jumbojak Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 So there it is, my first anvil. It's a 12 pound metal handled splitting maul with the top ground down to a flatish face (I did a bit of draw filing to true it up but it still needs some work) driven into the ground through a stump that was conveniently rotten through the heartwood. While it may not be pretty it worked much better than the heavy angle I was hammering on a few nights ago.The combination of the stump with the handle driven into the ground left me with a fairly stable surface, though the small size leaves a few things to be desired. Like... more SIZE!!! I can't complain though. Today was a lot of fun, even if I didn't manage to make anything useful besides a coal rake. A coal rake is definately the first thing someone should make. Sticks are unsuitable, as are pieces of round stock and rebar.One other thing I learned though is that when a politician drops by to ask you for your vote always take whatever you happen to be working on out of the fire. Always, always, always, take metal out of the fire. Especially if it was something thick that you had been working on for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 it's a start, lol. A couple of thousand years of iron has been shaped on less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) Cranking a blower and talking will end up badly too!The electric blowers at the SOFA shop have foot switches so you have to stand on it to get them to run---saves a lot of coal and a lot of steel for new smiths! (They do have an override for experienced folks doing things like forge welding.) Edited October 12, 2015 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 that's actually a pretty good idea. I'd thought about getting one of those HF foot switches for the blower for a student forge for simplicity. I planned to get the simple on/off one, but getting the one that you have to stand on to keep something running starts to make a lot of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbojak Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) Cranking a blower and talking will end up badly too!The electric blowers at the SOFA shop have foot switches so you have to stand on it to get them to run---saves a lot of coal and a lot of steel for new smiths! (They do have an override for experienced folks doing things like forge welding.)I was trying to get rid of the guy! He saw what I was doing and started talking about some bladesmith competition show on television. With my absolute best poker face I looked him in the eye and told him that I didn't watch television. Of course he said that he didn't either. After a second speil I remembered what I was doing and rushed to pull it out. Melted, burned glob at that point. It really doesn't take long.The only problem I can see with a foot switch - trust me, the idea crossed my mind - is that the coal I'm using now is the Tractor Supply anthracite that was mentioned in another thread. It seems to work great, so long as there is consistent airflow feeding the fire. If I manage to find a supply of bituminous coal and like it (honestly though, the anthracite is pretty sweet) I'll get a foot switch.The anthracite seems like it starts going out the second its airflow is cut off. Unplugging the blower long enough to grind the face of that wedge was enough time that I needed about twenty minutes to get the fire hot again. It seemed to work best when the coal had gone all gummy and stuck together. Then a piece of scrap picked up the heat in a hurry. Edited October 12, 2015 by jumbojak For some reason the message text was repeated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Spring loaded damper. If you put the right sized hole in it you will get enugh air to keep the fire lit, but just barely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matei campan Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Charles, even now there are people who would be more than happy to forge on something like this.that shape is quiet good, it's almost like a horned anvil. I don't know how it works with the stump, but maybe if It would be "cast" into a concrete block, it would gain some more efficiency. even after you'll have a "real" anvil, that piece will be a very useful complement to it, especially because the london pattern anvils miss the second pyramidal horn.with that setup, someone could make little charming items, sell them and make money for a real anvil in no time, let's say 20-30 bottle openers to sell for 10-15$ and you'll be able to buy a very nice anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 At first glance I wondered how you kept it on the block, then it registered you'd driven the handle through the block and into the ground. That's a FINE anvil, there isn't much you couldn't do on it within it's size restrictions. Say anchors would be a tough go.The only suggestion I have is to move it close to one edge of the block so you can work longer pieces over it. For instance it would be tough to work a 90* bend longer than say 6-8". If it were at the edge you could dress your rake on the face with the handle over the edge.That's a good start on your kit. Well done.Oh, I do have one criticism. How can you possibly in good conscience feel the least hesitation at being as RUDE as necessary to make a politician LEAVE immediately. The few who've knocked at our door in the past 19 years have left when I looked at them. I didn't even glower, just looked.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 With a bit of thought you can dress all sides of your "anvil" and cut diviots in your stump to hold it in multiple positions. So you have a hot cut, curve the back for a drawing die, the side gives you a bit more space... I would suggest clustering them to one side, as you may want to mount a bick on the other side. One might also want to use a thinish plate (1/8" or so) to keep the stump from spliting if you use it point down. Carve out a pocket, cut an "H" in the plate, nail it down to the stump and drive the wings of the "H" down. Not a huge fan of cement/concreat as a bering serface for small anvils. If you get rambunctius it tends to crack and bust up. For mass to a thinish frame it's good, as the fram takes the beating wile the concreet just sets their and is heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 A hole in the air supply pipe works well as a pressure switch....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I was trying to get rid of the guy! If a politician dropped by my shop and started to talk to me I'd probably show them the business end of the hot steel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbojak Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) I plan on eventually moving to a tractor wheel weight as a mounting surface. They tend to be pretty soft but extremely heavy so I should be able to drill and square holes for mounting a variety of tooling and be left with a stable surface. If I make the switch quickly I can weld a piece of horizontal tubing plus one on the maul handle and be able to use it that way for cutting and drawing. I don't know how well the stump would hold up if the handle were driven through closer to the edge. It's a gnarly piece of wood, and repeated blows might knock something loose that would be better kept in place. Until I can get the wheel weight in place and fashioned properly I'll be sticking to the basics; proper hammer technique and moving metal in simple ways. I know the quotes are messed up, but I can't seem to get the boxes to work properly without the forum eating my post. Does this forum software support BBCode? Edited October 12, 2015 by jumbojak All the quoted text seems to have disappeared and I can't fix it. This is more an explanation than an edit as the software won't allow me to rearrange things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The software provider has some serius glitches, and it seems to be a case of two steps forward and one back (some times in reverse order as well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.