After seeing just how easy Mark Aspery made it look in his youtube video, just had to see what I could quickly turn out. Quite satisfied with it as a first attempt be even better if I hadn't run out of propane. At least I have a good sharp square corner I can work off of now. And a few Ideas of more tooling I would like to have.



Little happier with my vise bolted down to the floor, doesn't move about, always a good thing.

Spent the last week fixing the ripper mount on the D-8 small crack though 4" of casting. built up pin bosses at the same time as there was 3/16-1/4" of wear on them. Almost makes me comfy enough to build up the edges on my anvil.



Looking at the tooth for the ripper all I could think about was there is one heavy anvil 3" thick x 12" wide and about 6' long. Just couldn't come up with a good enough reason for it to go in the scrap bin... Ah well. Sure the opereator will wreck it some time, he's good at that.

Good job. I just forged a hardy hot cut out of 1 1/2" square stock, myself. Boy did that tire hammer come in handy!! :)

thats pretty sharp

Wish I had a power hammer of some sort, might get out and play around a little more with bigger stock. Figure I did pretty good upsetting 1" out to 2". Just have to practice getting it eventer. Must get more propane. Down to alternating weeks with the other mechanic. Snowing like the dickens and now road restrictions are on, our logging is basically done for the year. As usual lots of time no coin :huh:

Lacking a swage block or vise, wouldn't it be ok to use my anvil's hardy hole to forge this?

"Yes, but"

If you are doing heavy upsetting in an old, wrought body anvil, you have a higher chance of breaking it than in a newer steel body anvil. You have a chance of breaking your anvil regardless. If you have a good sized anvil, go for it. I considered it with my 168# Trenton, but changed my mind and built a bolster plate. I already had the materials for the bolster plate because I had a cast iron ASO that would have crumbled if I upset into the hardy, and just bought the Trenton at that time.

Now, that trick he shows cutting a hole and making a bolster plate is rather easy in mild steel. Get yourself a piece of 1/2 or 1 inch plate (I used 12 inches of 1x3 a36) Drill out a hole with a 1 inch bit, or lay out four 1/2 inch holes (I did the 4 holes, getting the center out is less than easy but I ended up using a hacksaw with a narrow blade), get or make a diamond point cold chisel (boy I was wishing for this), and a smaller (1/2 inch is what I used) cold chisel that has been re-dressed so the cutting edge is all the way at the edge instead of the center. In about an hour you will have a bolster plate. If you don't have a welder to build the can described, bore a hole in a log and fasten the plate over the hole.

One advantage to the bolster plate is the hardy will have relief between the shoulder and shank because the corner is sharper than the anvil's dressed hardy hole.

Mark makes the bolster at 4:55 in the video.

Phil

I have a section of dozer blade that has sq holes in it that I can use for heavy work I don't want to do an an anvil.

Had a bunch of that at the shop. D-8 cutting edge and corner bits. somewhere around 1 1/2" th. Been recycled into the rockguards on the 322 cat loader. Have to snag a chunk when we change out the cutting edge on the 8 again sometime in the summer. I asume you torched and then took a die grinder to make your square hole.

This one had sq holes for mounting, probably fairly old as I scrounged it out of the desert where it was buried. Wider than any other I had seen and quite large holes but then I have 1.5" and 1.25" hardies as well as 1", 7/8", etc.

Mark does make the fit ups look easy!
I never want to buy another anvil, so won't pound them out on my anvil hardy- no use for a busted heel-anvil :)
I do have a power hammer so I can get close with that and then hand finish on the anvil face. If I didn't I wouls do all the work on the anvil face.
Dave

windancer one of your options is to build a Brian Brazeal striking anvil then there is no worries. it is all in the hammer control and and striking with intent.

Ive upset a few (7 if my memory is serving) tools on my anvils, a few on my 150# trenton, and the rest on my newer (to me) 150# fisher. I wasn't worried at all about breaking the heel of my anvil until I read a post similar to this one and now this. Now I'm paranoid... thanks a lot. :P