Would you be willing to help

[natenaaron]

I am looking for a chunk of steel I use as an anvil.  I have a railroad track anvil but I was more real estate.  I am looking for something like I have seen in videos of japanese blacksmiths and a like a few folks have posted on here.  The steel yard does not carry anything but mild and stainless steels.  But the scrap yard is might be another story.

Here is my plan.  I am on winter vacation so, much to the wife's dismay, I am able to wonder around the back of the scrap yard.  I saw some big chunks that might be candidates based on their being axles and other items.  If I take some pics and post them would you folks be able to say if something might be worth the effort of bringing it back?

Before someone tells me to talk to the folks there, this place is huge and they don't really know what all they got.  I got a lot of "I don't know" when I dropped some scrap off yesterday and asked them.

If you go to the link you can see the scrap yard.  Everything behind the red dot is scrap.  A couple of the lots in front of the red dot are scrap too. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Page+Steel+Inc/@36.8904346,-111.4523573,1369m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87341314c5177999:0xf359e515b34d8fe2!6m1!1e1

 

 

[Frosty]

An axle mounted flange up makes an outstanding anvil, the thicker the better. Ideally you want one with the flat bolt flange, the lug holes make fine bolsters and it's not too hard to make bottom tools that fit without turning.

It's going to need trimming and fitting to a stand so it's the right height but that can be done with a hack saw, drill, nuts, bolts and clamps if you don't have a welder.

Most any shafting larger than the face of your hammer will work a treat as an anvil and it doesn't really need to be hardened HC steel though that's a  plus for sure.

Frosty The Lucky.

[natenaaron]

So the hunt did not go so well.  I found what I thought was a nice axle.  Bounced my ballpien hammer.  Rebounded nicely with a real nice ring.  4 inches wide.  Problem is it was about 8 feet long.  Had to get permission from the owner to get it cut by one of the torch guys.  Went back the next day to meet with owner.  Turns out it was stainless.  That was quite the chunk of stainless.  Right next to it was a shorter 1ft wide section of mild steel he said he could cut a foot off.  35 cents a pound and $150 to cut it.  Personally I thought that was insane for a cut but I did not need 1500 pounds of steel, and said I did not need it that bad especially for mild steel.  We talked and said to come back Monday.  He would look around for a small piece of hardened steel.  Considering the size of the yard I'm not really holding my breath but I'll go back.  

[jumbojak]

$150 for the cut?! Keep poking around and you'll likely find a smaller drop or two that would work fine. Big scrap yards hold many secrets and usually a few treasures. My brother found a grain drill in more or less working order a few months ago. I'll be going back for another hunt soon myself. Need a piece to fabricate a horn....

[VaughnT]

What's wrong with using mild steel for an anvil?  You'd have to make a lot of product, or a lot of mistakes, before a big chunk of mild would need to be resurfaced.  It'd certainly be every bit as good as anything the early blacksmiths were using.

If you can find the axle from a train, that would make for a dandy post anvil.  About 4" in diameter and harder than the devil's heart.  Heavy, too.

[the iron dwarf]

anvil in my place we mainly use is a couple of blocks of mild, this is it before the base plate and a motor coupling to use as a pritchel was added, about 150 to 170 pounds at a guess.

works fine, mostly mild but horn is hard

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

From where I am werkin in LaVerkin Utah, I am about 135 miles from Page AZ. Do you ever get over that way? 

I can see if the local scrapper has anything.

[natenaaron]

This would explain just how new I am.  I was under the impression that mild steel was a bad idea.  I can go back Monday.  I saw LOTS of chunky mild steel drops.

I have never been to Laverkin.  I will be back at our scrap yard Monday if I can't find anything I'll tell you.  Thanks for the offer.

[VaughnT]

Mild steel isn't great, but it's a far cry from bad.  And if you pay a welder to build up the face with some impact-resistant hard-facing rod, you'll have an anvil as good as anything else out there.  Horns on an anvil are nice, but they're not necessary.  If you're making a lot of curves, build jigs so you can make consistent, repeatable bends.  If you need to open the loop on a bottle opener, make a bick that will fit in your vice.  

Research on youtube to see how smiths are doing things in third-world countries where "anvils" are whatever they can find.  Research how early european smiths were making armor and swords without london-pattern anvils.  If those folks can work iron into masterpieces we see in the museums, you can do the same thing.

[natenaaron]

Here is what I ended up with.  each round is 3.25 inches thick, and 15 inches diameter.

I can't decide if I should cut them in half stack and weld them together.  Yes the pic is upside down but you get the point.

[ThomasPowers]

To effectively add them together you need to do a full penetration weld across the face---noplace where steel is on steel that's not welded.  Probably cheaper to buy an anvil.

I'd use them as they stand and mount one on edge so you can use the curve as a horn...

[Smoggy]

I agree with TP, use one flat and one on end, which is exactly what I have done with my counter balance weights. You could radius the odd edge if you wish or even cut a step in one, or other such "useful features".

ID I recognise that from Stratford, worked perfectly well all weekend long as I remember.

[Frosty]

Good grief Nate take a HACK SAW! Axles aren't HARD, they're tough and springy, I've cut a 1.5" truck axle with a hack saw in under 10 mins. and that was in the field I only had a pipe wrench to use as a vise to hold it. Next time take the whole axle home. Once you get it cut to length make hammers, hardies, etc. from the rest.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Kozzy]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

Good grief Nate take a HACK SAW! Axles aren't HARD, they're tough and springy, I've cut a 1.5" truck axle with a hack saw in under 10 mins. and that was in the field I only had a pipe wrench to use as a vise to hold it. Next time take the whole axle home. Once you get it cut to length make hammers, hardies, etc. from the rest.

Frosty The Lucky.

One poke for newbies---QUALITY hack saw blades.  A good blade is at least 10 times and more like 50 times better than a cheap one.  Most on the home center shelves are "handyman" grade and pretty mediocre..most=virtually all so it's not usually worth trying to sort out the crap.  Best to buy good blades in bulk packs from a machinist supply source.

If you don't have a decent hack saw already definitely go high-tension, not the ones where the blade is tensioned with a wing nut.  It's also handy to get a second saw...a smaller one which you set the blade to cut on the pull stroke can be a real life saver in odd situations.  Sure, you could just turn the blade around but then you wouldn't have *2* hacksaws .

[ThomasPowers]

poke # 2: get a high quality bowsaw frame---around the 30" ones, I prefer sandvik, and mount a piece of metal cutting bandsaw blade in it and make a mega hacksaw from it.  I use a whitney punch to make the mounting holes punching them towards the back of the blade where it's softer. I also punch them a bit closer than the ones on a wood cutting saw blade to get slightly higher tension.  Blades won't shatter like the cheap imports and having a 2' or more stroke makes cutting heavy stock go faster!  I keep one in my truck behind the seat in the cab for items of opportunity.

[natenaaron]

These will do for now.  Frosty, these were ready to go, just siting there.  No cuts needed.  I'll mount one on it's side, dress the edges and start hammering away.