WestByXXXTexas Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Howdy from West Texas! I'm new to this forum but have been smithing for about 14 years now. For the last 13 years I've been using a 55 pound Austrian anvil and its done fine, just it can be a pain for bigger projects The other day I was perusing a local scrapyard. I was going to try and find some 4" thick plate steel and simply build a bigger anvil, as even the 100 pounders nowadays can be expensive. I walked into the recycle building and asked the feller if he had any thick plate or anything I could use as a big anvil. He smiled and said "Lemme show ya these". He walked me to a corner and pointed to two 340 pound bridge anvils that had "Pittsburg PA" on the side. When I asked how much he said "26 cents a pound; They're just scrap to me" Needless to say I jumped on that deal like flea on a fat dog. I got them home and unloaded. As these things are 50+ years old at least they show some wear and tear. Edges are broken here and there and the faces have been chiseled on, leaving some decent sized cuts in the face I went down to my local welding supply and picked up some ceramic flap sanding discs. I refinished a cast anvil for a guy a few years back and those worked just dandy. I put the disc on my grinder and went to work. This anvil is obviously a lot tougher than that cast one. I've got some polish to it but still have the gouges, and from the way its going I definitely have my work cut out for me. The question I have is can you all recommend something else that wont wear out as fast on the face, or is this just gonna take awhile to get it smooth? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiack Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 What scrap yard did you find these at? Most of the scrap yards around Lubbock don't sell to the public and won't let you in without a load to drop off. I would love to find a yard where I can find cheap materials. I have not found any flap disks that last long. I would do the bulk of the grinding with a hard grinding disk and just use the flap disk for final cleanup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestByXXXTexas Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 What scrap yard did you find these at? Most of the scrap yards around Lubbock don't sell to the public and won't let you in without a load to drop off. I would love to find a yard where I can find cheap materials. I have not found any flap disks that last long. I would do the bulk of the grinding with a hard grinding disk and just use the flap disk for final cleanup. I'm not in Lubbock kubiack. I tried the hard grinding discs and smoothed them out in no time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry W. Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 How far west are you? Balcones Forge is having an all day get together in Devine, Texas this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestByXXXTexas Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 I'm 4 hours Northeast of you Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestByXXXTexas Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 I'm 4 hours Northeast of you Jerry How far west are you? Balcones Forge is having an all day get together in Devine, Texas this weekend. I'm 4 hours Northeast of you Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestByXXXTexas Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 Well just got off the phone with Jock Dempsey. He gave me some good insight. I need to go get a bigger grinder and some fast cut wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 A grinding cup might work, depends on how big your grinder is. No matter how you cut it, it's a job of work. We need pictures! I'd love to have a bridge anvil marked "pittsburgh, pa"! You're rather lucky in that find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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