Show me your anvil

[Charles R. Stevens]

I find that a quarter inch or so plate forged to set over the face with tabs over the web with a block welded on make good anvil tools, 

welding to rail is a PITA unless you have experience as an t would be heated to 500f or so first. 
 

I simply drilled a pritchel hole were the web needs the flange, and a hole could be drilled in the web allowing you to use a chain hold down.

[Shainarue]

Regarding the swage response: Hmmm,  I maybe used the wrong terminology. I've read (sometimes skimmed) 4 books over the course of two weeks so it's likely I'm mixing up words.  I thought the inside curve could maybe be used as a forming shape. I thought I remembered one of the parts in The Complete Modern Blacksmith mentioning that anything with the desired shape could be used as a swage,  even a carved out tree stump. So I saw that curve and thought it might be useful, but also saw that I'd either have to dig out the anvil to position it differently or seeing sideways. That's why it was a question mark,  lol

Charles,  regarding the plate used for tools, can you help me picture this with a doodle? I'm not following. My brother is an excellent welder so as long as I can explain what I want,  he can do it! I'm in the pre-beginner level,  lol. I've only ever even handled a welding gun (gun? Is that what it's called? It has a trigger so.. ) once. It was a mig welder and I was practicing laying a bead line on a plate.  That was all we got to do in that part of the class,  lol 

I'm trying to decide whether to save for a welding course or a blacksmithing course or a bigger anvil. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Shainarue
Additional response

[Glenn]

Look for a piece of rr rail (12 to 24 inches long that you can lay down on its side so you can get to the inside and outside curves.  Makes a nice swage. 

You can span the gap to make bends and larger curves.  

[Frosty]

Shain: Yes, the inside curves on rail make good swages. If you mount rail vertically it makes a good anvil. If you mount it on a solid base with the foot against a piece of beam with tabs to hold it upright you can simply lift it out of the stand and turn it over to access bottom tools ground into the other end. Make sense?

The wooden post anvil stand can also hold a portable hole for your hardy tools. 

You don't have to have the swage laying flat to use it, it will work on end. It won't be as convenient but for starting curves and such it works just fine. I tend to use the curves on the sides of my anvil as swages rather than position my swage block. 

For now you only need some very basic tools, anvil, hammer and fire. A hardy is handy but not necessary just yet, if you stick to learning with mild steel a hack saw will cut it cold easily. A yard sale mason's chisel makes a fine top cut or if you build a portable hole a little modification and they make a nice hardy. 

Keep things simple, blacksmithing is a life long learning curve, take your time and have fun playing around. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

A RR tie plate can be used for an anvil hardy hole, mounted on a stump.

[Shainarue]

Frosty & Charles: I mostly wanted the hole (hardy or pritchel, either) for the hold-down option since I had steel but not chain - but maybe it'd be worthwhile to see if I can find some chain somewhere instead. I figured as I progressed, I'd figure out what other hardy tools would be helpful and address that when I got there. I don't think I'll be at 'swage-level' soon so I guess it was more just a note as a future maybe consideration, lol
Anyway, yes Frosty, your explanation of how to mount so it can be flipped made sense and I'm sure I've read it on here before.

When I was making the brace for the grill forge, I used a hole punch and started it on the anvil then used a thick piece of square tubing with holes in it (like for shelving) to punch the hole out. That was where I realized that I really needed some sort of hold-down. So anytime I'm working something that I'll want to punch, I'll want the hold-down. 

At the moment, for the projects I have laid out to learn with - I will get the most use out of the cutoff, the horn, and the hold-down. I'm hoping the rain lets up enough for me to get out there and start tomorrow (Saturday). 

[Frosty]

One of the handy things about mounting a portable hole to the wood post rail anvil stand is it stops flush with the anvil face so you can make bottom tools that reach to or over the anvil. A piece of plate that reaches to the anvil can have pritchel holes galore if you need, one for hold fast another for bolster to punch through and it can still have a hardy hole over the portable hole. 

With practice you'll find you have less and less need for a horn, I only use mine as a fuller to aid drawing out. Not saying don't get one or make a bickern but they're not as necessary as it seems. 

I don't know what the scrap stream is like in KC but keep your eyes open for heavy steel . . . things. a coupler knuckle off a rail car makes a truly outstanding anvil, it has all kinds of useful shapes, flat, convex, concave, compound and others. 

I'm not leaning, I'm just tossing out some proven expedient anvils for your consideration.  

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

The horn (double horn in my case) and cut off are why mine is built the way it is. If you have a good drill press a 3/8” pritchel hole can be drilled in clang/web joint. If you drill it deal enugh a hold down can be used in it. Don’t forget to cross drill so you can clean out any junk that falls in the hole. 
I will get you a picture of an anvil tool

[natkova]

Here is mine I like the things about hardy hole being close to center then it going to edge of heel.

I have dillema about wich side to put horn, on right side is my forge and on right side hardy hole.

 

[Frosty]

Put your anvil where you can work any side until YOU know what you like. There are advantages to having the horn on the hammer hand side or tong hand side forging with or against the taper each has it's affects. Only experience will tell you what works best for you. I work all sides of my anvils and keep them mobile. And NO they don't move while I'm working unless I move it. And I have turned one around while the work is taking another heat. 

That's me though, everybody is different.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Rojo Pedro]

Super nice natkova. How much does it wiegh?

[natkova]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

Put your anvil where you can work any side until YOU know what you like. There are advantages to having the horn on the hammer hand side or tong hand side forging with or against the taper each has it's affects. Only experience will tell you what works best for you. I work all sides of my anvils and keep them mobile. And NO they don't move while I'm working unless I move it. And I have turned one around while the work is taking another heat. 

That's me though, everybody is different.

Frosty The Lucky.

YOu know iam right handed but my eye is kinda left how to say in english. There is one test when you make triangle with fingers and you watch with eyes  long story short my dominant side is somehow when i want to aim at something left,or i want to saw wood or something,  i use left eye but when i want to work i use right hand.
That phenomenon is called in medicine somehow but i forgot. Yeah like ocular dominance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocular_dominance And here is test about it so you can find out too 

And for me if i dont bang my hand on hardie wich i doubt will happen becasue anvil is short for that , and i put hardy hole away , when i dont use it.

That's one reason why i investigated on net why hammer hand should not be on toe end of anvil.

 

 

1 hour ago, Rojo Pedro said:

Super nice natkova. How much does it wiegh?

Its 50 kilograms . about 110 pounds.

[Shainarue]

I can't figure out which eye is dominant for me. Over the years at shooting workshops, I've tried the triangle view and the thumb view just to see if anything has changed. 

When I center in the triangle and then close one eye or the other, the object jumps to the left or right of the triangle. When I hold up my thumb in attempt to cover the object, I see two thumbs on either side of the object, neither any more or less clear (as in, one thumb doesn't look like a faded or ghost thumb). 

[Charles R. Stevens]

You wouldn’t be dyslexic, buy chance? Dyslexics usually don’t have a dominant eye. I myself have a lazy eye (my right) thus I am strongly cross dominant.

[Glenn]

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger (the old OK sign) and hold it at arms distance to visually place an object into the circle.  Close one eye and if the object is in the circle, that is the dominate eye.  If not, the other eye is dominate.

If you naturally make the circle with your right hand and the object appears in the right eye take note.  If the object appears in the left eye with the circle made with the right hand, then you are right hand - left eye dominate.  It is something to know, but not worry about, unless it gets in your way.

It is a surprise when you change eye or hand dominates without realizing it.  Changed eye dominates out of necessity.  Once I found that out, I found I could aim a hammer, and do some other tasks again.  

[natkova]

21 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

You wouldn’t be dyslexic, buy chance? Dyslexics usually don’t have a dominant eye. I myself have a lazy eye (my right) thus I am strongly cross dominant.

Yes iam cross dominant too . 

That word was what i i was looking for.

 

 

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yep, I caught all kinds of hell for using the weaver stance. The weaver stance as developed to reduce your profile and works well for cross dominant. The standard law enforcement stance is designed for body armor. If you are cross dominant and wear armor, they make sleeves and side plates that y’all. This closes the armpit gap. 
for those who aren’t in the know, carrying a fire arm is an awesome responsibility, and is a perishable skill. If you chose to carry you must be in the right place mentally, emotionally, skill wise and legally. Set a positive example, don’t be “that guy”.

[Shainarue]

Hey, the OK sign worked! I'm right-hand left-eye dominant. 

So you think of I close my right eye, my hammering might get better? 

Don't know how it could be connected, but as for dyslexia - kinda. Just when my eyes are tired. I always thought it was like that for everyone until I made a comment to a friend that if I'm reading on the kindle at night, I only read until the lines start moving over each other and then stop because I can't use my finger to follow the lines. They looked at me strange and said, "I had no idea you were dyslexic." I said me either! I am? Lol

[Glenn]

Let your brain figure it out.  

Just knowing is half the battle won already.

[Frosty]

Ditto Glenn, your brain operates everything you do. Forget about eye/hand dominance and just do. There's an advantage to seeing at what's happening from the offside. Ever watch welders craning their necks to watch the bead? Left eye or off hand eye dominance takes care of that the bead is easier to see if you aren't looking with the stinger blocking your dominant eye.

Just do, It'll come.

Frosty The Lucky.

[PCRDNADave]

[BayardStrachan]

Here's mine, 120lb anvil,  Canadian Oregon stand in progress. 

[Cavpilot2k]

I picked up this anvil about 9 months ago. Identified as a Samson - 132 lb. 

I was looking at a potential house to buy and this was a decoration on the front door step!

I cleaned it up and voila!

  

[Richie B.]

Very nice!

It cleaned up beautifully.

[Frosty]

She looks rarin to go!

Frosty The Lucky.