Hardy Hole too Big. Need insert ideas.

[Borntoolate]

I have a 275# anvil that has 1" hardy.      I also have a portable 140# anvil with 1-1/4" hardy.   Does anyone have a decent insert pic or design for this?   I wanna use my 1" tools in the 1-1/4" hardy hole.   I have several ideas on how to do this but I bet someone out there has been there done that and has a better one.  

 

Oh, and BTW...   I am hoping to have it built by tomorrow afternoon!   Yeah poor planning on my part.    :unsure:  But I have the whole day off.

 

So I am interested in how anyone handles this using inserts or what have you on tooling and bigger than 1" hardies.

[AndrewOC]

1/8" wall thicknes square tube?

A.

[Borntoolate]

AndrewOC, but how you gonna handle it not falling through.   Making the insert size fit is easy.   Just math.   It's the interface between anvil hammer surface, insert tool and the 1" hardy tool that I am really asking about.   Proly was not clear from my post... and also how the tools go in and out that I am wondering about.  I can make something fit but there are always brillient  ways to make this fabulous vs just ok/fit. 

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Borntolate,

 

Simple fix...   You can use a 3in piece of 1 1/4  square tube with a 1/8 wall thickness..  Or you can use a piece of 1/4 thickness angle iron..  If you put a small flange on either or both they will not fall through...   I have made several and they work well...

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[Borntoolate]

Jim, I was thinking the same or similar.   But thanks for the quick reply!     I was thinking the flange could take a beating and possibly grab the tool?    Of course that is not a major problem but more of an irratant. 

[Chinobi]

if you don't have access to welding kit you can split the square tube liner on the corners and fold the sides out like petals to make a built in flange.  you can leave the flange in place and hot swap hardies all day long and just pop it out if you ever need to use a correctly sized shank.

 

response edit:

if you are concerned with the liner collapsing and seizing on the hardie shank you can omit the flange, but make the tube long enough that it goes all the way through the hardie hole and supports itself on the stand of your anvil, but still short enough to not clear the face.  anvil stand footprint doesn't extend far enough to be under the hole? cut through the square tube at some convenient location and bend it until it engages the rear foot of the anvil or back end of the stand.  this way the tube only prevents the shank from dancing in the too-large hole but does not actually support the impact of using the tool. 

 

only caveat would be if your tools are tapered shank (like Brazeal's hot cut hardie) or do not have a large enough shoulder to make solid contact with the anvil face.  if the latter, can you cut a plate to have a 1" hole to transfer the impact separately from the shank liner?  perhaps forge some square bar into a 1" inside diameter square to do the same but without all the cutting

[Borntoolate]

Me got welder...  ^_^   NP.   TY

[Frosty]

Make it long enough it reaches to the anvil stand and doesn't need anything special to stay flush with the anvil face? My vote is for 1/4" x 1" angle, it isn't nearly as likely to get jammed.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

I cut on the corners and bend the sides out enough that the hardy tools rest on the flanges and not the anvil.
 
I have 3 - 1.5" hardy holes to size down in my shop and have even done a double insert

[ironwolfforgeca]

weld the right size sq tube into the hardie top & bottom make sure its plum !! !! there not often !!!!!

grind or file to plum !! & be done with it / arc rod 7018 or better

I have 2 anvils done this to all my hardie tools are 1"

other PW was 15/16 ground it out to 1" that's alot of fun LOL

my portable PW has a 7/8 hardie that needs to be !" yet to be done :o WAY MORE FUN NOT !

 

Steve's Welding

 

PS thicker wall sq tube is better

[petere76]

We have 4 anvils in the shop with a mix of hardy sizes. We keep a box of angle iron shims to accommodate different tooling. Occasionally I have to heat the angle shims and seat the tool to get a good tight fit. Make sure your tooling extends out far enough so you can tap it out if you have to.

Peter

[ThomasPowers]

That last line is *very* important!  As I tend to get a lot of students who don't pay attention to "each anvil has a hardy that fits *it*!"

 

I have reworked my most "popular" hardy to make sure it extends out the bottom and can be tapped out without riveting it in.  (they are all close in size so I don't worry about popping the heel off)

[Marksnagel]

My hardy tools also extend below the heel. A light tap will set them free.

[jeremy k]

I cut on the corners and bend the sides out enough that the hardy tools rest on the flanges and not the anvil.
 
I have 3 - 1.5" hardy holes to size down in my shop and have even done a double insert

I second it - don't need to over think it.

[ThomasPowers]

The most fun has been adapting top tools as hardy tooling in the big anvils.  It's usually fairly easy to forge down a handled top tool to fit the 1.5" hardy holes---especially using my large screw press to get nice smooth parallel sides.  So top tooling that has been junked from mushroomed striking ends makes very nice bottom tools!