falsevacuum

Hmm... I've already sent in the design and specs to the machine shop, and they really hate changes. (I've already been chasing them in circles for weeks just to get an OK on the project) Do you think I'll probably be OK with the above designs? I can definitely cut the touchmark down to 5 inches pretty easily afterwards, though!

Hi! I've decided I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I have free access to a machine shop and machine myself a touchmark. I've settled on making two designs, a large and a small (attached). However, I'm trying to figure out an appropriate diameter. My original thought was to make one 1/2" and one 1", but after thinking about it some more, a lot of work (e.g. hooks) often doesn't have anywhere on it that's a 1/2" across. Also, 1" is huge. On the other hand It doesn't seem to me that steel under 1/2" diameter will hold up under a hammer. My current best plan is doing larger one as 1/2" and shaping the smaller down to 1/4" at the design end with a 1/2" shaft and striking end. What are your recommendations? If it's relevant, the steel I'm planning to use is S7. Thanks!

Ah, yes. I see the S and the E below that now! Thank you so much! ThomasPowers: Hmm.... alright. I'll grind it smooth, but not too thin. I'd think to thin would be asking for a break, anyways. What are these pock marks from? Edit: Also, any idea how old it is? The link states how old they are based on logo... which is faded!

Can you help me ID this anvil, please? I bought it at the New England Blacksmiths meet. It wasn't sure what brand it was when I bought it. The following day, when I asked, the guy who sold it to me pulled out the tag, which said "160# Arm and Hammer" but he also said from the pictures I showed him it didn't look like an Arm and Hammer. There's a writing on one face that I can't full make out (the face where the horn is to the right). There's no writing on the back (last picture). Also, should I grind the horn smooth? It's kind of smushed at the end.

​Fantastic! Thank you so much for the info! I want to get started on blacksmithing before May, so I'll get started on my cast iron anvil, learn a little, and screw it up just in time to buy a proper one at the meet. I'll contact you before I go!

Okay, it looks like any upgrades are going to be very difficult and expensive, and getting a proper anvil (incl. a forklift tine or similar scrap) will take a lot of time or a lot of money that I don't really want to do before I've even lifted a hammer. I'm going to use my cast iron anvil to get me by until the New England Blacksmith's conference, at which point I'll buy a real anvil. For the record, I went to the scrap yard and there wasn't anything useful that I could get. I was thinking about welding some channel steel together and grinding it down for a horn, but all of the channel steel was trapped under a giant pile of rebar and I couldn't free it.

​ ​ ​Thanks! The New England Blacksmiths group has a bi-annual meeting in May about an hour and a half away! I'm putting that in my calendar. It's cheap to join too -- I'll definitely do that! I still want to get into blacksmithing before that, so I'll have to come up with something. I found 70# Farrier's anvils in my price range here. I know they aren't ideal for general purpose blacksmithing, but it should be better than a cast iron anvil (or no anvil, if I can't find appropriate scrap)

​I sent an email to the nearest rental company asking for a broken/used tine last night, haven't heard back yet. I was at work all day and not able to call any companies; perhaps on Monday I'll take some time off and do it, though Thursdays work best for me. I was thinking I could both epoxy (using JB weld or similar) and put screws in (tap a hole, then use a machine screw) to attach the steel plate to the cast iron anvil. Is that worth a try?

​Can I join a blacksmith group without ever having blacksmithed before? Would I be better off buying (new if I can't find used) steel for one and welding one together?

Hi all, I'm going to be looking for scrap to use as a temporary anvil tomorrow. In the event that I don't find any, what would be a good starting anvil to buy? I don't want to spend more than $300. I was thinking of buying the 44# anvil here, though I'm open to suggestions. The best I could find on Craiglist was a damaged (sloped face) 125# Peter Wright for $600. Edit: I'd also be happy to buy a used one, I just don't want to spend several dozen hours to find one (just not worth it -- might as well buy new at that rate)

Okay, so it looks like I can still return the ASO if I do so within the next 2 weeks. How valuable is having a horn? Should I keep the ASO just for the horn? The earliest I can go to the scrap yard is next Saturday to take another look. I haven't had much luck with the local scrap yard. The layout is a pile about 15' high in a corner. I've been 3 times and have not found a large thick chunk of steel. The best steel I've found have been some channel steel welded together and a couple of pieces of angle and plate welded together. Also fire extinguishers, though I'd need an anvil to form those into something flat. I'll see what I can do with buying a forklift tine from a rental company. I found forklift tines on Craigslist for $200 each. Is that worth it? (also an hour and a half drive) Why won't the 1/2" steel work for getting started? To prevent flexing too much, I can reinforce it with 2x4. If the trouble is just weight, I could make my stand extra heavy with some 4x4 or sandbags. My thought is that I can use it until a better option presents itself. Or I could do Evfreek's idea, and just stick with the ASO, let it take a beating, and switch to something better when it comes along. Edit: Or should I buy something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEAUTIFUL-RAILROAD-TRACK-ANVIL-12-Inch-45-lbs-6-1-2-Inch-Height-RAILROADIANA-/251880240746?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa53b766a

Alright, so I think what I'm going to do is keep the ASO for the horn, hardy hole, and the fact that I like the stand. So more as a novelty than a doorstop. I'll use the 1/2" A-36 steel I have to make another, more sturdy anvil. I think I'm going to put that anvil on some kind of adjustable height stand I'll build. Fixing the anvil sounds like more of a pain in the ass than it's worth, and, as you say Thomas, "throwing good money after bad". Should I bother to get a hardy hole for my 1/2 steel plate? I can probably do it for free, minus the opportunity cost of missing work time.

Hmmm... this is all seeming pretty expensive. I looked up the price of silver solder on Amazon, and it's about $100/lb. Even if that's overpriced, it'd still be on the order of magnitude of the ASO. Arftist: My forge is not a ground forge. I built it about 35" high, and it's not super sturdy at that (first welding project, what can I say). I'm not sure it could hold up my anvil without external support. What do you mean about a truck leaf spring? How would I use it? I could go to the scrap yard and see if they have any... I noticed they had some automotive scrap last time I went. Maybe not your run-of-the-mill epoxy, but would a high end metal adhesive like "JB Weld" hold together decently enough to get me started? Moreover, could it do any harm? This would at least allow me to get started, even if it'll break in a few hours of moderate use. Maybe after I get a chance to try blacksmithing I'll be more inclined to do more experimental things like that.

That sounds like a hell of a time. So, dumb question, but could I just epoxy on the plate instead of going through all that trouble?

Frosty: Those are fantastic instructions! Thank you! ​I'm not sure if I can return it -- I'll try. Everyone: The steel I have readily available is a 1/2" x 4" x 2' bar that I can cut and weld to make an 8" x 8" plate with some leftover. I also picked up a piece of steel from the scrapyard that's about 1' x 1' and maybe 1/16"-1/8" thick. it's pretty sturdy -- no obvious damage. I didn't see any forklift scrap when I was there, though I'll go back in a few weeks and take another look. Which piece should I use? Or should I use Frosty's instructions to solder it on?

I bought my first anvil, one of those 55 lb cast iron anvils (or ASO, as you wish). It was relatively cheap for an anvil ($87 with shipping), and I couldn't find any anvils nearby that were less than $600. I've heard about people welding steel plates onto cast iron anvils, so I bought a 1/2" plate of A-36 steel to weld onto the anvil. However, I've been reading that it's pretty difficult to weld onto cast iron, and including heating it to 500F. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth. The other option I thought of is to build another, taller stand, and use the steel plate as an anvil, and use my cast iron one for its horn. I could even get a hardy hole machined into my steel plate for free. I'd have to buy the lumber and screws, which would add some cost, though. Which option should I go with? Thoughts?