Stronghand Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Hello, I've been slowly buying some basic blacksmithing tools over the last few months. Hopefully sometime soon I'll get everything I need to make a few knives and maybe some tools. I'll need an anvil soon, it's going to be the last thing I need to get started, probably the most expensive also. I don't want to buy something new and all the used anvils in my area are beat to hell. I currently have have a nice 12 inch chunk of railroad track but would also like something bigger and heavier. The company I work for buys huge pieces of T1 and 4140 steel. We have large chunks of booth kinds of steel in irregular shapes that just sit around collecting dust. The boss said I can take whatever I want. I know the steel has been heat treated, we machine it hardened most of the time, and from what the guys in the machine shop say it's very hard compared to when its untreated. Would hardened T1 or 4140 make a decent anvil? Is one better then the other to use as an anvil? If it isn't going to work as an anvil can I use it for anything else blacksmith tool related? Thanks for your time, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Sawicki Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 A big chunk of hardened 4140 would be excellent! I don't know anything about T1 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 What you most need to make knives is *experience*! With experience you can make good knives using rocks for tools and a hole in the ground for a forge. Putting off getting started till you have the "perfect set of tools" is just putting off getting what you really need. Take a look at the anvil being used by the Japanese swordmaker in the section of the National Geographic's "Living Treasures of Japan" it was on youtube last I checked. Does any of your chunks look like that? The London Pattern anvil has been in its current configuration about 200 years; big chunks of metal have been used as anvils for over 2000 years (and the further back you go the smaller they tended to be!) Also on the net is a video of a kukri maker that uses a sledge hammer head as his anvil. Try to fight your preconceptions and get to hammering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 That first one is a knuckle off a RR car coupler if I am not mistaken; I once found a broken one and had a free anvil of a good weight and lots of neat curves to use as well as the flat. My Y1K anvil (based on a lot of different archeological finds and illustrations) A stack of "anvis" from my local scrapyard at 20 cents US a pound: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 I was going to start a thread discussing beginners anvil options, that's why I have been "borrowing" folks anvil pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 That's a good idea, Charles. Looking at those pics, I can see our scrapyard is crawling with ''anvils''. Funny how fixated we become on the London pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charcold Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 A thread on beginner anvils would be a great resource to post when the question presents itself, that happens quite a lot. From my own experience I think confusion sets in because people overvalue a horn, hardy, and pritchel holes. Mainly because they don't know how easy it is to get the same thing done with an alternative, be it a square tube hardy holder or improvised round shape for the horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Or free hand forming of a scroll without a horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 9 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said: I was going to start a thread discussing beginners anvil options, that's why I have been "borrowing" folks anvil pictures 1 hour ago, Charcold said: A thread on beginner anvils would be a great resource to post when the question presents itself, that happens quite a lot. @Charles R. Stevens's photo-heavy comment that was up above has been split into its own pinned thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Well thank you, JHCC. I was hoping to write something snarky to go with it, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 7 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: Well thank you, JHCC. I was hoping to write something snarky to go with it, lol That's what the comments are for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Now for the op, their are two modifications I lifted from Steve Sells. The 1" marks down the side and the dip for straitening. Combined with the fuller your 12" piece of rail has plenty of potential for forging knives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 On the first project in my Beginner's classes I teach people how to bend an S hook without using the horn to try to set them free of London-Pattern-itis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 here is a block I made for someone recently will get a pic tomorrow of one of the shop anvils I made years ago for newbies to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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