Kaylee

I was poking around the notorious online auction website of North America and there is a 12" leg vise up for sale right now, in Rhode Island. It looks massive, that's for sure! I'd link the page but I'm not sure I'm comfortable, as it'd still be a link for a sale, and this isn't the tailgating section nor is it mine. I will say that he's listed it as: HUGE VINTAGE KAYES 12" JAW BLACKSMITH , WHITESMITH LEG VISE , NICE COND. ANVIL though I found it under a general search for leg vise. Current Price: US $1,975.00

The style of screw box, jaws, pivot, etc all look exactly like my Iron City post vise... which mine is a 35 and slightly smaller than your 4 1/8" one.

There are at a minimum two other ifi members in Bremerton, @Nik201. Myself, and a guy who's rather busy but I'll let him chime in himself if he gets around to seeing this. As I just got my anvil myself, I also recommend letting him make the purchase himself, but I do have an alternate solution. I do have my 200# Fisher (not for sale btw) that he'd be welcome to come see and work on etc. I'm still in the process of tooling up, but I swear once it starts, it goes pretty quick!

If the tool being magnetized is banged or tapped on while the field is on, it'll magnetize (or demagnetize) faster, stronger, and be more permanent. Of course this requires an assistant or an additional setup step for machinery to vibrate it.

I'm really glad you're fairly hesitant to attempt repairs. Also just because the guy you know is a good welder, that doesn't mean he knows how to handle welding on an anvil without trashing the rebound. I don't know how to do it properly, but I at least know that I don't know. With as much agreeing that repairs may be in order for this anvil from others, I'd still recommend waiting for a few more of the curmudgeons to chime in.

Yes it is, total should be ~89, again verified on a bathroom scale.

Welcome! Frosty or another member will be along shortly I'm sure to mention putting your location in your profile, so I'll not steal that from them. Aside from that, feel free to insert some writing too. We don't bite... well most of us don't, mostly the tools or glowing hot steel that'll bite you if you're not careful.

Name her Betsy? Really most of the people here will tell you that without pictures it's almost impossible to identify an anvil unless you can read the name of it yourself. Also, many people new to the craft ask about restoring an anvil, but I've only seen one where restoration was actually needed (and 3/4 of the steel facing had come off entirely and was missing). I'm glad you haven't asked that part yet, but there's little that needs to be done to these fine tools we call anvils, besides treat them well with hot iron/steel.

Charles, you've been nothing but helpful whenever you replied to my questions, and those times I've seen you respond to others. Thank you for this kindness and the welcome you have shown, it speaks volumes of your character. Prayers your way for you both.

Yeah, I was given a bunch of random pieces for free. Nice to know what I'm getting myself into, and I hadn't seen anything by searching the site. Thank you Steve and Thomas!

When I picked up my anvil, I was given a lot of scrap steel. Most of it I was told what it was from, and thus have been able to narrow down a range of what these pieces are actually made of. That said, I have 4 pieces I believe to be QT-100, also known as ASTM a514. I've found spec sheets for this, but as a514 comes in grades B, E, F, H, P, Q, and S, and I'm not sure which grade I have... I'm left to guesswork unless I can track down someone with a mass spectrometer. There may be one at my work, but I'm not sure I'd be able to get a chunk analyzed anyway... so why fret? My question though remains regarding the uses. Being that it's considered a high strength steel, with good impact-abrasion resistance, would it be a potential candidate for making tools, ranging from hardy tools to punches, hammers, or dies for texturing? If so, what are the things that you know of that I'd have to watch out for? I already know it's going to be very hard to move under the hammer. The spec sheet I found for a514: http://usa.arcelormittal.com/globalassets/arcelormittal-usa/what-we-do/steel/plate/plate-product-brochures/A514-AND-T-1.PDF The spec sheet I found for 4140: http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6769 I don't know enough about metallurgy to really understand these sheets without translation, so I come to those here who would be better equipped than I to answer.

I am indeed. I'll shoot you a message... probably would get very far off topic if we continue down this path! (It wouldn't be interactions with real people without tangents though)

To be clear, I wasn't looking for a handout.

Is that an offer in case I change my mind, Alan?

Oh my gosh. No I hadn't seen it, but it's so true to me! I love it, and I think I need a big poster of it printed out, and plastered on the garage door! (The one going to the garage from the house, not the one to outside) I will also be sending that around, like Frosty. Seriously, thank you so much for this! Also, how could I forget to mention I'm into video games fairly heavily? My only tattoo is a gaming related one!