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Anvil build


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It only has to be as big as the hammer head you are using. Think of the anvil as another hammer working the backside as you work the front. 2" diameter will work for some projects. You can always weld a thick plate on the ends to give you a little more working surface. Look up stump anvils.

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I can tell you what size brazeals prey anvil is. In his horse head video, he uses 3/4" X 1/4" steel. He takes a cube of material, which in this case is 3/4" long. That 3/4" takes up about a third of the anvils width. 3 times that amount gives you 2-1/4, so I would say about 2-1/2" is right around the correct dimensions. I guess if you want the exact size, you can contact him and I am sure he has much more information on it than us!

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I believe Charles already said to make a cover for it if you include it.  You don't want to sever digits on that feature. My experience with this type of thing is limited, but my recommendation is to not include it as part of the anvil.  It might be a bit inconvenient to set up a different way to do hot cuts, but it's a whole lot more inconvenient to take your fingers to the emergency room and hope they can reattach them.

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Ok, Charles, that's what I had been thinking to have them all flush so nothing would be sticking up over anything else. I would generally be working on the other end. 

Buzzkill, I completely understand your point on severing fingers being less convenient than having a separate tool. That's why I was asking for advise on how it should be done differently so if it sounded like I was disregarding what had already been said I didn't meanotice to, just want to get it right the first time. Throwing a loop of leather or similar and bolting on will be easy but if there is a different or better way or placement I would like to know it

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I don't think a hot cut built in is the best idea. You might cut you hand badly or damage a tool. You are better off making a portable hardy hole if you want to use a lot of hardys. Otherwise, your vise can probobly hold most. For a hot cut, you can put an old axe head in a vise. 

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Pancho, I tried to envision how you would stand when using the anvil.  In my mind to use the large or small fuller area you would probably stand with your tongs perpendicular to the anvil and swing in line with the hot cut.  If you were standing at the hot cut end of the anvil, which would be the closest to your fuller areas, then you'd be swinging directly over the hot cut section.  Unless you can get a cover for that hot cut that you know will not come loose while you are hammering I see that as a recipe for disaster.  I suggest mounting that rotary bar you have.  You can mount that flat like you show in the pictures.  You've got a nice large central hole with a bunch of little holes around it.  If you can get a decent thickness plate with a square hole in it, you can easily bolt it in place and then have a mount for any hardy tool you want to use.   My 2 cents, but someone with more experience might have a better idea.

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I think the only legitimate use for an always-up integrated hot-cut would be something like a nailmaker's setup, production smithing where you are going to be doing lots of cuts a lot of the time. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

That'll work. I'd weld the angle iron to the stand and let the anvil "float" in the angle iron. That lets you rotate the anvil so you have all those other edges to modify as you like or need. A tripod has a number of benefits but most of all it's stable on any reasonably solid surface, it can NOT rock. A 4 legged or box stand can get rocky on a pebble and you WILL want to move it eventually or maybe like Me, all the time. I swing my anvil around for the best angle on what I'm doing.

Frosty The Lucky.

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21 minutes ago, Frosty said:

That'll work. I'd weld the angle iron to the stand and let the anvil "float" in the angle iron. That lets you rotate the anvil so you have all those other edges to modify as you like or need.

I had thought about that and can always do that. I've had a lot of practice cutting welds, so I will probably do that eventually.

 

23 minutes ago, notownkid said:

good start all you need is a 3 legged angle iron stand at the height you need or want. 

Brian B's travel set up, best pic I have.

 

01 01_1256-1.JPG

That's what I had originally intended to do but was getting a little discouraged when I cut the first fuller. Someday I may add too or make another one for when I need to do something different.

 

Over all I'm happy with it for the moment. I obviously didn't put the hot cut in, haven't decided whether I'll weld a piece of tubing onto it for a hardie hole or go with Frosty's idea of a completely separate one.

 I've been toying with the idea of hard facing it but if I end up needing to i can always do that later I suppose.

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There is NO rush, you have the basics already. Make whatever stand you think will work for you, right now you can stand that on a pile of lumber and get to hammering. I certainly wouldn't bother with hard facing. It's probably low carbon steel plate so would want to dent under the hard facing so you'd need to lay down at least 1/2 of build up rod for stiffness then hard face, THEN grind it smooth. For the price of enough hard face and build up rod to make a difference you could just buy a new anvil.

I'm not kidding I bought enough hard face rod to patch the edges of an anvil for a young man who was going to do it no matter what so I did it right. Anyway, about 8" of edges and one cup stone for my disk grinder cost the young man $200 and there isn't much for left overs.

Seriously, get to working on that work horse anvil you have there and if you decide you want a London Pattern, sell trinkets, kitchen nick nacks, garden tools, etc. ad buy one.

Frosty The Lucky.

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  • 3 months later...
On 2/27/2016 at 1:11 PM, Glenn said:

The stacked slabs make a poor anvil.

Think of the Nimitz-class air craft carrier with an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons. If you parked it in your back yard and used the deck as an anvil, you would only be able to move hot metal under the area of your hammer face. The rest of the 100,000 long tons of weight would not matter. 

If you take a piece of rail road track and stand it on end, you have the mass under the hammer face. The london pattern anvil has the waist and most of the mass at the sweet spot and under the hammer face.

Look for a solid piece of metal and stand it on end. Think large hydraulic cylinder, etc.

An aircraft carrier anvil, now that makes my inner 12 year old say NEAT!!!!

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