ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Here is a picture of the stake anvil I made using a RR spike driver and a piece of 2.5" sq stock, (and another's smiths *big* powerhammers!) As I recall it 's about 3' tall---so I could use an abbreviated stump or even dirt---the spike is 9" long IIRC. I still need to weld over the eye to make a small flat anvil face, though I use it as it stands anyway. My apprentice forged a second shaft at the same time I did with some coaching from the powerhammers' owner; of course I had some help from him as well as I don't have a lot of chambersburg experience... Hist stake anvil used an oddball sledge hammer that was elongated but had a moderately square cross section that tapered to the faces. My thanks to Thom for providing the pictures! (The growths around the base of the stake anvil are scrapped wood auger bits flattened and one concrete bit; courtesy of the local scrapyard---no usable bits were harmed in the making...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmHorus Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Very creative, looks great :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Walley Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 im thinkin about making a small steak anvil from a 2 inch cross section of reail road track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Here are a few pictures of a REALLY OLD cooper's stake anvil that I picked up. Note that the stand looks like it was built by cooper too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilikilt Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I have a similar hammer which is a bit bigger and boxier than yours, and had the same thought to turn it into a stake anvil. It's nice to see that my idea (OUR idea now) isn't so silly, and would actually work :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I made a jewelers anvil for making bracelets out of RR hammer, sure took a lot of polishing to get it shinny enough. I didn't make a fancy shaft for it tough, just welded a steel axle in there and then ground it to fit the stake holder I had at the time. Now it just resides in my garage in a section of eucalyptus stump with a fuzzy coat of rust on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tantofolder Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Great looking stake Thomas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Bentiron the trick is to start with a very nice hammerhead so less work to clean it up---I've turned down several rused up spike drivers. I have an Old Stake Anvil; but it is a tad soft and as an artifact I wanted some home made versions to be able to work them hard. This stake anvil is generally pair with my hornless stump anvil (travel anvil) that Steve Parker made for me---so no horn anvil and all horn anvil---just like a lot of medieval and renaissance pictures show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Thomas, It was a pretty good hammer head as far as any drop forged hammer head goes. I did a lot of draw filing to get the majority of the grinding marks out of the thing along the sides and then it was onto the 1" wide strips of emery cloth. Good thing I grew up in the age before all men wore were sports shoes and knew how to shine shoes otherwise I would have been looking to use some power tool to work through the grits from 60 to 600. I can't say I was wasting time, you got to have something to do with your hands while watching TV in the evening or to cover up the sounds of your son's Xbox games. I do have a Pexto style stake that would have taken much more work than any RR hammer I had come across at the time. It is very nice to have the dual diameters on one stake to make bracelets but I have sense opted for a cast iron cone bracelet mandrel, it's easier to fit under the table between uses and is quieter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 Pexto stakes tend toward the soft in my experience, I prefer a well made hammer head to hammer on! My pexto stakes have generally been restricted to soft metals and hammers when I have that luxury. I've shoeshines a lot of shoes in my time---used to be one of my weekly chores before Sunday go to meeting; make me appreciate slack belt grinding on my bader! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have found that these Dixon "semi-steel" stakes that I found are rather soft also but very quiet to forge out copper on. If I don't anneal brass rod first it will leave an impression in the semi-steel that will need to be worked out so it won't leave and impression in silver or copper. I have a need case stake that is so hard a file just skates across it but it is good to use for planishing the inside of rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 I plannish the inside of rings using a bull pin on the end of a wrench that I forge the wrench end down to fit my anvil's hardy hole---I've had to plannish my wedding rings to fit when my fingers swell. (I get sterling rings and wear them out, I'm on my fourth. My wife has a gold ring and it's going strong!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I also have a ring mandrel I made in high school metal shop and a large drift punch, Proto, that I paid $0.50 and shined up. both of these go up to around a size 15 ring and I also have one of the Dixon stakes that has an nice "horn" on for larger sizes. There are days now that I'm sorry that I sold off a lot of my older stakes, the things we do in greats fits of pain that we wish we had not done. I guess they are things the wife will not need be concerned about later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Thomas, thank you for the pics of your stake. This may indeed motivate me to do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 If you don't have access to a large powerhammer you might invite a bunch of friends over some Saturday afternoon for a beer & Pizza & hammer-in to make up a stake or two. Time for me to start on a smaller shaft set just to be able to work them at home and a good project to warm up the smithy on cold days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Either of my hammers would do the trick although the Boss would be better. Besides, i also have Joe as a striker (we can trade striking). I may actually look some raw stock up (reminds self). Again thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Gorrell Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I could use something like this for my coopering. I would like to come up with something to use as a bick iron to make my metal bands over. I don't have easy access to power hammers. I wonder if a fellow could grind the end to fit the eye of the sledge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 Still probably easier to neck in and forge the tenon and hot fit it before riveting. Where the large powerhammer came in handy was in the forging of the tapers on the shaft. If you are willing to have a simple plain shaft then the tenon and the spike are all that require forging. Now if you have a good sized vertical bandsaw you could probably waste a lot of the excess metal for a tenon and spike and then grind to final configuration. The other stake anvil that used a tapered square section sledge head might be better for cooperage than the RR spike hammer. When I did the final fitting of the tenon I didn't have access to a powerhammer and so did it by a combination of forging, hot rasping, grinding and then heated the tenon up and hot riveted it onto the shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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