PoliticsCitation Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 I am currently looking at blacksmithing and trying to figure if I could get into it. What I'm worried about is the anvil. Most are just too expensive for me. But I had an idea. Would it be feasible to use a steel I-beam as an anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Unfortunately this is an awful option. This same question has been asked many times. I urge youto read through the anvil forum to find much better alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Probably not. You need as much mass under your hammer blow as possible, and there's no way to accomplish that with an I-beam. There are a LOT of threads on IFI about improvised/non-standard anvils. People use truck axles, forklift tines, big ol' hunks-o'-steel. Go read those threads; pretty much any basic question you can think of has already been asked and answered there. Welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoliticsCitation Posted August 21, 2016 Author Share Posted August 21, 2016 Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Sledge hammer heads and 3/4 way draw bars for trucks are a generaly easy to come by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Anything with a mass of 75-100 pounds is good. Do not pass the sledge hammer heads, hydraulic cylinders, fork truck forks, etc. I just retrieved a piece of plate 14 x 14 x 1-1/4 inch plate that weighed 75 pounds from a scrap pile. The stuff is out there, you just have to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 could you tell us what country you are in? If you are near central NM I can point out where you can get suitable steel for use as an anvil for 20 cents a pound. Over 100 countries participate on these forums so answers often vary by WHERE YOU ARE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkans Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I bought several years ago a harbor frieght anvil. (Before I knew anything). I was wondering about welding a large 1 inch thick piece of tool steel on the top to use as an improvised anvil? I even thought about cutting the top off and welding the tool steel, replacing the deck. Honestly I think this would be cost preventative. But I wondered about it if it would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Welding steel to cast iron is expensive and difficult. Don’t bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkans Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 I honestly didn't think it would work, I would do better to secure it to a wood block I think until I get a better option. Then I could use it as a striking anvil later. I found an huge chunk of tool steel at my dads. Well high carbon steel anyways with the spark test. Going to bring it home just wasn't able to grab it while I was there for Christmas. I figured out the work to weld it, the cost to weld it would be preventive of it doing me any good. I actually was thinking on cutting it up some making a striking anvil and upsetting block with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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