Charles R. Stevens Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 AZ, look at striking anvils. With that jewel, just weld on 3 legs and your off to the races... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I wonder for how many years is this bit of railroad anvil being used? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TkkK8OTMxQ I am confused!!...Is the blacksmith wearing "steel toes" or does he have "steel toes"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCalvert Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 As a short safety note, dont accidentally hit an unknown metal too hard with your ballpeen hammer while looking for hardened surfaces. I had a corner of the hammer shoot off while trying my luck on a large gear, and it is now somewhere beside my bellybutton down in my fat. I am now iron man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheechWizard Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 the little manhole lid is what i first started banging on metal with. it didnt work very well but i managed to make a couple of rr spike knive. my uncle used to work for tacoma rail and gave me a bunch of spikes, busted knuckle pins etc along with this 24 inch of rail which im guessing weighs around 70-80 lbs. i just set it up temperarely until i get a big round or some 4x4's and i was thinking about making the manhole lid into a swage block type thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 14, 2019 Author Share Posted May 14, 2019 That hunk of rail will help move a lot of metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 On 3/4/2019 at 9:57 PM, caotropheus said: I wonder for how many years is this bit of railroad anvil being used? Not much different than my setup. Side blast jabod RR track anvil but I don't have a shelter. That shop would be a step up. Pnut (Mike) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 Here's mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 That looks good, Randy. I started with a track anvil. But yours has a lot more real estate, so I bet that's nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 This one's the forks off a fork truck, welded together vertical. Has lots of rebound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 On 12/11/2018 at 4:11 PM, 671jungle said: face 9 1/2" x 2" Height 25 3/3" have not welded or weighed it yet, i guesstimate 75-80lbs OK safety first, lift with your legs!!!! Second, I love it when you have the mill imprint on the rail. I would think this hunk a hunk a steel must ring like crazy. Do you do anything like magnets or chains to reduce the sound? On 7/26/2019 at 4:34 PM, Randy Griffin said: Here's mine. I made something like that for my nephew. If you can find some RR tie plates you can add a hardy hole. Your cut is much cleaner than mine was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 On 3/4/2019 at 9:57 PM, caotropheus said: I wonder for how many years is this bit of railroad anvil being used? Cool video, reminds me of the guys in India (or maybe Pakistan) making Kukris. This operation was at least 20 work stations for lack of a better term. I love the charcoal fired forge, that is simplicity in action. On 2/3/2019 at 8:57 AM, David Thomas said: Started life as a 12"x12" I=beam drop. 5 lb 1907 Hay Budden. Still, my ALO is a good striking anvil at nearly 100 lbs even without the lead. I have always wondered if that would work. It looks great. Is that 2/2" plate? I would assume the plate is A36 or 1018 ie construction type steel like the I Beam? Looks great and should last for a VERY long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 I have another piece of the fork in another stump for a hardy and pritchel. I just need to drill and cut them. Mine is very quite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 On 7/27/2019 at 7:19 AM, eseemann said: Do you do anything like magnets or chains to reduce the sound? I went with this design. More mass under the work. I have thrown about 75lbs of chain on it and it only rings when hitting flat and it is not that bad. I have ground out a hot cut and some curves since this photo. It has worked well, and have made other tools as the needs pop up. An actual anvil would be nice but this is fine for my experience level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 I have been told that the Vikings used chunks of stone for anvils but I agree a purpose built anvil would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 I like my vertical rail also. The only problem I ran into was when punching stock by myself. I had to put a log next to the rail and use a motorcycle chain hold down. I have my rail in a five gallon bucket filled with fine gravel. It's more solid than I thought it would be. The rail is only about half an inch short of the height I need on it's own so it weighs about 95 pounds or so by itself. Add the bucket of crushed gravel and it probably weighs about 130 pounds but I'm just guessing about the weight of the gravel. Pnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Pnut, That is not a half bad idea. I have seen people talk about concrete but that cracks but your gravel will keep shifting to fill in the voids. There is a guy I saw on YouTube making a fixed straight razor (as in not folding) and he was using something that looked like a 4 inch wide shaft as his anvil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 The Norse used both smallish wrought iron anvils and much larger stones for anvils. Working real wrought iron HOT!!! it's quite soft under the hammer; but many extant metal anvils from that period are quite mushroomed. Viking is a job description! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 4 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Viking is a job description! Yeah, I'm getting too old to go Viking, except the occasional Garage/yard sale on weekends. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 I chose gravel because like you said concrete will crumble and I wanted to be able to move it easier. It's down a hill with ruts from runoff from the rain. I couldn't imagine lugging it up the hill with a bucket of concrete attached to it and I didn't want to have to break it out either. I was worried it wouldn't be stable side to side but I haven't had any problems straightening stock on the flange. It hasn't budged. I'm sure if I smacked it on the side with a sledgehammer it would tip over but within reason it's pretty stable. I need to find something better to put under the bucket though. I have concrete paver on a bed of gravel underneath it, actually two side by side. I dug out a couple of inches layed down about an inch of gravel tamped it down and put the pavers on top. They have a void in each one though that I don't like. When I see something better I'll fix it but until then they are working. If I was going to use concrete I think it would work best for a rail in a bucket if it was left dry. Pnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 A bucket is a bit small a footprint, upside down is a bit better. Wood is versital, especially built up stock. Steel tripods with wooden blocks are useful as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 34 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: Steel tripods Tripods seemed to work well enough for the martians in War of the Worlds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Have you tried forging with one of their heat rays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Where are you going to find 6,000 degree rated firebrick for the firebox? Much better for foundry work if you can work out the brick problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Don't need no steenkeen firebrick with a 6,000f heat ray. Just flick it on and off. Viola! Leave it on for a couple seconds and you have your melt. I LOVE my tripod! Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 Frosty, You do have a point. Sort of a pulse width modulation type of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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