DennisG Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 (edited) Hello to all, I find the information found not only on the site, but here in the forums, VERY helpful. Puts other sites to shame. So, I work in a fab shop making structural and we, on occasion, get a request to cut forks from fork trucks down. Sometimes they want the pieces back other times not. I have in my possession a piece of fork 6"x13"x2 3/4" (60.8 lbs) the steel is 15B37 or 4130 heat treated(thanks to the dealer for that info). I have a piece of tube 10"x6"x8"long with 1/2" wall (22 lbs). I will be drilling a pritcher hole (5/8") and then drilling a Hardy "hole" (1 1/4" so as to slide in a square tube and weld edges closed). I want to weld the pieces together and to do this will require a preheat and post heat of the fork. After talking to a supplier, he says the face should remain good. I have an idea for the horn which I am making separately. So the questions I put out there are.... - Heat treat again after all the welding is done, or just run with the pre/post heat and leave it? - With the 60lbs sitting 8" up should I be packing extra weight at the base ( inside the tube)? Is there a ratio or rule of thumb for weight distribution? I do have tons of plugs from the iron worker I can use. - Have others who have made anvils this way found any problems with welds after using for a period of time, ie. cracking and such? Thanks for taking the time to read this and I will be adding pics ASAP. Dennis P.S. I am currently waiting on word if I will be able to use 2 other fork pieces 3 1/2"x8"x21 3/4" also 4130 steel An interesting link to information on steels that I came across. P.P.S Just came across this post http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f92/pritchel-hole-tools-13793/ based on this, I am gonna leave out the hardie hole and just run with the pritcher hole. A possible handy link about metals and metallurgy.Practical Data Handbook Edited August 6, 2009 by DennisG update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 give it a try the worst thing is you have to reweld it. I would fill the tube if it was up to me more mass. I have seen people use 6x6 solid stock cemented in a 5 gallon bucket. I started out with the back side of a vice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweany Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I've found welding a block on the side of the anvil (square hole for hardy cut with torch) is easier that drilling a hole through the face. all my home mades are like that. I usually place a hardy shank in the hole and shim it out with a busines card, tack it up. weld it out, alternate passes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 It is really best to not incorperate any hollow stock in your anvil. I would wait and weld The three blocks together. Put one of the two large blocks on top of the other and slide it lenthwise so it hangs off the end about four inches. Have this be the heel, and by all means, make a hardy hole. A pritchel hole does not replace a hardy hole in my book. Put a pritchel hole in also if you want. Then take the smaller block and stand it on edge. Cut a notch 4'' long and 2 1/2'' deep from the bottom, so it will sit on the shelf at the other end from the heel. I would hold this tight to one side, giving you a nice upsetting block on one side. Then shape your horn out of the thirteen inch length. Finaly, make some nice feet out of 1'' plate with bolt holes, so you can secure it well. Don't worry about heat treating it. That would be a massive undertaking. Offer to buy your boss a spool of wire, since you will use all of that to weld this thing together.Inner/outersheild would be nice, 1/16'' if you have it. If possible, try to arange the joints in such a way that you have as close to 100% weld as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 thanks for the replies guys. I took a couple pics of what I am using and the starting of the project. Francis Cole, after reading your reply the thought of sand came to mind, weld the face on, fill with sand then put on the base plate. Arftist, I thought about doing very similarly to what you described but then I look at them and see 3 possible anvils. There are guys locally who are starting out and need an anvil until they get a "real" one so I like the idea of lending out. Call it paying it forward, giving back to the blacksmith community. Besides, we get them in every now and again. , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Well I have made my Anvil. The stats.... over all length 16" over all height 11 1/2" "face" is a forklift fork piece 5.75"X2.75"X13" of 4130 heat treated body is 10"X6"X8" high, 1/2" wall hardy hole is 1.5"X1.5" in a square piece of 1.5" thick plate phritcher hole is 11/16" base plate is 9/16" thick 14.75"X9.25" horn hole 1.5"X1.5" thru the body Weight 155LBS Edges were beveled to allow better weld penetration. The 4130 was pre-heated then post heated and allowed to air cool. I used metal-core wire feed for welding. All the welds were Die-Pen tested and passed. The following day I tacked a piece of expanded metal piece inside the body 3" in, then filled it with sand and slugs to add "meat" to the anvil. The expanded metal is to prevent the slugs from migrating to the face. The next step is to finish making the horn and cleaning up the welds and face, then put on a radius. Reading the stats some may have wondered about the size of the Hardy hole. Well, I have access to a great many lengths of 1.5"X1.5" tubing so I made it with that in mind. I made it without an attached horn due to lack of material and with the shape I am now able to have the horn on either side as needed. Well thats about it for now, any thoughts or ideas are very welcome. If it wasn't for the stories here in the forums from everyone I would not have even thought of attempting to do something like this. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweany Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I like it! I never thought of a moveable horn before. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 That's a heck of a job, let us know how well it works. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 i would not go with sand if you can, i think the best would be casting lead into the thing, lots heaver and it will not settle at the bottom like sand will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindviper Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 i would not go with sand if you can, i think the best would be casting lead into the thing, lots heaver and it will not settle at the bottom like sand will Good dry sand is self compacting he might be ok. But as he said lead would be a better. You could use some small lead shot pellets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 (edited) well it took a few weeks but I have the other two forklift fork cut offs. each is 3.5X8X20.5 in. they weigh in at just over 168lbs each. Now what should I do with these two pieces? As to my new anvil ...... I baked the sand at 500deg for a couple hrs to get out moisture, with the anvil upside down and no bottom plate on yet I poured the sand in up to the mesh barrier. loaded the punch outs/ slugs in to the very top then added sand to fill in voids. I then hammered the sides and slugs to compact it more then more sand. I attached the base plate, clamping it down to force the last little bits sticking up down and welded it shut. oh, the night before I had cooked the slugs with a torch to burn off any excess oils and such. The anvil works great, it does not have a high ring but more a clinky-thud sound with nice rebound. Thanks for the comments guys. Edited August 21, 2009 by DennisG forgot something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Well, I have been using my new anvil these last few weeks. From light pounding to some heavy duty pounds and she holds up well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylan veater Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Dennis, I really like the looks of your new anvil thanks for all the pictures. I am glad it works out for you. Gaylan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrous Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I am new to this forum, but I must say that I am of the opinion that DenniG have made a very nice job. Do what you believe in and it will succeed. I decided to raise my lathe's mandrel as well as made it thicker, with a bigger size hole through. Everybody said I was crazy, but the satisfaction when I succeeded and proofed it worked! That was my biggest reward. I would like to see the horn when finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Spent some time grinding and polishing my "horn" down today. People wonder about how good it is to have a removable horn. The nice thing about it is I can put it on either side of the anvil as needed or remove it totally. But, when you make your hardie hole the same size as your horn hole then you get this thing some might call a mandrill. I hope that what I have done here to make an anvil gives others a good idea that there are no limitations to ideas. DennisG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Well done Dennis. That has to be one of the more innovative home made anvils I've ever seen. Of course I don't know about a guy who talks about polishing his horn on a public forum and then posts pics of it going MORE than both ways! Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Very nice. I love the original idea of a horn that can be moved to different positions on the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimB Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Y'know, I want a good heavy, massive, and incredibly cheap anvil too, but I'm thinking they don't exist, so I made mine. Still dreaming about that anvil, but something about a homemade one adds to the whole " learning to blacksmith " thing for me. Sometimes they ain't picture perfect, but the homemade anvils here are things of beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avadon Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I looked into making a home-made anvil a few months ago. It was to replace another home made anvil which was just a flat brick-shape piece of plate that was about 13" long, 2" tall, and about 4" wide. That little anvil rang or even thudded like a beast! So after looking around I came to the realization that if you want to build a homemade anvil your going to need mass, and lots of it. Thats when I started looking around at real plate anvils and found Brian Brazeals plate anvils and went and built my own. http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f83/brazeal-anvil-rising-4-plate-anvil-pics-14011/ I used sand inside the legs to cut some ring and add some more weight. I also did this in my other anvil stand. Works quite well. My only caution with making plate anvils is that there really needs to be considerable amount of weight under them. Whether you go with 2", 3", or 4" thick plate make sure you go at least 12-16" in height. Your anvil face will be the end of the piece of plate. Of course I also hardfaced my Brazeal anvil with S7 rod using my TIG, but Brian's plate anvils are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 dennisG nice welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks for the compliment Francis. Frosty, it's even worse when I talk about how well I polished my horn while in the garage. Avadon, you are right about keeping the weight low down. I was going to put just a closing plate on the bottom of mine but felt the larger shaped 9/16" plate added the extra I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avadon Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks for the compliment Francis. Frosty, it's even worse when I talk about how well I polished my horn while in the garage. Avadon, you are right about keeping the weight low down. I was going to put just a closing plate on the bottom of mine but felt the larger shaped 9/16" plate added the extra I needed. Yah basically the heavier, the more solid, the better. Especially for the area right under the hammer. Hence why you see a lot of guys just use something like a 4"x4" x ? long piece of steel that they either hard face or just buy the whole thing as an alloy. The one thing about making anvils is you learn so much from the first one that you know just what not to do on the second ;-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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