broken anvil

[geofthesmith]

ive got a tiny problem with my anvil. the face has come halfway off the body. what happened was i was making a stage prop for my churches play and it was larger than i usually work with so i got my dad to strike for me with an 8lbs sledge and about 5 heats in the weld broke all the way through. Ive welded it a couple of times around the side but it never holds for long. any ideas on how to permanently fix this?

thanks,
Geof

[Charlotte]

What brand of Anvil is it? Could you post some pictures ? Can it be fixed? Is it worth fixing? I don't have a clue but those that do will want pictures and a brand name before they make any kind of acessment.

[geofthesmith]

unfortuanatly no pictures my camera was injured. its a Vulcan 75lbs and in new condition, no idea how old it actually is and id like to think its worth saving. the face doesnt look like it was welded all the way through when it was made, rather it seems to have been brazed just around the outside

[sloscheider]

I'm sorry to say that my first reaction is "it's done for"

I searched around a bit and found this article from at Anvils-welding and other anvil miscelania

Anvilfire and Jock Dempsy DO NOT allow any text or photos from that site to be used anywhere else on the internet. Your quote has been removed.

[Dave Leppo]

I believe the Vulcan is a steel top - cast iron body, with the cast iron sort-of moulded to the top during casting. I would guess that this manufacturing process was not fool-proof, there may have been a flaw here all along.
This would mean that you must now weld tool steel to cast iron, which could be a daunting process, and not one that I would try (but I'm not an expert welder). I personally would look for another anvil.

This is your chance to upgrade to a heavier model, if you choose:)

(I have Postman, and have read it. I don't have it here now to refer to)

[Dragons lair]

Welding or brazing around the edge will not work. Welding cast is a iffy thing to begin with. Between getting it welded all the way under the plate.Then re heat treating then cleaning up you will spend more than another anvil. Evan a HF 100lb would be a better way to go. Been welding 40yrs have my own shop and I wouldn't bother. Have touched up 2 Hay buddens 1 Trenton and replaced a horn. Also note the Vulcans (have a 60 and had a mint 100) are bottom grade anvils.

[new guy]

well i read up on the refflinghaus refacing, and it is not much cheaper than a new 100lb anvil. also i have heard vulcans arent the best, so maybe an old kohlswa or something else, but good luck.

[Finnr]

An eight pound hammer with a striker is just too much for a small (75# ) anvil to handle. I am afraid it's toast now.

Finnr

[Frosty]

Was the face actually brazed on in the first place? If so braze it back on the way they did it back when. Then do NOT use an 8lb sledge on it again!

Dress both faces till them match as closely as reasonable. Build an angle iron frame that will hold the face to the body with enough rim to register against the body to keep the face in place. This frame will need to be flange up with a few inches of clearance under it for the coals. It also needs to be reasonably stout.

Now, with the face and body shined up place some clipped pieces of brazing rod on the contact side of the face with a healthy sprinkling of flux. Using lengths of fluxed brazing rod laid lengthwise every inch or so might be better.

Now, carefully lay the body of the anvil on the face upside down. Cover the whole thing with something like a cut down 55gl drum, open end down or course with maybe a small smoke hole on top, heck it'd probably be a good idea to make a flap type door so you can feed the fire easily.

Load the drum with firewood, making sure there's some under the stand and light it up. You'll want a way to control air getting in and also a way to keep an eye on the joint.

If you've done much brazing you're familiar with the color you need to get brazing rod to flow so this is what you're shooting for. However, the body is a BIG heat sink so your soak time will be considerable, probably a couple hours of tending a moderate fire till it all gets to red heat. Once it's to red it may need a little air blast to push it to brazing temp, keep an eye open for brass sweating from the joint.

Once it's sweated all round let it cool till it's at non-magnetic, the brazing rod should be solidified at this temp. Remove the anvil and using a well supplied hose or several, play a continuous stream of water straight down on the face. Once the red has faded start checking for temper color by shutting off the water filing a clean spot and watching the colors run. When the colors run to brown/blue put the water to it until it's cool to the touch.

Check hardness with a new sharp file once it's cool. If it bites easily the face is probably softer than you want but trying to retreat it is probably more hassle than it's worth, it'll work for light duty and is a whole lot better than the faceless version.

However, if the file skates it's too hard and this is not only bad, it's dangerous. Fortunately re-tempering is a lot easier than trying to reharden. Simply put the anvil face up in the stand you made and build a charcoal fire under and around it. Heat it slowly so it has enough soak time. When the colors on the (shined up) face run a color softer than your first attempt remove it from the fire and quench it till cool. Repeat file test.

Have I tried this? No. I've read about it some years ago but can't put my hands on the cites. There were a couple basic ways to quench anvils, the most popular is hanging it upside down in a pond or slow running creek. The other is by playing a stream down over the face.

Some manufacturers who used the drench method had water towers with marks to show the precise amount of water to use per size anvil. Soderfors was one such manufacturer.

Anyway, it's a possibility but probably more effort than it's worth. you could probably mow lawns for the same amount of time and buy another anvil.

Frosty

[geofthesmith]

thanks for the advice, in hindsight the 8 lbs was a bad idea. i think ill just get another anvil im sure there's one round at the flee market or in tailgating

Edited May 23, 2009 by geofthesmith

[Dragons lair]

Check your local HF store they are closing out the 100lb russians. Might find a early one ( square not diagonal hardy) I have a small 60lb Vulcan looking for a home. PM or Email if intrested
Ken.

[horseshoe182]

Why not find the manufacturer and ask him what he thinks. If the anvil has some sort of steel face, maybe it can be replaced just like when it was made, it must have been weld on, find out the welding proceder and do the same?

[Finnr]

Vulcan hasn't been made for many years. The maker is long gone. Good idea though for a newer anvil.
Finnr

[Sam Salvati]

Vulcan hasn't been made for many years. The maker is long gone. Good idea though for a newer anvil.
Finnr

Good idea for a newer anvil, if anvils were made with a seperate steel face and cast/wrought body :D

[horseshoe182]

Well I,m one of those guys that has trouble throwwing stuff away, and I would try to fix it. Cut off old face- send to machine shop and mill it up- get new face- findout a weld procuedure- weld on new face- check for straightness- mill or surface grind if needed- dress the horn. and there, a reconditioned anvil, I don,t know if it would work ok, but I recokon it will.

I guess we have that mentanity in Australia because we don,t get the chioce of anvils that USA gets, and some are imported, a 70lb Nc will cost from about $600AU and up, and thats a bit of money.

Edited May 23, 2009 by horseshoe182

[Finnr]

OK Sam You win! LOL!!
Finnr

[ThomasPowers]

Wow the cost of machining a cast iron bodied vulcan would probably exceed buying a better anvil at a conference like Quad-State!

I have a vulcan on my "wall of shame" (damaged anvils) . The horn is broken off, the face is paper thin and is missing over most of it. It's ridgebacked so I think it was originally abused as a ranch anvil. It was a gift from a person I found a cast steel swedish anvil in mint condition as a replacement.

[horseshoe182]

I don,t know about cost as a mate milled up a small anvil for me for free. I,ve found that a 9inch angle grinder, brand new grinding wheel, a straight edge and some skill, works good. I find that if you cross thatch the grinding pattern, it does a great job of leveling high spots. (A good example of cross thatching is the pattern you see in a cylinder bore just after it has been honed.)