Nate Simon Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi everyone I have very little expericence blacksmithing so I am a complete newbie. I got a 2 foot long piece of railroad tie and I want to make an anvil out of it. If anyone has any knowledge on making railroad anvils, tips would be greatly apprecieted. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Weygers has an entire chapter on this including heat treat suggestions.I would *strongly* suggest getting a copy of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 In my neck of the woods, rr ties are made from treated wood, and thus are not a candidate for anvil use, what with the burning and all. RR rail would work a lot better, and there are lots of threads here to read. Pack a lunch and a beverage and dive in. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Simon Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 i guess i meant a piece of track lol i sure am not the birghtest sometimes. For everyone who sees this thread i am asking about making an anvil out of railroad track :). Thanks for the book recomendation I will be sure to look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I would also recommend making provisions so you can mount your "anvil" vertical as well as horizontal. If you carve the back feet in to a small double horn bick then you have a bick and a post anvil, as well as a sudo London pattern anvil. Now as Glenn is want to remind us, we payed for all or it use it all, i might suggest making provisions to also flip i flange up as well, as it makes a nice cutting table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickOHH Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Post a picture of the rail. If it's not to radioused ontop you can grind it flat and roll the edges off a bit if it's pretty round you can stand it up and use the edges but have limited surface . You could also flip it rail side down and use the base for the flat surface. I started with a rail anvil not hardened but it was plenty hard to start with. Some marks in it but nothin an angle grinder can't smooth out. You can cut a horn in it with cut off wheels or a oxy acetelyn torch or have a machine shop ruff it out for relatively cheap and just grind it out to a nice shape depending on what tools you have. If you use cut off wheels it will take some time and quite a few discs but it is possible. I would bolt it to a stump and start hammering away for the time being though. As a relatively new smith myself enjoy your new addiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 2 feet is a good length for many things and light work. Make a stand (of sorts) to support the track side up flat side down, track side down flat side up, laying on its side, and standing on its end. If one end is already cut so it is flat your good to go. If not take a grinder and flatten the end so the surface is smooth to forge on. If you need a hardie hole, weld a piece of heavy square tubing flush between the web and either the flat bottom or the track side. If you want a horn weld a piece of round or cone perpendicular to a piece of square tubing or pipe and anchor it into the ground or in a 5 gallon bucket of concrete. Cost is very little. I have a piece of rr track standing on end between the forge and my real anvil. It gets a lot use. I also have a 2 foot section of rr track available to throw up on the work table so I can use the inside and outside curves of the track. My opinion, as a beginner the 2 foot of rr track will cover most of what you will need for forging to make things to sell and make money to buy a real anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Du7ch Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I have been slowly shaping an anvil shaped object from an approximately 18" section of rail. I have multiple "anvils" now that range from a block of steel to an industrial scrap cylinder to a homemade bick horn from 2" thick cut off scrap. The best tips I can give you are: 1. Obtain a copy of The Complete Modern Blacksmith as Thomas mentioned above. The book is gold! 2. Ensure you never force an angle grinder with cut off disc when cutting the rail. Most likely it is used and has been work hardened to the point that you will burn out your grinder if not careful and patient. I opted to shape a rough horn and it took me an ample amount of time to do properly. 3. IF you so choose to drill a Pritchel and Hardy Hole, and lack a Drill press, I found that a small masonry bit works well as a pilot bit to allow you to bite with your larger bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Weld a thick plate on one end, and stand the rail on end. That way you get the full use of the mass under the hammer blows. No grinding, no sawing, no fuss. Git'r done, and get hammering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Doctor has the most efficient and quickest way to start forging. If your set on having the traditional anvil shape this is probably one of the best I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 You can also fabricate an iron/viking age anvile readily from a section 3-12" long, the flange and web cut it then become bicks and other tools. Lots a ways to skin the rail anvil cat, frankly i would leave it as is (assuming it is 30" or less) and just use it until you know what you need. Carving rail is a slow, dirty process. I think its best to learn to forge on the un modifies rail, instead of chopping up into something you find later to be less than optimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I mounted mine vertically as suggested above and then used it to earn money to buy a better one. I still use it though as the edges are better and there are things I can do on it that I can't on the other. Check out this thread for more info & pictures. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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