Duckwalk Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Just finished making this today. The stand is 4 - 4x6 cut at 35". The "anvil" is a railroad tie plate. 1"thick. I can start making harty tools with rr spikes as bases as they fit perfectly for obvious reasons. This should be more than enough for me at my skill level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Duckwalk, I would strongly recommend unspiking that plate from the base and turning it edge-up. You want as much mass as possible under the hammer blow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckwalk Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 9 minutes ago, JHCC said: Duckwalk, I would strongly recommend unspiking that plate from the base and turning it edge-up. You want as much mass as possible under the hammer blow. I appriciate the advice. The whole thing weighs about 90+lbs. If it does not suffice for what im doing, i will absolutly try turning it up. I also have some rr iron that i use on its end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Weight isn't the only factor it's rigidity. You might not see it but striking a plate flat on like that will flex it like a drum head and absorb a majority of force i your blow while not providing the resistance to move the steel efficiently. You built an excellent stand but nothing will make a track plate a decent anvil for more than straightening nails and other light work. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I have a piece of tie plate built into my anvil stand; I use it for hammering stock lengthwise to make it thicker. It works okay, which is kind of upsetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 How sturdy is it? If you do make hardie tools for it i'd wonder about pounding on the edge. Give it a shot and let us know how it worked. It's already built. If it didn't work out you can always repurpose it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckwalk Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 6 minutes ago, Daswulf said: How sturdy is it? If you do make hardie tools for it i'd wonder about pounding on the edge. Give it a shot and let us know how it worked. It's already built. If it didn't work out you can always repurpose it. Might add some support for the hardie side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJRailRoadTrack Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 41 minutes ago, Daswulf said: How sturdy is it? If you do make hardie tools for it i'd wonder about pounding on the edge. Give it a shot and let us know how it worked. It's already built. If it didn't work out you can always repurpose it. They are extremly sturdy, I used one as an anvil for a while. They would bend in half before snapping. Not sure what the # of the steel is. Anyone know what it is exactly? -EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 5 minutes ago, EJRailRoadTrack said: They are extremly sturdy, I used one as an anvil for a while. They would bend in half before snapping. Not sure what the # of the steel is. Anyone know what it is exactly? -EJ According to BP0002 - Junk Yard and Rail Road Steels, a mass-spectrometer-owning friend of an IFI member tested a tie plate at C:0.19 | Mn:0.42 | P:0.005 | S:0.030 | Si::0.04 | Cu:0.24 | Cr:0.05 | Mo:0.009 | Ni:0.07 | Sn:0.011 | V: - | Nb: - According to BP0011 Common Railroad Steels, Grade 1 tie plates are 0.15% carbon, while Grade 2 plates are 0.35-0.85% carbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 You can bend a cooked spaghetti noodle in half without it snapping but it doesn't match my definition for "sturdy" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 And spaghetti noodles keep a straw temper in less than 10 minutes at 212 F. Not sure about the carbon content in those though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Carbon content is high and they are usually heat treated in boiling water. Track plates are sturdy; just the test suggested did not necessarily meet the criteria for such---perhaps a charpy test would be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Boiled track plates aren't particularly appetizing, even with a nice marinara sauce. High in iron, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 C'mon Thomas, get yer terminology correct. Spaghetti noodles are air hardened, then tempered in boiling water to the desired hardness - al dente is the most commonly used temper. Spaghetti is also normally used with some sort of surface treatment after tempering , as using it straight out of the tempering bath is not that desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Biggundoctor, I've also heard that spaghetti is a work hardening material; the ones I've seen through a rolling mill certainly were! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donniev Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Got this from Matto this last weekend at a meet- can't wait to get it mounted. I'm thinking 4x4s will probably be the easiest for me Also got the post vise in the deal as well- thanks Matt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Tempering *IS* a heat treating process BGD (and didn't Al Dente work for Mr Capone.....?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 I'd be hard-pressed to use a Fisher anvil that still had bits of the sticker on it's side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LWB3480 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I new to "I Forge Iron", this is my first post. I would appreciate any info or tips on where to look for info. Went to the Mountain Mushroom Festival in Irvine Kentucky and the Hillbilly Flywheelers Antique Gas Engine & Tractor Show picked up my first anvil. The paper tag said Armitage Mouse Hole, I do not see Armitage on the anvil review list. The word ARM is clear but what follows is unreadable. It is 20" long and has 0-3-21 stamped in it, so it is 105 pounds if I figured it right. Thanks in advance for any input. I am quickly falling in love with it, sounds stupid but I have a reverence for old tools. Regards, Lester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Yup, that's a Morgan & Henry Armitage Mousehole Forge anvil from about 1830-1835, same vintage as mine. Sweet anvil -- use it in good health! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Welcome aboard LWB (How are we supposed to pronounce a web handle like that I ask you?) glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. Mouse Hole anvils are well known and sought after. Good anvil, nice score. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foundryman Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 36 minutes ago, Frosty said: Welcome aboard LWB (How are we supposed to pronounce a web handle like that I ask you?) I don't know about your side of the pond but that's the abbreviation for "long wheel base" in the Uk! Beautiful anvil by the way, it has so much character to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LWB3480 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Long wheel base, more like big wide load in my case! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Wouldn't that a backwards big wide load? Reminds me what BOSS really stands for. You are so going to fit in here. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 This little guy showed up today. Neighbor brought it over. Rebound ahh ok. About 65 lbs.. It's the thought that really counts. It's good to have GOOD neighbors. Papy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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