Hoenirson Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 This followed me home from local scrapyard today. These are hammers from an industrial rock crusher. $20 each and weighing about 110 lbs per. I am trying to decide best way to turn one or both into an anvil for myself, a beginner smith. Both On End, welded together: Or I can level the top for a larger work area. I have some heavy metal stock I could weld a stand up with, or I can slab together a stand from 2x10 lumber. I would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba682 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I like them i see anvil written all over them for a laugh i'd get a price on getting the one standing milled square on the tops and edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Well, if you're not going to string one on a piece of cable and hang it around your neck, this is what I would suggest: mount them separately. At 110 lbs each, that's a pretty decent amount of mass that will suffice for almost anything you need to do. If you mount one of them like the tall one in the bottom photo (a capital "T" right side up) and the other like the one in the back in the top photo (a capital "T" standing on one end of the crossbar), you get two different anvil surfaces: flat and slightly crowned. You also get the round hole pointed up, and if you weld a section of square tube inside, you get a nice hardy hole -- just make sure that there's enough support underneath. If you make a big enough stand (either wood or metal) to mount them both, you'll still get some of the benefit of the total mass working together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Think I'd go with JHCC's Idea. That's a pretty cool score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I actually have a lot more hours in on my 90+ pound anvil than I do on my 515# anvil---easier to carry to demos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoenirson Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Sounds like a stand to support both is in order. I have to admit, I did not think of using them as is...makes sense. Thanks folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoenirson Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 Welds are holding up for a quick fit of the ... anvil. I WILL be adding a triangular leg shelf to tie the legs together. Stand #1: Not a chance of getting my mitt around it, but this gives some perspective. The height of the anvil faces is 9". The ring is pretty loud right now. I will get some rubber under the anvil and see if that helps. The anvil is very fitted to the stand and is held in place by its weight and shape. The bottom face of the anvil sits firmly on the 3/4" plate that the legs are welded to. We needed three of us to get it on the stand while its tipped over. The boy to foot the legs, me holding it up by the ring, the wife pushing it into the fitted collar. Then we tip it up, them footing the legs, me lifting the whole mass of stand and anvil til it stands up. Stand is 66 lbs as is. I know the legs are overkill (2.5" x 4", 3/16" thick) but this is what I had in the shop. I assume more weight equals better, so I will cap the bottoms with some feet and fill the legs with sand. I have lots of cleanup to do on the stand. Also planned (after a shelf) is a way to hang a couple hammers and some tongs. Yay progress! (Last pic showing all of stand and the boy who is helping with the painting.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millhand Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Super cool find! Those will make wonderful anvils! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Biggest pritchel hole I've seen on an anvil! Or could make a nice cup holder..... Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Awesome job Hoenirson! I'm really glad to see you making progress on making it work. And getting the family involved. Your plans sound good. Keep it up and looking forward to seeing more progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Those will make great anvils, and you have some great sides with different edges to work off of. I would look at having the other one stood up like a Tee, and smooth it up. Maybe run a bar through the hole so it could either be pivoted up, or laid flat. Between the two you would have a lot of capabilities. If they have more, I would go back, buy what you can, and the sell them to guys getting started. That is far better than some chunk of railroad rail selling for $50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPTF Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 You did a great job on the stand, looks real nice and sturdy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 hole is for the can of water to quench the tips of chisels, punches and drifts. That "hammered look" on the side is just awesome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 That is looking fantastic! Good work! It just occurred to me that if you do weld in a section of square pipe for a hardy hole, there is no reason for it to be parallel with the long axis of the anvil. Turning at 45° will give you more clearance around the tall section. Bedding the anvil on a layer of silicone caulk will both hold it firmly and deaden the ring somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I would dearly love to have some of those! I've been looking for just such a thing to make into a traveling anvil. Personally, I would have stood the hammer on end like a Mjolnir and used the big face much like a Popov anvil you see here at the 23:09 mark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyLjZ8N9_dc&t=36s The face is domed, but it's like a squished ball with a flat spot in the middle. Very practical design and it has the look that's just perfect for doing demos where folks expect you to be doing it the "old fashioned way". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B_HOSS Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 That's really really cool! I'm pretty jealous honestly. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millhand Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I have a large forklift tine I use for a shop anvil at work with a round hole in it much like those hammers. It's quite useful to slide smaller hooks though the hole and work the underside of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Poet Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 On 1/23/2017 at 7:49 PM, ThomasPowers said: hole is for the can of water to quench the tips of chisels, punches and drifts. That "hammered look" on the side is just awesome... It's obviously made for dishing bowls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 "It's obviously made for dishing bowls." Knee cops, elbow cops, rapier cup guards,.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoenirson Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Based on all the great suggestions, I have built a shouldered removable insert that bolts itself and the anvil down to the supporting frame of the stand. This way I keep my options open without modifying the anvil shape. This had the happy result as well, of deadening the piercing ring of the anvil. It was like a fresh sharpened golden spike (with just a hint of lime) being driven into my head with every blow. (Yes I was a bit hung over at the time.) Taking the lazy way out and still waffling a bit on finishing my forge floor, I welded a 5" piece of truck spring to some 1" solid stock to form a hot cutoff tool. I made it long to support the blade directly to the anvil, instead of via the inserts welded shoulder (yep, I am a big chicken). I don't think I would need a 5" wide cutoff, so I shaped just the middle to a thick edge, and left the top corners to be used for shaping surfaces. One is flattened, and the other is rounded. If ever DO need more edge for cutting, the material is easy enough to remove to extend the cutting edge. Here is a quick video of hardy tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Okay, every single bit of that is AWESOME. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockmaker Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I concur, you have a very functional anvil there, if I ever run across rock crusher parts at the scrap yard I am all in on this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I have contacted a couple of people in the crushing business here locally already. Haven't found any but I'm looking. Thanks for putting it out there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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