LastRonin Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I have a Mousehole anvil that we inherited from my wife's grandparents. It is marked 1 1 10... if I understood the system of weights that would be 128 + 28 + 10 = 166# The highlighted area is where the damage is. it goes right across the hardy hole diagonally and through the center of the pritchel as well. The problem is that the top plate has been broken away in the area of the hardy and pritchel (sp?) holes. My idea is to use a piece of tool steel cut to fit the missing area and drill through it and the iron base under it, then hot rivet the piece onto the anvil, thus bringing the surface level so that the hardy hole can be used. Maybe even weld or braze the piece in place. Any suggestions or advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacksmithtech Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 That looks painful - might just use it as is and keep looking for the next one. If you had to I suppose someone might try welding a plate on there but it's gonna be ugly. I'm no help on this one. I have fixed a couple edges and a horn with hard face rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vwzach182 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 The original weight would have been 150 lbs. 1 x 112 lbs (hundredweights)+ 1 x 28 lbs (quarter hundredweights) + 10 lbs. A replacement section of steel plate welded along the edges would act differently than one solid lump of metal since the plate and the wrought iron beneath would not be attached across the entire surface. You also would run the risk of ruining the hardness of the surrounding plate due to the welding temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vwzach182 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 The original weight would have been 150 lbs. 1 x 112 lbs (hundredweights)+ 1 x 28 lbs (quarter hundredweights) + 10 lbs. A replacement section of steel plate welded along the edges would act differently than one solid lump of metal since the plate and the wrought iron beneath would not be attached across the entire surface. You also would run the risk of ruining the hardness of the surrounding plate due to the welding temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Ok. Thanks guys. I just wasn't sure if putting on a piece just to be able to support both sides of a hardy tool would be a good idea or not. Unfortunately I don't have the two to four hundred dollars (at least) that I would expect to have to pay to get one in good condition of similar or greater weight... oh well, another lesson in patience I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I like the idea of hot riveting on a plate. I say go for it. It's all in the fitting. You could use a section of leaf spring. Instead of tool steel to save cash. Spring steel can often be gotten as scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 With that little missing, I would be sorely tempted to fill the void with weld. Use some copper sheet to form a xxxx so the bead doesn't run into the hardy or pritchel, grab a few pounds of (maybe) 7018 rods, pre-heat the whole thing..... Of course, it first needs a thorough cleaning so you can inspect it for any more damage. That small area could have been manufacturing defect, but it could also have been abuse. There's no telling what all that paint and rust is hiding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 I unfortunately don't have a welder or welding experience. I do have a piece of tool steel the same thickness as the missing part... so no cost there. As far as further damage goes; I've inspected it fairly closely and other than mushrooming of the corners and the blunting of the horn tip, I couldn't find anything yet. I dropped a steel ball-bearing that was about 1 1/4" diameter from ten inches and it bounced back almost eight inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windancer Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I am no expert but if it isn't usable as if try to repair it whatever way you are able with whatever materials you already have. How much more unusable can it get? You will probably learn a lot with the repair, too. That's a good thing :) Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 LR, I'd let it be. Sure, you could rivet on a piece of steel, but what's the gain? The pritchel hole is very rarely used in 90% of the smithing I see being done. The hardy is nice to have for holding a hot-cut, but a vise on a stand is infinitely more usable if you need to hold tooling. It doesn't have to be a post vise as any stout old vise will put up with a bit of pounding. The anvil looks perfectly serviceable as-is and I would recommend that you use it for a bit before worrying about fixing it. I honestly don't think you'll find it deficient. And, while you're learning to smith, start saving your pennies for a used stick welder. That's one tool that I never realized how advantageous it was until I got one. Don't know how I ever did without a welder, and I'm not professionally trained in the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Check and see if your local smithing group ever holds an anvil repair clinic. I've had several anvils repaired *RIGHT* at such clinics and I usually have to force money on the folks to cover consumables such as rod and preheat gas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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