Richfieldsmith Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I have been doing small work with metal for about a year (mostly casting rings using plaster of paris and silver solder. I am excited to get into forging metal though. P.S. I was thinking of getting some scrap metal to use as an anvil so i don't damage a good anvil. Any suggestions on what type of metal to use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 hi there rich if you go on the forum page and look at the very bottom it says archive - go in there and there is a whole section on anvils etc all things to do with them and making them and repairing them and anything you would like to know i should think! good luck with getting going - i have done a bit of silver work when i have been limited by space and children - its a natural cross over i reckon:) look forward to seeing what you make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Welcome aboard mystery person in Richfield glad to have ya. Forging iron and steel is indeed very similar to forging silver though there is little crossover from casting silver to smithing. If you can find one for a decent price pick up an anvil for sure. They're pretty tough as long as you don't do something too abusive. For instance do NOT use it for a torch cutting table! Believe me I've seen too many anvils in general shops with torch cuts and gouges in them and NOBODY hanging from the rafters! Try not to hit it with a hammer near an edge, a hard face might chip. Don't try grinding it flat till you know what you're doing, you probably won't want to by then anyway. Don't take a sledge hammer to it. Don't use hardy tools that wedge in the hardy hole, you can split the heel right off that way. Use a sacrificial chisel plate instead of the step to hot cut on. A chisel or cutting plate is simply a piece of mild steel, some use aluminum or copper plate 1/4" of better thick you lay on the anvil's face when you're making chisel cuts. It protects the anvil and the chisel. Dos include only beat on hot steel, red or better yet orange or yellow hot. The color will depend on the alloy but to get started sticking to mild till you develop a good set of skills is a good bet. Do take the hardy out of the hardy hole to reduce the chances of injuring yourself. Do use a soft iron hammer cutting on the hardy till you develop good hammer control, heck, after you develop good control even. Most importantly build a fire and beat something out every chance you get and show us the pics. We love pics. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richfieldsmith Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 (edited) Thanks, is there anything I should look for in a first anvil (Condition, weight, ring, rebound). From what I have heard 100# is a good starting size. How much should I expect to pay (gotta pay for collage also!)? EB Edited September 2, 2009 by Richfieldsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XombieChow Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Welcome and glad to have you. From my understanding you're generally looking at between 2.50 and 2.75 per lb. for a good steel/ not cast faced anvil. I just picked up a hay budden 129 for 300 not a bad deal but better deals are out there if you keep looking. practice practice and hopefully find an actual smith to learn from That's what i'm looking for right now. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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