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Show me your anvil


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10 minutes ago, Daghrim said:

Gonna be picking up a 12" piece of rail in a couple days, I will post it when I get a chance.

Remember, if you stand it on end so that the full mass of the rail is under the hammer blow, it'll work a lot better. 

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1 hour ago, Daghrim said:

On end? I don't think I understand. 

By standing the Rail on it's end, you will get more mass under your work/Hammer Blows.

The same as you get more work done on an Anvil, over the waist/center. When you hammer on either end of an Anvil, it sounds terrible, because you do not have any support under your work.

There is an awful lot of discussion about this, in previous Posts, JHCC was being polite, trying to direct you to it in the history.

Neil

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I gotcha, I am looking for it today, I was a bit busy sadly so I wasn't able to get to it sooner. 

 

I was going to make one similar to the one in the book, The Modern Blacksmith. in chapter 25. From what I can tell that is being advised against here. 

Oh and to clarify, I totally understand what you mean by mass under the blows. I just figured the working area would be so small that it confused me, so I am looking around for the discussion on it. 

One more edit to finish this up instead of flooding the wrong section with this, I found the section I believe you were referring too and understand. I think I will start another post in a correct section/thread, that way I don't flood this any longer with more questions. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

128# Peter Wright, I leveled the bottom of the stump with a router and then also put a 1/4-1/2" footprint into the top of it to hold the anvil, I noticed that after I tightened the chains down that it went from being a high ping to being a very solid whack, the rebound is excellent and for being from the late 1800's I'd say it is in excellent shape! oh and the webbing is 2" nylon webbing to keep hammers close at hand. Still on the lookout for a little larger anvil, but this one has been great to learn on and continues to serve me well :)

Blade on top was my first attempt at a tonto blade.

12809943_10153961734929935_905970717_o.jpg

anvil stand 1.jpg

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1 hour ago, CoyoteGear said:

128# Peter Wright,  Still on the lookout for a little larger anvil, but this one has been great to learn on and continues to serve me well :)

What has this anvil NOT been able to do?

 

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Good Morning, Coyote,

It looks like it hasn't been able to go to School and Learn to be a Big Anvil.

Chains and Leg-Irons. Just kidding........

That Beauty will do all the work you ever ask of it. It is a mind War, needing a bigger Anvil

There is a normal size for a WorkShop, Too Small.

There is a normal size for a Sail Boat, Needs to be 2 feet longer.

Neil

 

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Anvil Envy: an expensive neurosis prevalent amongst blacksmiths wherein they believe that no matter how large their anvil is; bigger would be better.

At 128# I consider that around the top size for a travel anvil and with it's good sized sweet spot it will do a heck of a lot of work!   My 93# Arm and Hammer is mounted right by my 515# Fisher in my shop as bigger is not always better just as dead flat is not always better---the swale on my A&H is far better for straightening blades than the dead flat Fisher. OTOH the Fisher excels at working high alloy steels with heavy hand hammers!

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17 hours ago, Glenn said:

What has this anvil NOT been able to do?

 

Nothing yet, I just need one more than I have.... as I always will :) I keep a wad of cash in my wallet and a ball bearing in every car just in case I come across a good deal.... or any deal really.
@swedefiddle, do you ever come down into the states? I see that  you are not that far away.

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  • 2 weeks later...

2 3/4" diameter tractor axle cut to 33". To bed the axle, I ripped the log section in half with a chainsaw and cut a groove in each side. Bands (for now) are #9 plain steel wire, oxy-acetylene welded. Axle is 54# and ash base 78#. Rebound is about 60% (?), the "not-quite-back-in-the-fingers" kind. I'd add I wasn't surprised or disappointed with the rebound, if you can cut it with a hacksaw it isn't going to act like a hardened piece. Having all the mass directly underneath does give a distinct "feeling" difficult to describe. IMG_0733.thumb.JPG.4debc8c785cc75bf9e890004.thumb.JPG.0068f5212e99bbe2f49b01780f

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Dave: I'm busted. Note I purposely said "tractor axle" in the hope that you wouldn't spot the pedigree. This was derelict in my favorite derelict scrap yard; the owner had specialized in two-cylinders and it took a year to get the courage up to ask him about it. He knew full well what my intent was and to my relief said it was beyond help. I wonder if someday I'll find a rare rebuild-able "A" missing only an axle. I own and use and love a 620 here.

Thomas: Very kind words, thanks. The dark streaks are the distance the "bands" have been driven down so far, the degree of taper was incidental and luckily seems about right.

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That's just plain beautiful Randy Bill. I love the stand it's a work of art. The only thing I think it maybe needs is . . . a tap on one side but?

If there's enough carbon in the axle you might be able to torch heat and harden the top few inches. I'd want to know what it's like before trying it on your anvil but you have the cut off to experiment with.

I know exactly what you mean by the feel of working on that depth of rebound even though it's not hard. She'll move the metal for you for sure.

Frosty The Lucky.

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 Randy, I think if I had access to a lathe and some 2 3/4 id pipe. I'd make a cone mandrel to slip vertically back on top of the post anvil. But, after thinking a bit...... that may be a problem if your post gets mushroomed a bit from use.            Dave 

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