russian anvil tip

[hdwarner]

hello,
when i first became interested in blacksmithing i bough one of those russian anvils from harbour frieght, since then i got a trenton .
anyway i still wanted to use the russian 110 pounder and it was mared and scared pretty good , so i surfaced the top with a milling machine, ground the heck out of the horn to make it more usable .
took it to the heat treaters that we use at my work the heat treaters annealed it first then treated the material like 4140 and heated it then quenched it in oil , now my anvil is 48 rockwell c rather than the 30 it came in
i am happy this things rings well and has good rebound , all for eighty bucks
thought i would share

[ThomasPowers]

So how much would you charge to do that to someone elses anvil?

Machine shop and heat treating usually does have a price...even if only the "opprotunity cost"


It's good to know that they *can* be improved though---not like the cast iron ASO's

Thomas

[hdwarner]

hello thomas,
the cost was 89 dollars at harbour frieght{also you can always get a coupon}
to pay less , since the new anvils are are already mave a mill finish on top
you could probally just sand the top lightly, i would use a 4 inch grinder for the horn and it takes some time to get a shape that is suitable .
drill a bigger pritchel hole if you prefer the one that is in there is only 3/8
my anvil was beat up thats why i had to mill it.
take it to the heat treater , THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT ASK THEM TO ANNEAL IT FIRST THEN HEAT TREAT IT AS IF IT WAS 4140 UP TO 55 ROCKWELL
.you will probally net 48 rockwell like i did .
i was forging today with this anvil and i am very happy with results
if you can't find a heat treater , mail it to IMT in delaware international metal treaters .
as far as me doing for someone , glad to do it but the cost is probally prohibitive 90 for anvil 90 for heat treating and 80 for grinding and machining
equals 260 plus whatever shipping would be from 19703 for 110 pounds
i reccomend do it yourself you won't be dissapointed.
ONE MORE IMPORTANT ITEM WHEN YOU GET IT FRO HEAT TREATERS DRESS THE ANVIL CORRECTLY , THIS IS HARD STEEL NOW AND ALSO REMEMBER THIS ISN'T JUST A TOP PLATE THATS HARDENED THIS IS THE WHOLE ANVIL
SO BE CAREFULL WITH HEAVY BLOWS ON THE HORN AND THE REAR SIDE

CHUCK

[hdwarner]

they have a cast iron one also, not russian chinese, when you go into harbour frieght walk by the hammers pick one up walk to the anvils hit tit lightly it will ring a little also the new generation russian anvils have the hardy hole on a 45 degree angle
chuck

[Pault17]

I recently picked up two of the 119 lb "new" model russians. There is a harbor freight in north Raleigh, NC that carries them in stock. They also have several cast iron ASO's that range from 55 lbs down to 1 lb. I picked up a 15 lb-er for my two oldest boys, drilled a couple of 1/4" holes on either end and bolted a piece of 1/4" plate on the top. They beat and bang like crazy just about anything they can and haven't hurt that little thing yet.

As for the russians, they do have the twisted hardy holes that measure roughly 1 1/8". I figured if I made (or had someone make) a collection of pieces of 2"x4"x1/4" plate and welded the hardy post at one end and the desired hardy tool on the other, as painful as it would be to use, It would allow strikes over the main body.

I have been using mine for about 2-3 months on and off with minimal complaints, other than the carpy horn. I was afraid of trying to drill out the pritchel though. I would like a half-inch hole instead of the 5/16 mine currently has. That thing is all but useless.

[Mills]

I would put in here that there exists an alternative. Since hdwarner already had this anvil and wanted to improve it, it turned out well. If you were to start from scratch why not get a decent anvil ready to go? For the cost involved take a look at Jymm Hoffmans anvil. When I get the money I will surely get one myself. Or Thomas Powers seems to attract good deals on large, useful metallic items, he can, will and has given pointers on aquiring stuff, cheap.

Our club bought one of those Russian anvils and for the money I think it is a deal for starting. What I am suggesting to be avoided is to buy a Yugo with the intent to make it a BMW. but I am opionated.

[Ian]

I had to grin at what Mills said. Over here in Blighty (England) we have a phenomenom known as the "Boy Racer". This particular species seems to enjoy buying an old banger (jalopy) for say 500 quid and then spending about 3000 quid on the stereo and body kit to make it look all shiney and noisey....
WHY?!!!! Why not take the 3500 and buy a second hand BMW 300 series or somthing else with a bit of umph that already looks good?
As far as the anvil side of this goes I agree it's better to find a decent second hander off the bat than spending money turning a pigs ear into a silk purse. Those Russians are okay just to try working over somthing to start with but a decent anvil is SO much nicer to work on.

[adam cyphers]

I've got a 55 lb and I can't complain to much.its served me well exept the horns way to blunt.

[Dodge]

Speaking as a "Boy Racer", I answer that with the rust bucket of a 1974 Dodge Challenger sitting in my driveway....Someday! As for making a silk purse from a pig's ear, a decent second hander isn't always readily available when the urge to heat and beat arises. And there's the "I made (modified, improved, or other appropriate verb) it myself" factor, that once tasted, is hard to not want more!!

[Quenchcrack]

The first anvil was probably a flat rock. The Chinese made a modest improvement over that. The Russians just made it uglier. The Russian anvil is made from a modified 1040 steel with a bit of extra manganese for hardenability. It can be hardened more that it comes out of the box. Annealing it will reduce the as-quenched hardness so I would recommend normalizing it instead. Actually, I recommend just saving your money and buying a good anvil instead.