Charles R. Stevens Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Bingo, DSW. Somthing that massive could be simply spiked to the top of a stump as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 That's exactly how I plan to set it up for them to use. I've got at least one more piece of tube/plate to work with to make a 2nd one. I'm not sure yet if I'll make a 2nd 1" one, or do one that's 1 1/4" to match my 2nd anvil. Kids at the tech school where I help out at, weld these tubes up as one of their projects. I managed to get the two from the scarp can one day. I have some 3" x 6" 3/8" plate from there as well that I may use to make up a bolster with different size square and round holes that can be used on it for drifting various sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 By ridge do you mean a burr on one edge? If so it was rolled by the train tires over time and once the rail has worn enough gets replaced. The couple times I've used rail that worn I only cleaned the burr off. a little time at the anvil and smooth, straight, flat, etc. become less important.I understand the machinist's perspective on close enough. I grew up in Father's metal spinning and machine shop. He did a LOT of aerospace work, some of his parts have left the solar system, on the moon, Venus, Mars, etc. anyway, I know what a machinist thinks of as slop and understand why milling a rail to acceptable is a pretty darned strong draw.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRS Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I have often thought of fitting hardwood "scales" between the head and flange on each side of the web. That may or may not midigate some of the flex. for a sweet spot you could weld two pieces of the head upright between head and flange.The bottom of the head without flange makes a nice chamfer for welding full penetration.(at least on my rails, UIC 60)Lots of cutting and welding but should work like a small farriers anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 True, i think I would use sucker rod, two peices a side, that would give me full penitration against the web as well. Lot more work tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRODO, Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 (edited) I am upset, the thread is only 3 pages long. I was digg'n it, .i believe i know what to do with my RR track now nice job Charles, looks good Edited June 26, 2015 by FRODO, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarry Dog Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Ok, I'll bite. It seems like I've seen people suggest sucker rod for everything from making bicks/horns to hammers out of it. Am I thinking of the same stuff as you guys are talking about? What I'm thinking of is a "rod"(more like a super heavy pipe) that comes in various sisez, has a set of "threads" (some actually have a very defined thread with a 30 degree or so taper, others more of a helically wrapped "lump") on each end, and is made of hard-ish steel with a proportionally sized hole running down the middle to suck/blow water/oil/air out of, commonly used for various rock drilling operations. How do you work around the hole in the middle? Forge weld it shut? Or just neck it down toward the end of the bick/horn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Nope sucker rod is used to pump oil with a donkey engine and does not have a hole down the middle of it. It does have threaded female and male ends and is usually a good quality medium carbon steel. (the cost of losing the bottom of the pump string down a hole way exceeds the cost of using a good steel for the rod! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRODO, Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Charles, silly question, the picture looks are deceiving, how wide is that RR track ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarry Dog Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Thanks for correcting the misnomer I picked up. I'll pass the info along. The sucker rod makes alot more sense than what I was thinking you were talking about, both in name, and application as horns & hammers. I more often hear the stuff I was talking about called drill rod (not the precisely ground tool steel a.k.a. silver steel), but a few guys called it sucker rod, which is what was throwing me off. We use it in the quarry to drill blast holes. The 1" stuff is for loading small charges in boulders too large for the escavator mounted breaker (think mega jackhammer), the 3" is for multiple blast holes to make the highwall go byebye, and the 6" stuff I've only ever seen well drillers running. I'm sure there's bigger, but I haven't seen it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Dont worry, you run in to odd names, often for very ldiffent things in hands on industry like mining and oil. The flange if the rail (the part that would be down and against the sleepers is 5 1/2" wide, that is what you indicate in your picture. This part is wide and flat, but is certainly wrong way up for an anvil. Tho not for a chiseling bench. The other dementions, the hight, as instaled as rail is 6 3/4" and the head, or the part the train rides on is 3" wide and some 1 1/2" thick. The web is 3/4" at its thinest, and the flange talers in thicknes from 1/2" to 7/8", not including the filets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam R Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Charles, this is a great idea. I am a beginner that just acquired a piece of track. It will definitelydefinitely turn out to be a variation on this theme. I don't have much space to set up a shop, and have been thinking that it will need to be portable/storable. This thread has given me a lot of food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 Your welcome, this project was started to inspire others. Still havent sorted a simple eligant stand. Tho I am leaning tord a steel from one can flip overs. Part of my insperation was not only the other smiths using rail, but also the multi purpose anvils/bicks of the bronse age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine hammer Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 How is is anvil working out for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Riffe Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I'll be xxxxxx, talk about turning the concept of a rail-anvil on its head. Great job, thanks for posting. now I know what to do with my old chunk of rail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Works well for demenstrating what can be done and used as an anvil. The horne is a conveniant size for working 1/4" into "J"&"S" hooks as well as steak turners Curently lives in the tac bay of my horse trailer. RL, this was a thought experiment to inspire y'all to expand on the idea of a rail anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine hammer Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Well I purchased a 8 foot peace of rail tonight I can not afford a "real" anvil so I just wanted to hear what the feed back was from using it for a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Turned on end, 12" gives a very satisfying anvil under a 2# hammer, the hardy carved in to the web is a one sided bevel, so angling it at 45 deg gives an even cut and laying it flat gives a square or taperd cut depending on the half. The small square and round bicks work as expected. I have used the anvil in that configuration to square the toe of a shoe, as well as punch aditinal nailholes so as to mount shoes backwards. The small horn took a bit to get used to for adjusting the square toe branches back in to shape, the turning cams/forks are certainly easier. The straitening dish in the rail face makes short work of making cold shoes from pretsels to flat (thanks for the insperation Steve). With 8' of rail, one could cut of 3' and still barry 2 1/2 feet in the ground and have 3' to cut up for verius tools. Look at the rail in its component parts. You have verius shapes you can cut from the rail, the head could be a 1 1/2x1 1/2x 3" block to start a hammer. Etc. Personaly a shorter hunk of rail is more user friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Well I purchased a 8 foot peace of rail tonight I can not afford a "real" anvil so I just wanted to hear what the feed back was from using it for a little while.If you beat hot steel into submission on it, it's a REAL anvil. Period. That's the only valid definition of anvil.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 So I got in a bind Friday. Parked truck Thursday evening, then went to move it an I had no power brakes. And a full day scheduled in Pauls Vally. My salution was to load up Sandy's "1/2 ton Kia", but getting my 70# anvil and stand in wasn't going to happen, so about comes the "Swiss Army Anvil" lol. Thank you Sandy for taking some pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 The only thing missing is a little bright red paint on your Swiss Army Anvil. I LOVE a good tool. Well done Charles. Good pics Sandy. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 When the going gets tuff, the tuff make a Swiss army anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Funny that over the years I tend to like to show off "improvised" anvils at demos to show folks you don't need to shell out a ton of money for a london pattern anvil to get started in blacksmithing....I credit "Honest Bob" Cruikshank for instilling this notion in me from his SOFA demos using a chunk of shafting as an anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 He passed that notion on well, from him to you, from you to me! I still remember your talking about plastic popcorn and cookie tins for forges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 I think that might be a great colaberitive project, showing off tackle and kit for smiths starting out on a shoe string budget. Anvils, forges ect. I realize this is building on the work done in the knife making 101 project, but we need to push back against the "I saw it on YouTube" ignorance. Post here, post on YouTube and instructables wile linking back here. sure we have to deal with a new crop of idiots and fools, but their will be some gems as well, besides we have an up and coming crop of Curmudeons to help sholder the load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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