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I Forge Iron

Anvil molds, white cast vs gray cast


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I know this is me being lazy (also not even the slightest clue where to look for a good reference...patent number?) but was the cast iron used in anvils different than your typical casting?  Would regular white cast (Do I have that right? White cast being a ceramic mold casting that makes it cool faster making it harder and tougher somehow? As compared to gray cast being a sand mold?) be tough enough to hold up to our brand of beating?  The cooking to make it malleable cast would cook all the carbon out of the tool steel face wouldn't it?

  I guess what I'm trying to get at would be that I'm wondering if they somehow cooked all the carbon out before casting, effectively making it cast steel?

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Thanks for sorting me out Glenn.

  I had a feeling my question wasn't closely enough related to that beautiful anvil pattern.  Also, now that I think on it some more, I'm not sure if I have all my facts straight enough to even ask these questions.  It's been a couple of years since I read whatever book it was that differentiated (very generally I'm sure) between gray, white, and malleable cast iron, but I'm sure it didn't cover Brooks, Fisher, Vulcan or any other cast anvils and the particulars of their castings.

  Edit: I did find Fisher pat. 189892 again, which explains about the hornplate and faceplate. I'm asking about the method and material of the actual casting.

Edited by Quarry Dog
Minor re-research.
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  • 4 years later...

  I think this was just me overthinking what materials would be used by Fisher and Vulcan.  I'm pretty sure it was just plain old gray cast and that all the durability of the face and horn was from the steel plates.

  Sorry for disappearing.  I've been off on a few adventures since the last time I was in here.  Forgot how much easier it is to focus on a specific topic in here versus Facebook groups.  Glad to be back!

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Good to see you're web handle showing up in the posts. I'll hang out on a forum over FB any day. FB is almost uselessly chaotic, unsearchable it's like a jr. high school cafeteria. 

So, what have you been up to?

Frosty The Lucky.

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