timbrigham Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I recently had the chance to get a number of railroad tie plates. Each weighs about 80lb. About 8x16. From my reading they are rolled steel comperable to 1050. Would stacking say 4-6 of these plates and bolting / welding them together provide an adequate work surface when mounted to a tree stump? What caveats should I be aware of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 If you bolt or wield the plates together you will have dead spots where the plates are not wielded you will do just as good cutting your stump a little taller and using one plate. Then you can take a couple of the other plate and make a stake plate and a hardy plate for different size hardy and metal forming stakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 If you are able to do so, you might want to accumulate as much heavy scrap iron as you can, then scrap it for $$, and use the money to buy a real anvil. I know some areas of the country have rules about scrapping 'railroad iron' without documentation, but mixing it in with other scrap usually will hide it pretty well. Mostly they are concerned with rails, not tie plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbrigham Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Thanks gentlemen. I was thinking about potentially going both routes mentioned. If I do opt to use a single plate a few already have about 3/4 inch square holes I can use for a hardy. There isn't any issue in carving out some wood under there for depth on the hardy tool shafts is there? These plates are about an inch thick. Also I was thinking about forming a horn with one of them. Any insight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Don't waste the time making a horn in the plate. Make a bic stake with a 3/4" shank instead. Horns aren't very necessary, I almost never use mine except occasionally truing up a ring or similar. Forging scrolls, rings, hooks, etc. is done easily on the face or off an edge. Keep your eyes open for a piece of shaft or truck axle. I won't repeat what I just wrote about truck axles in the preceding post but they make SWEET anvils, they do. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kehler Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I think we used A-36 to make track plates (I used to work in a railway blacksmith shop) at any rate they were never heat treated. As an aside; all the holes were punched hot in one go. If you measure them they are probably 5/8" x 3/4". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I had somebody bring me a bucket o' scrap this past weekend and it included one of these plates. I'm contemplating cutting out the center section and mounting it on a piece of square stock as a hardy tool striking plate. It's surface is cleaner/smoother than my anvil, will be a nice addition when I am forging something that I'd like to get a smoother surface on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I prefer the wear plates off of earth moving equipment as they have a nice square holes and can be found much stouter. I have one that we use for heading RR spikes and a very large one that will take my larger hardies---over an inch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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