Hello my name is Ethan and I am a 13 year old blacksmith with ambitious plans! I mostly do traditional blacksmithing and I really enjoy working with a striker. I received a 3 1/2lbs rounding hammer from Alec Steele and am enjoying it beyond description. I am slowly making the tools to make a hammer following the Brian Brazeal's tools to make tools curriculum. Eventually I would like to make a striking anvil and if anyone is open with advice on striking anvils or making rounding hammers please let me know.

Ethan   

striking anvil: big, heavy, low.

thank you. im trying to find about a 2 inch thick plate to drift a hardy hole in.

This is the one I made. It is like the one Brian Brazeal has at his shop. There is an article on IFI somewhere and he explains how he made it. Mine is 3x4x10 with a 1 inch plate under it. 24" high. Legs are 8 degrees. Hope that helps. 7/8 hardy hole, same as my anvil.

wow thank you for the detailed picture! how thick is the plate?

Drill the hardie hole then chisel the corners square.

 

that is a great way glen. but I would love to heat a 4'' plate up a drift it, but I don't know if that will happen

Ethan,

Drill and then drift. It will cut down on the time and the heat you will need. Good luck with your project.

Peter

Does anyone still make broaches for squaring a drilled hole?

Hes, but they are pricey, forge, 7/8 tool steel and a sharp chisel, equals braging rights and a broch...

Edited April 3, 201511 yr by Charles R. Stevens

I agree not worth buying, but might be worth making for a hole this size, could make a Frankenstein tool that starts as a broach and ends as a drift......just to make the task go more quickly......

The old ones I have seen were drifts with teeth, you got it close and then broched it to finished size. 

Try drilling the corners at 3/16, then if your using a drill press, drill the center out to 1". If you have access to a mill, you can the redrill the corners with 1/2" (reseting the ceter mark, dont over size the 3/16 holes!) the  run a 1" end mill down the center to clean it up more. Reduces your filing. If you dont have access to a mil, the 3/4" stock that truck mudflap hangers are made of (or any other spring) make good "mortising chisels" basicaly make a one sided chisel, with proper heat treat and grinding the edge at an arc (think axe) you will be amased how anealed steel will cut, just shave the riges down left by the drills. If you lack a 1" drill (they are pricey) the 3/16 and 1/2" combo will get you there, just with a lot more chiseling/ filing. Drifting will work, but if you don't upset the center of you 1" stock before forging your drift your hole will he undersized when cold. 

Ps, don't forget to chanfer the hole, as you are building tooling in it, and a sharp hardy hole will creat stress risers. Again a chisel will save you much filing, forge a round chisel for the corner chanfers. 

 

You might find this video of interest, Alec Steele drifting the hardy hole in his striking anvil.

 

 

 

The plate is 1 inch. I drilled the hole to 3/4 inch and then drifted it to 7/8. Took 2 heats to drift it and a whole lot of sledging. My wife held it for me and helped me get it in and out of the forge. I made the drift from 1 inch square stock. It was pretty much junk when I got done.

I bought 380 pounds of steel at the scrap yard today most of it 4" thick chunks, couldn't move the 5.5'x7'x4" slap they had (and yes feet x feet x inches)

Thanks for the replies! I recently talked to Alec on the phone and he gave me some good advice, and so did all of you. This project will take quite a while, but I will try to post a couple pictures and maybe a video along the way. Thanks again,

 

Ethan

Keep your anvil much hotter than Alec did until the very last couple drifts it won't be nearly as much work. You can hear when Alec's block got too cool, the sound of the hammer's blows went from thud to clank. Put the steel back in the fire when it clanks.

Remember though, the anvil block will shrink when it cools so you need to keep  driving the final drift as it cools or the hardy hole will be small. Of course there are files.

Frosty The Lucky.