goes right, it should only take that one day (every time I say that, I get put way behind schedule from something stupid!!)

Why not use that huge hulking pedestal-looking piece as a striking anvil? Unless its not steel. That looks like its already a good height and, what, 500+lbs?? again, unless its not steel. your punched plate does look good. Could probably weld a leg on each corner and then those together halfway down for some lateral support?

Alright. I'm going down tomorrow to start on the horn, make measurements, take inventory on my scrap, and figure out what I need to find next week to finish. (my blacksmithing day is Wednesday) in the meantime, I found a nifty online cadd program, called "tinkercad", and made a 3d model of what I plan on doing, for my own and your reference and clarity: I tried to get all the useful angles. Here's the piece in question that I have right now, to become the main body/waist:

Fixed, sorry.

Here's the plan, I did some basic sketches from all sides except bottom. this is all built around the 4-5"x7"x14" block of steel I have, pictured in the center of every sketch. The top left is a top view of the face. The curved portion, on the 'bottom' of the face, will be ground off into a slope, like a church window anvil. the next picture, top right, is a cross section showing my plans to later add a stepped base with upsetting block. The four circles in the corners are mounting holes. The next picture, middle-left, is a side view of the far-side, ie, the side one would not normally face. This shows the horn to the right and the hardie block to the left. It also illustrates the base. after that, middle-right photo, shows the side view from the opposite side - the one you face. Same as previous, basically, but shows the upsetting block. Also does not have the sloped edge as the previous does. second to last photo, bottom-left, shows the heel side of the anvil-to-be. Shows that the hardie has a full hole and also shows the sloped part. last sketch, bottom-right, is the horn side. Shows cross section of horn and how I plan to use the web for extra support. As shown in the middle pictures, the web does not extend the full length of the horn. what do you guys think? I think it looks pretty handsome!

Mac, I will post pictures in a little while once I can use the computer. artist, thanks for the encouragement. My skills are minimal but I'm always practicing. I've never welded stick but I've done plenty of mig. Like I said, I inherited the rod so I can do plenty of practice with no loss. The stick welder I have is a big, yellow, washing machine sized monolithic beast. "Chemetron AC 300W" or something. Can't remember exactly, but if I take my time welding, chipping, and cleaning, I'll be ok. I also have an oxyacetylene torch and various grinders. I plan on 100% penetration on the heel and horn, I will just have to figure out how to best bevel the rr piece to get 100%. I *was* thinking about a face plate - after posting this I browsed around here and saw someone mentioned the flange of a rr rail upside down, so there is already a deep chamfer to build up and get 100% penetration. Heat treating it is still something but I'll only be 120lbs at most instead of 400 or something. Thomas,I did actually want to make a bick originally but decided this would be more convenient. If I made a bick, I would have to make a base for it and I still wouldn't have a hardie. I like how yours came out, though, so eventually I may do something like that too. Paul, I watched both of your anvil making videos for ideas. That's basically what I plan to do, but with a stepped base like your bigger one. That will have to wait until I find the right stuff at the yard, though. Good job, by the way, I was very impressed. Charles - I could, but I would prefer to have it as part of my anvil. Peter, I'm not hard facing with 7018, only welding together anvil 'pieces'. So, I have a big block in the center - makes up most of the face, the waist, the base, its all one solid piece. I chamfer and weld on a horn and heel to this central piece, getting full penetration. I'm content with a mild steel face, too, for now I haven't had any issues with it.

Ok. Hay Buds (sorry). some of you may remember I purchased a block of steel at the scrap yard a number of months ago. After taking your advice to use it as is, its been working greatly. But it has its limitations - I find myself wanting a horn and hardie hole quite often while I'm working, and since I cannot for the life of me find a reasonably priced, closely located London pattern anvil, I've been doing some reading on iForge's DIY anvil pages. I don't think I'm proposing anything over-engineered or beyond practicality to do. I wouldn't be here if I did with all of the (rightfully) almost belligerent replies to amateurs who ask silly questions. anyways, what I have is an 85lb block of mild steel. It measures about 14" tall, with a face of 4-5" x 7", approximately. I've never actually measured it. One of the 7" sides is rounded - hence the 4-5" dimension. Its about 5" at its widest point. I have this set in a box made of dim. lumber filled with tamped clay/sand - altogether we're talking 1300+ pounds, this thing is unmovable. I literally used a backhoe to fill it. So, it works fairly well. But after doing some research on the 'pieced anvils' page that is on iforgeiron, I came up with a plan. I have some rr rail, and I could use that to make a horn. Cut with torch to rough dimension, then either grind or forge to finished shape. Depends on which is easier (that's why I'm here!) RR rail is an awkward shape, but I've been thinking outside of the box. (Yes, the box filled with the backhoe) and decided if I cut off the flange, part of the web could be used as a gusset to strengthen the horn if it's welded onto the (4") side. in addition, I read the "3 hardie holes" page and its best-selling sequel, "3 more hardie holes". If I could find a piece of mild steel with a 4" width, I could cut a hardie hole into it, make it almost trapezoidal (imagine a square horn of German anvil styling, but cut in half lengthwise). This way I have a similar/presumably stronger gusset as/than the horn. both of these new pieces would be heavily chamfered and then welded/built up with 7018 rod. From my varying research, this seems sufficient (I also have a 50lb unopened can of it that I inherited, so...) what is the consensus? Worth doing, or no? I'll go from 85lbs, to 100+, which is kind of nice, I'll have a little bit bigger of a face, a hardie hole, and a horn. I have some sketches drawn up, but I'll have to put them up tomorrow. Included is an idea of adding a stepped base - for later on, way after I do this bit listed here - but looks attractive and seems functional. thank you. Kevin

Here is some info about it - I would like to have it!! Ahem.. Looks like the ones on oldworldanvils.com, maybe they'd know something?

I looked at their website recently, but I didn't want to invest $20 into that just yet. Probably a couple months down the road.

Here she is. I took a wire wheel to the face, to clean it up some, and gave about a 1/8" radius on the edges. I'm not sure how much I'll like on there, so I only did a little as I can go back later and do more. I'm also considering, with a very big maybe, if I should grind off the rounded edge into a sloped step - like on the Austrian/church window anvils. I plan on using this primarily by myself but I've also enlisted my brother as a striker for later on. I don't want to end up with chipped edges and I've read that it helps to have a very deep radius, as seen on the Austrian styles, to prevent this. Since it's almost 'extra' on the face, it wouldn't be much of a loss. Only a lot of work. Now, what if I got a long piece of 1/2" plate, or a forklift tine even, - say 20" - and put it across on edge of my anvil stand? So that it rests on two corners. I could drill out and file two hardies on either end, one for a semi-permanent bick, and another for general use. In between, I could put pritchel holes of varying sizes, Or hardies, even, and use the edges to lag-bolt the plate down. I could even do the same to the opposing side at some point, making it into some sort of swage block. This way, I'll be making do with a non-traditional anvil but also conveniently have most of it and some other perks, all in the same 'Metal Beating Podium', as my cousin has deemed it.

It's got about the same rebound as the rail, from what I can tell. I'm using a 2lb hammer and if I let it it swings right back up to where I want it to be. I'll still get tired, I'm sure, but not nearly as much. Yeah, the guy at the yard was pretty shifty. He had a big fat cigar hanging out of his mouth, as he was perched up on his forklift. Everyone else had big beards and cigarettes, I felt like I was in mad max at this yard. The thing is, though, is that I subtly asked him if he knew what kind of steel it was, then if it was hardenable, to which he said yes and because of that it'll be 40 cents a pound. At the other hard I buy from, it's 20 cents a pound (though their selection is next to nothing). I took his word for it under the assumption that even if it is not hardenable, it will still be useable and will suit me well. I don't know if I was ripped off or what, but I think it's ok. That's a good thought on separate boxes, I didn't think of that. The box is pretty big though, 20"x20" so if I ever get a bigger 'anvil' it'll be going in there. Charles, I think that's what I'll do with the rail. I started grinding it but I only have a bench grinder and trying to be accurate holding a 40lb rail up to a bench grinder is tough. I'm also out of acetylene so I'll have to wait a while before I start that. Judson, it might be a little smaller, I only guessed those dimensions. I haven't actually measured it yet but it has a decently large face while still being long enough to provide a lot of mass. I have another question - I couldn't find any square tubing to use as a hardie hole so I'm wondering if putting one into the end of a 4x4 post would be a good idea. The stand is made of four 4x4's in each corner, each 36" long, and secured string enough that it shouldn't break unless under the most extreme circumstances. I have sheet metal and could line the 4x4" post hardie hole with it, to make it a little stronger and more fireproof. The only problem I think will be that if something gets stuck I'll have to pry it out instead of going through the bottom. Otherwise, I think it'll be steady.

Ok, that's fair enough. I was at the yard today and made a new purchase, actually. Not a piece of plate, but a large piece of steel. Probably mild steel, but not sure. It's 85 lbs, about 16x4"x8" maybe. One of the wide sides is crowned, about an inch and a half deep. Should be a good supplement to the rail, as I have room to put both of then in the sand. Not sure about rebound but he said it was hard enable. Wouldn't say what kind of steel, just "reggalur iyun steel". It'll work, though. I was using clay because that's what I have - 20 acres of sand with a tiny bit of gravel. Most of the gravel was dug out and sold, though. It compacts but I guess I can find some sand there too. I mean, if you stick a post anvil in the dirt, it can't be any worse than that, I don't think. Just a guess - I'm ready to hear otherwise too lol. I was planning on taking the web to the bench grinder, to do just that. I couldn't find any square tubing so I think that'll make a good replacement for hardies for now. I'll post a picture of the block of steel I got later on when I go to the shop.

Yeah, that's what I figured. Never that easy, is it? I think I'll just have to tamp it as best as I can and keep up on it. Not as plug-and-play as a traditional anvil, but I think it'll work well enough to get me started. You're saying the disc would help from making the rail bottom out in the sandbox? By giving it more surface area? I might just get a bigger piece of plate entirely to do that, if that's the case. I was always fascinated by the blacksmiths at fairs or on tv, and it's heartbreaking to know its that one-in-a-million chance to be able to earn a living like that, though I'd like to do it as a hobby even. It's been making my real job go by a little faster. I didn't know there was such a thing as railroad anvils or brake drum forges until recently - and I didn't pursue it until I was offered an old brake drum in return for helping my cousin change his drum brakes. That was a couple months ago, and after buying a welder, making trips every week to the scrap yard, and reading everything I can find, it's nice to finally turn it into a reality. And don't worry about the learning curve , frosty - if I've figured out one thing in life, it's that the curve is infinite and exponential.

Yeah, you're right. I've been pining to blacksmith since I was twelve years old. Feels good to make it happen now, even if it's a humble start. I have a tamp, so I think the sand should be sturdy enough. If not, I can always get a stump later. I'll try to keep everyone updated on how things go.

Thomas, I figured I could see if it was relatively hard with a file. I don't know too much about this sort of thing, yet, so just taking shots in the dark! That's why I'm here. Frosty, I was considering that too. I think I'll end up doing that. I also have two cast iron, 50lb wheel chucks. If I put those under it, will that help with more mass? I don't want to try welding those, I think it will be more trouble than it's worth, but maybe silicon caulk or some other more temporary adhesive so they're decently stuck together. All of this encased in the clay, too, with maybe a foot or so of compacted clay underneath all of this. Just a thought. Arftist, I planned out the sand box so that later on, when I can afford a 'real' anvil, I can pretty easily take out the old one and pop the new one in. I don't doubt my ambitions for blacksmithing, but who's to say I'll be able to pursue it long enough to get a better anvil? I'd rather use what I already made instead of buying something new entirely. Just saying. Thank you all for the insight. This forum has really helped me a lot in decision making.

Well, the track weighs about forty pounds. Like I said, I get a lot of rebound on it horizontally, but none vertically. I didn't have it securely mounted to anything either, so that may be the problem. I should be able to harden the rail either way though, right?

I have a piece of rail, the small kind on the small side, about 18" long. When I bought it, I was planning on using it vertically because all I've read on them is that they work worlds better that way than horizontally. I tested the rebound both horizontally and vertically and horizontally definitely won out. I had zero rebound on it vertically. But I'm not against the idea, yet. I made a stand for my rail. It's 20"x20", 36" tall. I made it so tall so that I could fill it with sand (I have hard-packing clay on hand, is that a comparable alternative?) and bury most of the anvil in it. Here's a picture: Sorry that it's sideways... took it on my phone. So, I picked up a small, round piece of plate. It's maybe 5/8" thick and about 4" in diameter, weighs a couple pounds. It was one of the many things I picked up as small stock for making... whatever. I thought I might be able to use it for the face of a vertical rail anvil, though. I'm not sure if it's hardenable, hopefully it is, but I'll test it with a file tomorrow and see what that does. I have a stick welder and an assortment of 25-year old rod, the only kind that's still sealed (and probably usable) is 7018. I also have a 110v MIG welder, a little portable one. No shielding gas, just flux core wire right now. If that circular piece of plate is hardenable, or even if it isn't, would it make an ok face for a rail anvil? Would my welding setup suffice?

Frosty, why is it a lot to clean up? I'm not using rebar to avoid cost, I go to the scrap yard every week! - I was just wondering if I could use what I already had on hand. If I don't like how they work, I can always buy a pair later on. To me, it's practice. I'm not trying to make the best tongs in the world - just tongs that I made for my use for nothing but the cost of my own labor. Even if they're lacking form and function, I think that's still something to be proud of. And a great way to learn how to make better tongs ;)