bbales Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Hello all! I recently inherited my late father in law's, hand made bench anvil. My expertise lies in the non-ferrous side, but I do have a lot of experience refinishing stakes I have scavenged over the years. My late father in law cast this anvil somewhere in the very beginning of the 20th century in high school in Chicago. It has not been welded on, and has a phenomenal ring when I am smithing my tiny and shiny stuff on it. It was found in the basement of the family home very recently and gifted to me by my wife for Christmas (best Christmas ever!). It has a couple of small chips on one edge, some chisel marks on the face, but aside from that no real damage save for neglect in a damp basement. (see pics) I started to block sand it, and noticed that there is porosity in the cast. Due to the recent high cost of silver, I have adapted my work methodology to minimize filing and sanding and the waste that is generated. I was wondering if this cute (yeah, I said it before anyone could get the jab in ) anvil could be re-heated and forged in a power hammer, and then re-tempered in order to compress that porosity. I would like to ultimately finish the face into a more mirror like finish that you would find on a t-stake or mushroom stake in a shop like mine. I am hesitant to grind it or have it milled, as I have found that porosity on the surface can be all through out a given cast and lead to larger "holes". I am willing to leave well enough alone, but if I can refinish it so that my silver won't pick up any texture, I would love to. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Without knowing the exact composition of the metal, it is imposible to say... you might be able to planish the surface to get the porosity out, but again, not knowing what the metal is, no telling what would happen unless you try it. Some cast irons/steels may be ok with forging, others may just shatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 If it has a ring when struck I would imagine that it would be made of steel, not cast iron. If that is the case, is would be possible to weld and grind/polish the face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 If you want to do anything just take it to a buffing wheel. Dont try and heat the thing up. It is so small that if you try and forge it under a hammer you will probaly just destroy it. I dont belive any of the porasity would compress. Trying to remake tools that are generaly in good shape is just asking for trouble. Also as stated you do not know exastly what its made of, if you heat it up there is a real chance it will just crumble to bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 First thing you need to do is to nail down what it's made from. I would suggest the spark test on both the face and the foot. Casting of steel is incredibly harder and more expensive than casting of iron and I have only heard of a few shop classes that did cast iron; so most of us are probably thinking it's cast iron. If it's cast iron then heating and forging it is not a possibility. If it's a mix (cast iron body and steel face) then likewise. If it is steel you should be able to heat and beat and then re-heat treat it. HOWEVER as mentioned above, the chance of messing things up is greater than the chances of making things better. Why not find a chunk of broken forklift tine and clean that up and use it for a flat hammering place and leave the family heirloom alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I would carefully sand the top a little more. I only see rust pits, not porosity. After the top is sanded I would consider going to compounds and reaching for a mirror finish. At that point, I would also strip all the paint off and start sanding/polishing ALL the sides and underside. You can then use any part of this little treat as a surface to work on. If you do encounter serious porosity, then your options will change. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I would leave the small anvil alone and just keep it as a family heirloom. I have taken small pieces of railroad rail and sanded and polished them to use as small stakes. With a bit of work, I have gotten them to a mirror finish. Just a lot of sanding to fine grits, then buffing though the compounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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