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Robb Gunther and Karl Schuler's Anvil Repair Process


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I asked the question in a different thread but didn't get any takers, so I've decided to try again in a new one.

Bottom line, I'm confused about Robb Gunther and Karl Schuler's anvil repair instructions. In their article, they state that Stoody 2110 should be the underlay rod and the cap should be Stoody 1105. Here are the quotes from http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/anvilres.htm

  • "If your anvil has a wrought iron base and the damaged area goes through the tool plate so that You have to begin the repair by welding to the wrought base material, use Stoody 2110 (or equal) 3/16" rod (DC reverse works best; however, it will run AC); Unlimited passes. Expect 45 Rockwell C as welded."
  • "When you can finish building up the repair area in no more than three passes (or layers thick), use Stoody 1105 (or equal) 1/8" rod (DC reverse, or AC); expect 50 to 52 Rockwell C as welded"

Why would 2110 be used as the base and 1105 as the cap? Shouldn't it be the other way around? According to the product literature, Stoody 1105 has a lower RC hardness rating (listed at 38 – 42) than the 2110 series (rated in the 50's). 2110 is also rated has having excellent impact resistance and 1105 only as moderate. Again, why would you cap with 1105 wich is softer and less impact resistant than 2110 which is harder and has a high impact resistance?

Maybe someone on here can shed some light on why Rob and Karl suggest using 2110 as the base and 1105 as the cap? Could they possibly have mixed up the rods in their article? What am I missing here?

Here's the product info for the Stoody rod:

Stoody 1105

Abrasion Resistance Moderate
Impact Resistance Moderate
Hardness on 1045 Steel HRC 38 – 42
Magnetic Yes
Surface Cross Checks No
Machinability Yes
Deposit Layers Up to 4
Hot Wear Applications Up to 600°F

Stoody 2110

Abrasion Resistance Good
Impact Resistance Excellent
Hardness
On Carbon Steel – As Deposited BHN 200
On Carbon Steel – Work Hardened HRC 48 – 53
On Manganese Steel – As Deposited BHN 210
On Manganese Steel – Work Hardened HRC 50 – 55
Magnetic No
Surface Cross Checks No
Deposit Layers Unlimited
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I believe what they are saying is that the 2010 electrode is good for unlimited passes, and the 1105 rod is used when you can do the repair in 3 passes or less ( it is not for unlimited passes)
http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/16052-what-do-you-think-of-this-anvil-repair-approach/
Here is a thread with more info on this, I did the welding on this anvil for Fe-wood it went well, although I would recommend using 1/8 diameter rod, unless you are doing some major build up the 3/16 rod is hard to control and get a nice flat bead (lots of grinding)

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I don`t use much Stoody rod but my guess would be that the rod selection has more to do with the base metal than it does with the finished hardness.
In the quotes it states that if you are welding into the wrought iron body you use the one type so that particular rod may be more forgiving when working with dis-similar metals(the wrought iron body and tool steel face).

I understand the curiousity end of things.If you have a weld supplier locally that handles Stoody rod then their tech rep would be the one to ask about this.You could also just contact Stoody.
I use Cronatron rods for this type of thing and I know they are very good about getting back to you and answer all questions as completely as possible.

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I don`t use much Stoody rod but my guess would be that the rod selection has more to do with the base metal than it does with the finished hardness.
In the quotes it states that if you are welding into the wrought iron body you use the one type so that particular rod may be more forgiving when working with dis-similar metals(the wrought iron body and tool steel face).

I understand the curiousity end of things.If you have a weld supplier locally that handles Stoody rod then their tech rep would be the one to ask about this.You could also just contact Stoody.
I use Cronatron rods for this type of thing and I know they are very good about getting back to you and answer all questions as completely as possible.


I'd buy that theory except that they state 1105 gives a finished hardness (when applied on top of 2110) of 50 to 52 - that seems to contradict the product literature. Plus their hardness numbers and properties match up fine if you flip the rods around in their article (i.e., where they say 2110 put in 1105 and vice versa).

On a different note, how much are the Cronatron rods? I used US Forge hardfacing rod on top of 7018 mainly because it was able to get it for $4.03 a lb (after shipping I think it was just under $5 a lb for the quantity I ordered) and has a hardness of 53 and a medium impact resistance. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has surface cross checks (which the US Forge rep told me was normal).
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I believe what they are saying is that the 2010 electrode is good for unlimited passes, and the 1105 rod is used when you can do the repair in 3 passes or less ( it is not for unlimited passes)


At first I thought the same thing. The text is a little ambiguous. It could mean, "once the repair area is built up sufficiently to be finished in no more than three passes, use Stoody 1105." Since they they go on to tell you how to make thicker repairs, that makes sense to me. Or they could mean, "only use 1105 if the entire repair can be made with no more than three passes." It just isn't entirely clear. But when you read their instructions for repairing cast iron and cast steel anvils, it's clear that at least in those cases they're saying to put 1105 over 2110. That tends to color my reading of the slightly more ambiguous part.

If you look at Stoody's literature on the 2110, they consider it a build-up electrode. They say the 1105 is "designed for wear resistance in metal-to-metal applications." So broadly speaking, it makes some sense to me to put 1105 over 2110. But you're right that some of the details don't entirely seem to fit.
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Don't worry. Robb is correct. All the information you need to determine this is in your post. 2110 is an austenitic work hardening alloy. As deposited, it is rather soft. It is just a little harder than mild steel. You can hammer on it to work harden it, or you can weld over it with a martensitic alloy. If you try the former, you will understand why the latter is the usual process. There is an article in an old California Blacksmith Association magazine. If you join, you can get electronic access through their website.

I suggest that you take a little advice from the guru of anvilfire.com. Find a small piece of scrap about 2x2x1" thick or so, and lay down a few passes of the 2110. You can tell the difference between rc 20 and rc 50 with a flea market ball peen hammer. Even Harbor Freight hammers will work. Now, hammer until you achieve the higher number. Done. Too much work? :D Prepare another piece, but this time cap with the 1105. Now you will see why rc 38-42 beats rc 48-53. And, these pieces will not be wasted. They can be used as edge hardies. With them, you will not need to put as much stress on your anvil edges.

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On a different note, how much are the Cronatron rods? I used US Forge hardfacing rod on top of 7018 mainly because it was able to get it for $4.03 a lb (after shipping I think it was just under $5 a lb for the quantity I ordered) and has a hardness of 53 and a medium impact resistance. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has surface cross checks (which the US Forge rep told me was normal).

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Robb's post on another thread "If you follow the process detailed in the article it works very well. As of this point I have restored 86 anvils using this process with complete success. The rods suggested were chosen for not only their impact resistance and ability to interface with the base material as well as the W - 1 tool steel top, but also to produce a surface that came out the correct hardness as welded.
Robb Gunter" I too have used this exact procedure to rebuild dozens of anvils and have had no problems what so ever. You will notice that the hardness listed for 1105 is given with the rod being applied over 1045 steel. Both w-1 and 2110 have significantly higher alloy content and therefore when an overlay of 1105 is put into place on either of these materials it will typically yield higher hardness than if applied over 1045. Bottom line is that this process works extremely well and has been proven on lieraly hundreds of anvils. If you want to fix an anvil and be absolutely positive of the result, follow the procedure to the letter.

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Ok - I'm a believer now smile.gif

Thanks to everyone who responded -- very good information.

I will say one thing - If I were to have bought those two types of rod off the shelf and read just the product info and not Robb's article, I would definitely have done it the other way around.

The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know…

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