BorisTheSpider Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 OK, so I'm just getting [back] into getting started with everything. I have most of my forge built (Mr. Larry Zoeller's "simple gas forge") aside from a few parts, but I have that figured out so it's not what I want to discuss. I've been looking around for an inexpensive anvil for some time and come up pretty shy. It's not a shortage of them here in Amish country; it's just that people know what they're worth and they sell high and quick. What I have been doing is foraging the salvage yard down the road. I've seen some neat stuff there but nothing blew up my skirt until I stumbled onto a big steel disk. I had the boy there take it over to weigh it so I could buy it. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't put it on a cart or something, but he hauled it on his back back to the scales. It weighed-in at a reasonable 83 lbs. I picked it up for about $17. Seemed fair to me. So now I've go this thing, but I'm not sure how best to utilize it. It's a disk, 13.5 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick. I considered putting it up on its side, but 2 inches isn't much to swing at. I'm considering laying it down flat, but it seems like it would be a challenge to keep it held down. I really thought it would be a chance to get creative. I'm still looking for other big bits like it, or shaped differently and/or heavier. In the meantime, I'd like to have some kind of plan, and you guys seem like the best bunch to have a go at it. So my first (and I do mean first) concern is money. I really can't afford much right now. But that doesn't mean I want to hammer iron on a big rock. My budget can be a little flexible, especially if I can do little bits at a time. But.. My other concerns are time and functionality. I've waited years for the opportunity I have now and I just don't want to wait any longer to get going. As much as I want to get started now, I want to be sure I end up with sommething I can use for a while. I would like something with different shapes and surfaces for different purposes. Sure, I probably won't grind a horn in it (and can't weld one on), but I can probably add some interesting angles and curves. I don't weld (probably because of a lack of equipment). While I have some friends (and local shops) which do, their involvement in the project will likely be nil, or at least limited to a single job of the proper import. I do have a few hand tools - grinders, drill, vises, files, etc. I am not opposed to doing the work, I just don't want it to be a 6-month project and the only thing stopping me from shaping iron at home. So does anyone have any suggestions for how best to utilize this thing? Maybe other pieces to look for to add to it later (or that one-time welder visit)? And how will I attach it to some kind of base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorisTheSpider Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 So...I don't know if it's going to make things better or worse, but I have a hard time passing up a heavy piece of steel at the scrapyard. I waded through the mud today to find a 200lb. piece. It's a tube, with walls about 2 inches thick and a flange on one end. My first thought was that I could get my first piece welded to the top of the second, and have a ~280lb. chunk with a flat face, but then I started thinking aboout all the dead space underneath the center and I think I may have made a mistake. There were some other very interesting pieces there, but they all had hollows of some kind. I was ultimately hoping to find something solid, maybe 6 inches thick or so, with a face of at least 4 inches but this is the best I got. So now I have a disk 13.5" in diameter and 2" thick, and a tube about 11" OD, with about a 2" thick wall. So...have I made an error in judgement? Should I hold out for something more ideal? Or is there something I can do with what I now have that would make a decent anvil? Any tips, suggestions, pointers...or anything would be helpful. I don't know what I should be doing and I'm hoping you all can help me out. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Ideally in the junkyard you should focus your efforts on forklift tines or RR track... turn these on end and you have a very serviceable post anvil... Also, as stupid as it might sound, a big slab of granite (rock) serves as a formidable forging surface... Next time you see a Viking, say thank you... :D http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.