All but deleted account Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I'm looking to make two anvils out of railroad tracks. I need about five feet total (about 2.5 ft. each). Does anyone know where I can find some in NC, preferably around Lenoir? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Track down your nearest rail maintmnance yard (mine is just north of Chickasha Ok." And ask about a drop. If you tell the boss what you want it for (not scraping it to buy meth) and bring him somthing you forged on it by way of a thank you, you should have good luck. Other drops may be easer to ring that will work, say a 4x4 or a 3" shaft. Some times you can score a 4" drop from plate (circle drops are the bomb, say from cutting 24" circles. Half way to a double horn that way. But honestly a 8-12" drop of 4" would be all the anvil one would ever need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All but deleted account Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Mr. Stevens, that last paragraph was Koro, to me, I'm sorry. What's a drop, a circle drop, and a plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 A drop is the waste that is cut off when cutting something to size. If the track people cut 12" from a 20' length of track , that 12" piece is a drop. A circle drop= when a fabricator cuts a 24" dia circle from a plate (a larger slab of steel) the remaining drop has some of the curves that can be used to make an anvil-type horn. What this all comes down to, is to expand your vision when it comes to making your own anvil. A piece of scrap steel 2' or more wide , with enough size in the other dimensions to provide some mass, will make a dandy anvil. The working surface of doesnt need to be much larger than the face of the hammer you're using. RR track is fine, but there are plenty of other options that might be easier to find. There is a thread in the anvil section where JWS made an anvil from a block of steel, 4 or 5 inches sq, by a foot or so long, dress the edges ad desired, and it's a beauty. Take some time and read thru the anvil section - there are other options out there. Then take some time reading thru the rest of the site. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 You may find usable metal at a hydraulic repair shop. Those cylinders get bent and thrown out, or cut to size and the remainder thrown out. You will want to find a piece of metal larger than your hammer face and with a mass of 50 to100 pounds or more. Look for inside curves and outside curves if they are available. A truck repair garage (think BIG trucks with multiple wheels) have axles, steering links or knuckles, and all sorts of things that can be used in one way or another. Metal is out there and many times free when you ask politely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Where I live there is miles of it, laying end to end on big beams. the hard part is to get out the big nails that hold it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I think trains are smarter than some folks I meet! Don't forget sludge hammer heads and those big read splitting malls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I tried a sludge hammer head, but it was too soft and mushy to serve my purposes. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Find a scrap yard and just buy a big chunk of steel, that will be better than a chunk of rail. Forklift forks are much better than rail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 I tried hammering sludge once, but it just splattered. I think I had the working heat too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Crane tracks make the best rail anvils if you can find them. Way bigger then train tracks ... I know a scrap yard that has a pile of them but it's in Sydney Australia ... a bit too far ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Here ya go. It is a long drive though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All but deleted account Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 natenaaron, where is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Page Steel's scrap yard. On my days off (if I get one during the week), much to the wife's chagrin, I go see what they got. Lots and lots of good stuff. Always something new to see. If I knew how I would post a google earth image of how large this place is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I think I'm about due for a trip to Arizona.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 3 hours ago, natenaaron said: Page Steel's scrap yard. On my days off (if I get one during the week), much to the wife's chagrin, I go see what they got. Lots and lots of good stuff. Always something new to see. If I knew how I would post a google earth image of how large this place is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Thanks bigb You needed to stretch out a bit more though. The scrap goes further down and off the image to the left. How did you post that? The Track is off the image on the bottom, maybe half an inch in the piles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I just took a screenshot with Windows Snipping Tool and saved it as a jpeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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