I've been working on a rather large project, all of which is being beaten out on my 75ish pound anvil. Point is My gas forge heats up my multiple pieces of steel and im moving fairly fast, so there is alot of yellow hot steel on my anvil face. I rested the flat of my knuckles on my anvil and pretty much schorched them.. which is why i'm not still hamering steel right now. So ya, is there a way I can keep it cool? or should I just go slower and take more breaks? or maybe get a bigger anvil.

anyway, thanks!

that's perfectly normal, and as long as it doesn't get so hot that it takes the heat treat out of the steel you're fine. If you really want to you can just pour a bit of water over it in between heats. My 68# gets pretty warm too :)

in the october 1912 issue of the American Blacksmith there is an advertisement from Peter Wright that says preserve your temper by keeping your anvil cool . it shows a guy cooling his anvil by splashing it with water. a picture of this ad is on page 121 of Richard Postmans book Anvils in America

I've had my 250 lb too hot to lean against or touch for longer than a moment but I have never had it "sizzling". Cooling yours with water will not hurt anything.

Smokin' Anvils? How do you keep them lit? (as in like a cigarette) Anyway, I have not had this problem yet; I work too slow to heat multple pieces at this time. But when I was working the ABANA booth at the state fair, I brushed scale off of the anvil face with my bare hand and somebody in the crowd asked me, "Hey, isn't that hot?" I told him it took a while for the heat to transfer from the work to the anvil. I should have said, "Nah, not when you've been doin' it as long as I have." :rolleyes:

Ecart, yah shoulda done one better and told him yeah it is, and if yah give me a $50 dollar bill i'll stick my tongue on it, and when he gave yah the $50 just stick your tongue to the bill and put it in your pocket;).

It will warm up quickly when doing struck work on the anvil with a striker as the heat transfers pretty fast and there is also some kinetic energy involved. In the winter, I'll often heat a 1x2x4 piece of scrap I keep just for that purpose in the gas forge and put it on the anvil a couple of times. Warms it up nicely in preparation for forge welding plus removes any condensation.

cool, so its not a big deal then.. I was just about too hot when I quit. I guess I'll just keep hammerin then!
What about that trick when your doing welds of keeping the steel suspended until it is struck? that sucks but is definatly a bit cooler I think..

ive burned myself a few times on my 140lb boy, just alot of big work will put that heat in there, i dont think i need to worry about messing up the temper, my anvil is as soft as butter

Ecart, yah shoulda done one better and told him yeah it is, and if yah give me a $50 dollar bill i'll stick my tongue on it, and when he gave yah the $50 just stick your tongue to the bill and put it in your pocket;).

That would work.

I've gotten my 115 pound PW too hot for comfort a few time drifting hammer eyes. Bit of a shock when you lay a knuckle on it!!!!
Finnr

Reminds me of a time last winter at the group shop. Coffee and doughnuts at 8:00 a.m. while the anvils soaked up some pre heat from 1"x4"x12" red hot slabs. Then an hour or so of forging and it was time for a little break again. This was when a late arrival entered the shop, got a coffee and promply sat on one of the anvils. He got up again pretty quick... :rolleyes:

OUCH! Bet he sat on the slack tub next:D.

What's That Say'n ,about If You Smell Something Stupid Burni'n?

Tempering temp for an anvil has got to be above 400 degF as they needed to be tough rather than hard; so I'd say you should be OK boiling water on your anvil but not lighting paper afire on it.

If you anvil is getting too hot you may need a bigger anvil!, setting it in a metal pan of water, wrapping the waist with copper coils attached to the hose---waste of water unless you recycle it with a small pump, putting a fan blowing on it, etc or Slow down you'fe making us old fogeys wince just watching you!