It's finally here.

[philip in china]

I have just started doing some more work on my travelling anvil which is the baby sized rhino. I have made a hardie for it and then realised that I hadn't radiused the hardie hole. Take it from me guys that is one hard hard anvil! I really am not sure how I am going to put a radius on that hole but might manage with a small grinding stone in a drill but it is going to be very far from easy. I actually think the baby might be harder than the two larger ones and they are hard enough.

The advantage with the alloy steel, of course, is that you can get hardness without sacrificing toughness.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

I'm using 1" sand paper strips per the advice of Brian Brazeal. It's not a fast process but it is working. I'm just taking my time and going slow with it. Like many have said its easy to take off metal but darned hard to put it back.

[philip in china]

I have heard it said that smaller anvils are harder because they can be cooled more quickly. Also that larger anvils are deliberately slightly softer because they are used for striking with sledges. Also said that "although this anvil is soft it will work harden". One well known and respected smith suggested that this is all nonsense talked by anvil salesmen.

Some time I ought to post a photo of the baby rhino with the railroad hardie. I really must ask the wife how the camera works....

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Some time I ought to post a photo of the baby rhino with the railroad hardie.

I would really like to see that.

[philip in china]

I would really like to see that.

As I said somewhere else, if I can work out how to use the camera I will post a picture. I think it might be worth a new thread though. The railway line hardie certainly cuts well- which is the only standard by which I judge them. Also there is so much steel in it I think I could sharpen it every day I work in the forge for the rest of my life and STILL have some hardie left over to leave to my sons! Of course being made out of railway line it is very hard so I hope that the resharpening might be an annual event rather than a daily one.

[blksmth]

As the USA Ernst Refflinghaus anvil dealer. I am asked to radius the edges of many new anvils. The best product I find for the purpose is the 3M Scotch-Brite surface conditioning disk in the hook and loop style. The discs come in course, medium, and fine. They come in different sizes for different size angle grinders. The size I like is the 7 inch as it lasts much longer than the smaller sizes. A few years ago you could buy the necessary backing pad with each size disc for approx. $40 from most machine shop suppliers. They work great for putting the small radius on the edges of anvils and for smoothing out or finishing any larger radius areas. I would not use a regular weld grinding disk, belt sander, or anything similar as they are too aggressive for me. When requested to put a larger radius on a portion of the edge, I usually begin with a flap sanding disk on an 4 1/2 inch angle grinder in a medium to course grit and am very careful. Generally I put a radius the size of a 3/16" or 1/4" drill bit (that is a radius of 3/32" or 1/8") for 3" to 4" on both edges next to the round horn. I then smooth out the sanding marks with the 3M Scotch-Brite disc. I also do use a 3/4 inch wide air tool belt sander to carefully radius the hardy hole (but only for the hardy hole). Mine is a Jet Brand air tool, but I've seen similar ones at Harbor Freight for less than $40. Refflinghaus anvils are as hard as the typical file so files do not work well. The larger the anvil, generally the larger the radius. The 3M Scotch-Brite surface conditioning discs are also great for polishing hammer heads, or any blacksmith tool that would like to be polished, smooth, and shiny.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Philip, I have a good sized chunk of railroad rail I could use some of it to do just that. Make a hot cut for the hardy. I'll need to fire up the grinder and cut a chunk off. I need to square up one end anyway and this is as good an excuse as any to do that.

blksmth, Thank you for that information. I will put that to good use. I've been working on it a little bit at a time. Not wanting to over do it. I have a brand new mill file I've been using. It works, barely, and cuts easier doing draw filing that just pushing it. If I don't bear down when I push the file, it just skips. I'll see if I can find what your talking about here. Sometimes things just aren't available in Fairbanks as in the rest of the country. For example. There is not one Burger King in the whole area. Can you believe it? Barbarism. I think the closest one is in Wasilla, a 5 1/2 hr drive south.