Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Make an anvil.


Recommended Posts

Ok, I didn't make it. It's been kicking around for a long time and I wanted to see how it would work as an anvil. And to do so I used a ball pein hammer I picked up at a fleamarket for $2.that I never forged with before. And some tongs I made from rr spikes. 

I made the s hook solely on that chunk of granite. Any hard rock might have done as well. The parent stock is beside it and I cut it with half blows on the edge of the granite. I wanted to call this blacksmith starter kit but also am fishing for new people that think they have to start out with the known London pattern anvil. There are many means to the end and you can keep building from there.  pliers could have been used as tongs but hey, some things are easier after you have learned the skills and made the tools. This was testing a chunk of granite as an anvil and a cheapo hammer. With the other skills I have learned from IFI. 

I kind of enjoyed trying this out. I think as I have time I will try to do more on this. It Was actually pretty solid. Nothing like my Trenton but it worked out great. Maybe next I will attempt to forge tongs on it.

what are your thoughts and opinions? 

 

image.jpg

image.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I admire your enthusiasm for this type of experiments. 

There are wood work enthusiast who make their own hand plane out of a lump of wood and the blade from a flattened outer bearing ring., or turn green wood under a tree using the flex of a branch to power their woodturning lathe... oh my ... not for me.

Sure it can be done ... you would probably enjoy the movie "The Mosquito coast" ... :)  

"Old anvil" and polished T beam merit no comment. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, buckbrown said:

Granite is quarried all around this area known as the "Granite Capital of the World."

buckbrown, are you from Barre? If you put your location in your profile settings, you might be surprised how many IFI members there are in your area. Why don't you head over to the "Introduce Yourself" page and let us know who you are -- but remember to READ THIS FIRST.

8 hours ago, Marc1 said:

Sure it can be done ... you would probably enjoy the movie "The Mosquito coast" ... :)  

Everything we need is here! Right here!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 15-20 years ago +/- there was a group known as the neotribal metalsmiths that were trying to get back to blacksmithing "roots".

Several of them used stone anvils, and charcoal in an adobe lined forge was the general fuel, (see Tim Lively washtub forge). For the blademakers the goal was to have less than 10% stock removal left to do after forging.

Welcome to the confraternity!   (I was known as Bogiron on several of their forums and a moderator to boot!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thomas ( Bogiron),  I kept hearing that a rock could be used as an anvil and in the back of my mind I had this nagging itch to try it out. The granite was there and I was done with what I was making otherwise so I gave it a go. I was honestly surprised how well it worked. What's next? Making a stone hammer? :) in my off time I plan on working more with it.  I mean how can you say that a rock could work as an anvil unless you really know it.  Tho. I know I don't have the time to delve in too deep into the "roots" of it all. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope, haven't tested it. I did clean it up but couldn't find a name on it ( Thankfully! ) lol. Didn't feel much if any rebound but it was sturdy as a rock. It's much better then those soapstone or sandstone anvils that nature freight has for the taking. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you experience any spalling when the hot steel contacted the granite? 

Watch out, if this thread goes viral there will be a run on granite scrap.....

Hmmmm, we have tons of rock out here in the desert, not much granite but I wonder how basalt would work. Around my valley most of the rock is rounded from glacial action. We don't have large monolithic outcroppings. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No spalling BigGun. I had that concern in mind. Was wearing ppe in case. More then just the safety glasses. I don't know that it wouldn't spall working with larger stock.  The edges are not clean cut they are a bit jagged like it was chiped apart and with fitting the stock off with the edge had only minor chipping. I mainly stuck closer to the middle for the heavier hammering. 

I guess a bit rounder a rock would be better for drawing out.

How can I attach this round rock to this flat rock to make a London pattern rock. ;) Haha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remember, don't grind your rock or the granite anvil purists will get upset.  You could take years off the life of your rock...(grin)

Also, most rocks thru history didn't look like a London pattern rock, you can do perfectly good work on a rock that doesn't look like a "rock" (bigger grin)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome aboard Buck, glad to have you. Love the AVATAR, does Thing act as your 3rd hand AKA known as a blacksmith's helper?

Nothing wrong with a boulder anvil but a cobble hammer can be tricky to lash to a handle. I've done it to make a point and had a good time making my first tool from stock scrounged from debris from the '64 quake in Crab bay near the old village of Chenega in Prince William Sound. I tried basing a roll laying game on it here on IFI a while ago but I wasn't a good enough GM to make the game work. I keep hoping someone who knows how to GM will start another one, I'd love to play.

A river boulder or glacial till makes a fine anvil if it has a fine grain and better than those new fangled . . . steel :o anvils it has lots of shapes to use. Best, they're quiet. Basalt is good if it's a fine grain basalt. Beware of using stones out of water around a fire they may have absorbed water and a steam explosion can ruin your forever.

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Judson Yaggy said:

I went looking.  Don't think we can call either Vermont or Georgia the "granite capital of the world"  http://www.litosonline.com/en/articles/en/558/production-granite-world-2014-estimates

The town two towns north of mine trumpets itself as "The Sandstone Center of the World"; they did a roaring trade in the 1800s in the manufacture and sale of millstones and grindstones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and someone said a Hay Budden is an old anvil..... 

I'm helping a friend of mine get started in blacksmithing. He almost has his forge all set up and wants to buy an anvil sometime soon. Today at work I told him that I found him an anvil and he got excited until I showed him the picture. After explaining, he was surprised and more knowledgeable. He can afford an anvil and I know where some are so he still wants a London pattern. :rolleyes:

Just did a ball bearing test with a 1 3/4" ball bearing and it was in the 60-70% range. :o 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Seldom. Donnie, I'm doing this for that reason And experimenting. 

Don't know if you could see it in the first pictures but this chunk had a minor crack from the start so I guess I "bought" a damaged anvil lol. Still, it held up to my attempt tonight to forge tongs out of 5/8" rebar. Why rebar? Because every other new post mentions rebar. Ok, ok. I have some minor skills under my belt, I had to try tongs without using tongs to make them out of rebar. ( first attempt at that) 

BigGun, the edges did not like the rebar being made into tongs and the edges gently spalled on me.( broke the edges, not exploded like concrete can spall with heat)

 so the flawed granite anvil took some damage making tongs out of the rebar, but it held together enough to make another s hook using the tongs I just made on it. And will still hold up to more abuse. I used different sized nuts as a pritchel hole and to start making the rivet, as well as true up the tongs. 

The tongs are ugly but function fine. I also stuck with my $2. Fleamarket find hammer, with an undressed ugly face. I could have tapered the tong handles but it was taking a while, and they could be functional so I moved on because I could. 

All in all the granite chunk is still functional and I will use it again. If I make more on it I will post it here. 

 

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...