While looking at a scrap yard for something to use as an anvil I came across a steel cylinder that is about 9" diameter and 22" long.  Top and bottom are flat.  Rough calculation puts the weight at around 400 lbs.  I didn't have a file to check hardness at the time, but would expect it is not hardened.  Is there a way of hardening the face on something this size?  If not is welding a hardened top place on it simply a matter of welding it in place or is there something more involved.   Do not know what type of steel it is although the scrap yard could possibly zap it with the xray to find the composition.  Price of the piece would be around $150.

 

Starbits

On something that size, I'd use an arc welder and lay down a nice thick bed of hard-facing rod.  Make sure you get the kind of rods that are impact resistant, not abrasion resistant.  If you pre-heat the metal, you should get a very durable surface that's around a Rockwell 50-55.

If you can get such a large chunk of iron for a decent price, you'll have a great post anvil.  And later down the road, you can use it as the anvil for a power hammer.

Definitely a wonderful find.  I'm jealous!

Well worth grabing mate.

Welcome aboard Starbits glad to have you.

It may not need a hard face, shafting isn't usually mild especially that dia. Try giving it a sharp rap with the pein side of a ball pein and look for a dent. Yeah, do it on the side not the end just in case. Even mild it'll probably make a decent anvil just avoid hitting the anvil with the hammer and only forge HOT stock.

If you wish to, hard facing rod for rock contact is shock resistant and a good choice. You're going to go through probably 60-80 lbs. of kingsford charcoal getting it up in the 350-400F range. Yeah, use those horribly unblacksmithish briquettes rather than lump. You're not firig a forge and briquettes last a long time, that much steel will take time to soak heat to the center.

Oh and we LOVE pics: shop, tools, projects, scenery, pets, most anything you'd let your 8 yr old daughter look at.

Frosty The Lucky.

You can dent the face of a real anvil if you try, with a missed hammer blow and a ball pein hammer. 

At $0.38 a pound, take it home and enjoy a 400 pound anvil. Use reasonable care (hot metal) and it should last a long while with normal hammering. If the face were to deform to the point of being unusable, turn it over and use the other end. If and when both faces become unusable, then consider hard facing rod, or welding a piece of thick, hard, impact resistant metal to the top.  By that time you should have made enough money on the top of that cylinder to buy an anvil.

That is an anvil! Any smith from 1700 back would sell his first born (and his wife too) for that hunk of steel. 

just avoid hitting the anvil with the hammer

Ha!   I am very new at this.  In no time at all my forearm gets tight followed by rapidly declining striking accuracy to somewhere about the effectiveness of a drunk at a urinal.  

I will pick the steel up on tuesday, yard is closed today and tomorrow.   I have no stick welder so the hard face will have to wait.   

Another question:  Do I need to cut a straight edge on the face or will the curved edge not matter that much.

Starbits

 

just use it as is for a while and develop your skills, if it needs modified you will know after working on it a while.

Just use it as is. No, it doesn't need a straight edge but putting a radius on some of it is a very good idea. A sharp edge will cut when you set shoulders or isolate material. sharp inside corners rapidly turn into "Cold Shuts" which are weak points where failure initiates. Think scoring glass to cut it, exactly the same physics to the same affect.

Just put it to work, if it isn't hard enough you can hard face over any dents and dings without messing with them, that's what hard facing rod is for.

Frosty The Lucky.

Don't over think things.  Everyone has given good advice. Mr. Stevens, said it best.

OK thanks everyone.

 

Starbits