marinetanker Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 hey guys im BRAND new at this. I was in Afghanistan and started watching youtube videos and the bug bit before i ever even seen an anvil. Anyway when i got home i constructed a 30# propane bottle forge and this. My homemade forklift anvil. It weighs 175# and was all welded with 7018 rod AC. Preheated with a forced air heater for 30 mins before and after each weld period. Tell me what you think. Horn has not been grinded yet and probably wont for a while. I read here it should be verticle stacked. I tried to do everything i read here to improve the finished product. Tell me what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Looks like it should get the job done just fine.....I'd get a big angle grinder with a cup stone and grind maybe 5 mins at a time every so often....all at once would be brutal.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 yeah i want to start but i know once i get started i wont want to stop so ill wait untill i need it. Im brand new at this so i can do without for a while. Also i forgot to mention the whole thing was cut with a H/F 4x6 horizontal band saw i bought for 170$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 AhHA! Bandsaw! Lay out your horn and saw the bulk of the material off...if the saw is capable. That will save you hours with the grinder. If you can saw the horn to octagonal. Nice looking. Full penetration or edge welds? with that much mass and the solidness of a fork tine it probably doesn't make a lot of difference. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Looks like it should be solid enough to do the job. I think Phil's idea of sawing away as much material as possible on the horn is a good one. I have a HF band saw from about the same price range, but mine is horizontal/verticle. Is yours red? BTW, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Im normaly not a fan of such things. I like "real" tools but Im very impressed it should serve you well. You will want a hardie hole at some point though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 actually, with the mass and size of a fork lift tine, you don't need to shape it like a London pattern anvil...you need a short straight section, a rounded over edge, a sharp edge about 3" long, and mostly a solid structure that won't dance when you hammer on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 The reason that the site advises vertical layering of the pieces is that they are compressed and not deflected like in a horizontal stack. Energy loss is minimal if the plates are oriented vertically. You have stacked yours horizontally, and those do not look like full pen welds. They look like edge welds. But, the energy loss due to beam deflection goes as the cube of the ratio between span and thickness. Or, quantitatively, a 2" thick plate has 1/64th of the loss of a 1/2" plate. I did a simple calculation and it showed that 1/2" plates deform so much that the calculation really is not valid, and one 2" plate will dissipate approximately 6% of your hammer's energy as a worst case. If there is any contact down the centerline (such as you ground a bevel for the weld), the span is halved, so the dissipation will go down by another factor of 4 (because there are now two beams). This also immediately informs that partial welds at the waist of an anvil have an almost inconsequential impact on the forging efficiency. This anvil looks great. I'm sure you will love it. A horn and hardy hole can come later. And they will if you continue with the craft. Your anvil is way better than my first two, and probably better than my third. My fourth is probably better, and my fifth is way better, but I spend most of my time forging with my third, since it is just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithh999 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 what steel are forklift tines made of?? i have some chunks of it myself and wondered what i could make with them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 You can buy another anvil with a beak on it...smaller one, cheaply enough . that may serve you well for that type of shaping when required. And thanks for being over there Marine! Thank You! Thank You! Thank YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I agree that that anvil should do great work---but that you may be unnecessarily hung up on the london pattern. See http://www.marco-borromei.com/fork.html for a very usable minimal work version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 To everyone thanks for the replies. Yes it was a flat red color H/F vert-horz band saw. The thick sections took near 30 mins to cut but slow and steady and i only went through 1 blade. to EVFREEK----- I se what you mean, i was under the impression the forks need only have there wide faces facing up/down to be verticle. Not the intire peice. It has two fork sections for the horn welded together and the waist aswell. I beveled all the welds a .25" before welding. I have a root and then two layers on top. Would this still be conciderd edge welds? Also, ive read SO many ways to "create" a hardie hole. I can do with out the horn for a while but i think id like havin a hole. What do yall recomend. Drilling consecutive holes and filling, flamin it or what. Thanks for all the positive feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 I have a sprctrum 625 plasma if that could possibly gouge, then be dressed. Also drill press. Is there a easy way either of those could be imployed? If i do the drill method, should i do several small holes. Or a 1" with four around the sides. Advise PLEASE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 what steel are forklift tines made of?? i have some chunks of it myself and wondered what i could make with them.. 1095...I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 All the forks I've seen tested were more 1050 or 5160 as they need toughness over brittleness Marine tanker: re hardy hole since you are handy with the welder I would drill a hole that a piece of 1" ID sq structural tubing would fit in and weld it securely top and bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 Thanks ThomasPowers. I was thinking something like that would be easiest. Do you think just a top and bottom weld would be strong enough. Do you know if there is any hardininng sequence i should take or is it hard enough as is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 would that require welding the entirety of the cylindrical void or just the top and bottom? I guess i didnt understand like i thought. Also were would be the best place to obtain said square tubing, and what would be the proper wall thickness, type of steel? Also he forks had " TS16143" stamped in. Could this possibly be a steel type? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Most likely that's a part number from the manufacturer. The manufacturer may be able to trace that down to what alloy was used. As for welding the typical preheat and postheat for medium to high carbon steels is suggested---don't draw the current temper and the face should be usable as it is. As hardy tools just sit there with force being directed to the anvil face by the overhanging sides of the tool you don't need excessive strength there---I have an anvil missing the heel where I have a section of sq tubing held to the back with a 1/2" U bolt and it works though the hard tools only bear on the face on one side. So a good pen top and bottom weld should be sufficient. If you manage to break the weld in use---weld it up again! As for the tubing I would go with structural rather than thin wimpy tubing. I get all mine from a scrap yard next door to where we take the trash in Polvadera NM. Since you don't list a location you must be in NM too---right? Some people even make their own by welding up four lengths of steel strap---I'm lazy. I pick up sections of sq tubing that look "useful" when I can find them free or cheap and when I need one I mosey over to the cabinet where they are stacked and get one. Now think about this: You *made* that anvil and so you can do nothing to it that you can't fix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 nice it will serve you well for years. I made a Brian Brazeal striking anvil I am very pleased with the time and money spent on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinetanker Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 ThomasP thanks and i havent ancwerd it yet, but i live in NC. I am stationed at Camp Lejeune. I will try your hardy tech. however it will be awhile since work is so busy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 there was a great folk art museum in the town of Richlands the director use to bring in folk artist on sunday afternoons that is how I got my start. Use to live in the half moon area. I was with 1/10 navel gun fire. The north Carolina blacksmith group is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Sorry I haven't been following this like I wanted but if you haven't finished the hardy and plan to weld a box in as Thomas Powers suggested (and I actually did on my home made anvil), may I offer further suggestions. I beveled both sides of the square hole heavily and filled with weld. I wanted to post pics here but the uploader is at best, excruciating to us anymore with its finicky size restrictions, but they are all in this post: Show Me Your Anvil Post # 425 (page 22 if not directed to it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudbugone Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I've seen several "anvils" made using forklift tines ,but this one is pretty cool... I found where my local scrap yard had a pile of forks hidden today...maybe a dozen in various sizes... Looks like I'll be getting at least one to fabricate something similar.. Thanks...and don't forget to add the finished photos when you get done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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