Tubularfab Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I just got this Wilkinsons anvil and am going to try to rework it. It's marked 0-3-0 so it was about 84lbs new - not sure it is any more after I attacked it with a grinder! The top plate is really bad with several horizontal cracks or delaminations. Anyone know how thick it would have started life as? I thought it was pretty thick, but turns out the edges were so mushroomed ove that I was misleading. I ground out the obvious cracks and was abl to follow the horizontal cracks by watching the blue color flash between passes. (A quick flash of blue is a sign that you're on a thin cross section). Plan is to brin everything up level with some E9018 I have. Then I'm going to use Lincoln Wearshield 15CrMn to do the final surfacing. This is supposed to be an impact resistant, work hardening rod very similar to the Stoody 1105 most recommend on here. The reason for going Lincoln is, besides liking their products, I think I can get a sample box to do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sweet! I have that anvil's big brother.... and he need some welding, too. Must run in the family! I was thinking about using 7018 rods with a hard-facing over too. Can't wait to see what you end up with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Lucky to get samples of such fine products! That anvil is quite usable the way it is, but since the cost is low (in your case) and you obviously looked up what to do I think repairing is a good idea. Find your way over to anvilfire.com and check the FAQ section for edge radius and other related information. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubularfab Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 It may still have functioned as a hard surface to beat metal, but there was almost no surface even close to flat. Will have almost nothing in the repair so might as well give it a shot. Should be educational for my students as well. Did I mention I'm a welding instructor at a community college? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 People always think that anvils need to be more pristine than required. A perfectly flat surface is not required, and in some tasks, such as straightening, sway is desired (but I would never consider deliberately making sway in an anvil) I do agree, repair it since you have the ability and the cost is near free. In fact because you are teaching that is another reason to repair it! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I have a perfectly flat major anvil that I use a lot but transfer over to a much more beat up anvil whose face has the perfect sway for straightening blades when I need to do that. In general *smooth* is more important than flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Tube, let me know when you want to start welding on mine!!! She's definitely in need of some TLC..... and, well, my welding skills are just a "tad" shy of what's needed to be a welding instructor! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubularfab Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 The pictures did not show how damaged the top plate was. There were long cracks like delaminations that were quite large. Had big gaps after grinding them out. Now it's been built back up "close" with E9018 and ground fairly flat and square. It still has about 3/16 sway at the most in the middle. I'm thinking of leaving that in it as a little character! I didn't go crazy filling in all the slightest marks between welds, so some flaws still show. I'm going to leave it like this for now. I figure a little work hardening can't hurt it. It has surprising rebound left after all the welding, but does mark a little as you can see below. Ought to be fine for working hot steel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Wow, you work fast! Is e9018 a hard-facing rod or a build-up rod? The hard-facing rod the welding store sold me is supposed to be used for rock crushers and the like, but is limited to only two layers, iirc. Did you do a pre-heat and post-heat on the anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubularfab Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 It's just a build-up rod. The 90 part means 90,000 psi tensile strength, the 18 explains position and flux type, etc. You'll find most build p rods on here mentioned are 7018, which is a lower strength rod (70,000 psi) with the same welding characteristics as the 9018. Another way to describe these rods is low hydrogen (helps avoid embrittlement), all position rod for structural welding. Oh, and the deposit from an E7018 is going to be the same as your basic MIG weld deposit (designated ER70S6). Yes, I stacked up firebrick around it and heated it with a propane burner. Did the welding, then let cool in the makeshift oven. Any info on what the rods are? You really want a rod with manganese for the impact resistance rather than a typical abrasion resistant hard facing to get the ideal surface. I'm really surprised how much rebound was retained even though its just "soft" filler I added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Impact resistance. Anvils don't see abrasion really. Some people have had good results with rebuilds finished with 7018. You can ball bearing test it now and see how it is. 50% is ok, some anvils are 90%+. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Tube, awesome explanation. I'm slowly trying to come to terms with the terms involved in welding, but mostly just fabricating inventive new cuss words! Did you weld the right over the top of the tool-steel face plate? No worries about the different types of metal and their interaction with the 9018 rods? If I recall correctly, and I'll be sure to get to the shop tomorrow to verify, the rods I bought do have a high manganese content. Some folks say that this isn't what I want, but their salesman, after explaining what I was doing, claimed that the rods would bond well with wrought iron, stand up to beating on, and give me a finished RC of around 52-56. I just haven't had the guts to actually try my hand at welding on the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Sorry to butt in, but does that anvil have a square hole on the bottom? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubularfab Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 It does have a "squarish" hole up through from the bottom pretty much centered. Why do you ask? Now I'm curious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 It does have a "squarish" hole up through from the bottom pretty much centered. Why do you ask? Now I'm curious! Well I have been trying to identify my own anvil and this looks very similar. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/29603-possible-mousehole-anvil/ So mine could well be a wilkinsons. But who knows. All the best Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 The hole in the bottom, under the horn and under the heel are handling holes for special tongs so the whole mass could be moved and manipulated during forging. Some anvils have 3, some anvils have fewer, I wouldn't be surprised if some have more than 3. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 IIRC there is at least one brand that has *5* including small ones on the edge of the feet larger ones under heel and horn and one in the middle of the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubularfab Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Uh-oh - UPS just delivered a "present" from the local Lincon rep: a 40lb "sample" box of 1/8" Wearshield 15CRMN impact resistant buildup rod... Finally get to put a surface on it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Are Lincoln Wearshield and Lincoln Abrasoweld the same product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Looking forward to seeing the final product, Tube. I still haven't screwed up my courage to try and weld up my Wilkinson so I need all the inspiration I can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Certainly looks a lot better than it did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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