piteog Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 On 12/28/2019 at 2:08 PM, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Welcome aboard... please keep us posted on your progress. Thanks! Got some chain this morning. It's not perfect, but helped bring the ring down enough for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Another yay to reduce the ring is to put several beads of cheap latex calk between the base and vertical rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Now you're on the way! Rail always rings, even mounted on my favorite anvil ring damper, steel RR Rail rings. I think RR Rail actually stands for RINGY! RINGY! Rail. How are you liking it mounted on end? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kerr Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Wow Piteog! Thats a great looking anvil from a serious bit of rail! I'm actually very jealous. If I were you- I'd look at putting some radii on the edges, they look quite sharp. Theres lots of info regarding this on the forum but generally its nice to have a few different radii on the edges to give yourself forging options. Additionally- have you seen the "swiss army anvil" by Charles in this thread? I'd look to turn the web into a fuller, and one side of the rail base section into a mini horn. That would pretty much give you everything you need! (Note.. I personally DONT recommended carving a permanent hot cut into the rail as its too risky) Here's mine as an example of what I mean by the mini horn. (note this isnt my main anvil so ignore the grinding on the rest of it, its not finished and for a different purpose). Re/ ringing... I stopped my anvil ringing using a magnet, which I also use for checking for critical (non magnetic) temperature when quenching. The magnet is a (30mm diameter, 8mm thick) neodmium ring magnet which is designed to take a countersunk screw down the middle. It's screwed into a lump of wood as a handle. This relatively small magnet+handle stops all my ring dead. You can get them on eBay etc dirt cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I use old speaker magnets, and you can usually get those for free , and in a wide variety of sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piteog Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Irondragon: I plan on doing that with the leftovers after I recaulk my bathtub this weekend, I'll let you know how it goes. Frosty: I'm really happy with it! I'm still getting used to the smaller work surface compared to the anvil I used at the blacksmithing classes I took, but on the upside it's much easier to move/work around and not walk into (and so much cheaper)! Jon: Those posts are amazing, they are what inspired me to go this route. I've already done some light chamfering to the corners with ye ol angle grinder, and am holding off on any big modifications until I get some more hammer time in and know what I want/need. I don't want to regret any changes I make, and to be honest, I'm not confident enough yet with an angle grinder to do all that. I'm pretty new to metal working so am trying to not bite off too much more than I can chew. Biggun & Jon: I'd forgotten about magnets, good call. I'll pick one up sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Don't forget to recaulk the tub with it fully loaded. Caulking the seams with a full load that opens them and compresses them when the load is off works better than unloaded and then putting the seams in tension when you load it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piteog Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting plumbing advice on this forum, but can't say I'm surprised either. I appreciate the tip! I'll do just that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Read it about 30+ years ago in the Old House Journal---IIRC back when it came prepunched with holes to fit in a 3 ring binder. Memory is a funny thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 “Another rail road iron anvil” I believe is the name of the thread. There is a link on the first page of this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtG Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Here's the group of bits I pieced together before the anvils fell in my lap- plenty of potential in most of them, my son and I even did some cold-forming of sheet strap to make cup shapes with ballpeins on the medium track piece. (Only just now starting to piece together a JABOD forge) The tall black one is a track adjuster out of a 52-ton excavator. Its sister is at the front of the garage. The shorter black bit is a D8 bulldozer roller shell. The tall yellow piece is a bucket tooth, rock-bit style. The long, flat yellow piece is an end-bit off of a 950K wheel loader bucket. The 3 different sizes of rail are... rail. Haha. I got the small and medium pieces from a customer that makes rail ties. The full-size rail is from a line replacement job I went out to work on an excavator for, they let me have it. 22.5" long. All of the Cat parts were in the scrap bin at work. The brand new ones were parts discontinued. I had permission to take them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 A RR track anvil and stand that I plan to donate to the college’s maker space: The angle iron of the top frame is notched to hold the track when lain on its side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 You may want to do a little show and tell on how the anvil can be flipped and flopped to be more useful. Maybe print out the instructions with photos so they can be put on file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 On 1/4/2020 at 12:47 PM, CtG said: The tall black one is a track adjuster out of a 52-ton excavator. Its sister is at the front of the garage. The shorter black bit is a D8 bulldozer roller Will the small end of the track adjuster fit into the D8 roller shell? If it will it might make a good stand for the track adjuster. You have a good portable plate with hardy holes also. You're pretty stocked up on improvised anvils. JHCC that's a mighty fine looking stand for that piece of track. They're lucky to have you around. Pnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kerr Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Looks awesome JHCC. The only thing I dont like is the fixed hot cut because I can imagine myself losing a finger. GREAT idea with the notches in the stand so it can be laid side-on. Have you considered drilling out a square (ish) hardy hole in the thin web in that orientation? That side on view gives me so many other ideas for tooling too. With access that way you could grind in bending forks and all sorts. I'd echo Pnut's comments- theyre very lucky to have you helping out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Jon Kerr said: The only thing I dont like is the fixed hot cut because I can imagine myself losing a finger. Just stand so that it's on the corner away from you. Also, it's pretty low: when was the last time you hit a finger on your anvil surface? I like the bending fork idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kerr Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 True and true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 I think I may also spray paint that corner with some DayGlo safety yellow, just to reinforce the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Having worked a bunch with college students I would also suggest welding the stand to a large plate, 1/8" would probably work so nobody standing on the plate could tip the stand over. My worst accident in 35+ years of teaching was with a mechanical engineering student who didn't seem to grasp center of gravity and tipping points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 I like the idea, but space is limited and they may not have the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 A Maker space with limited space around the tools----sounds like a learning experience alright! Lots of bandaids???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Not so much "everything set up with limited space around it" as "everything not in actual use gets stored out of the way". Moving something with a large footprint could be difficult for them. There's also a question about how much actual flame they're going to be allowed inside. We're hoping for a two-brick-and-torch forge, but because of college fire regulations etc, even that might need to be taken outside for use. That puts anvil portability at a premium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I'm doing a project that kastolite would be perfect for but I only have about a lb left and that's not enough. I want to get this done today so here's a list of products I do have on hand what can I mix to make up some kastolite. I have a Laguna quick set mortar that is 50% alumina 50% silica I also have abrasive alumina oxide powder. Now in theory if I add alumina oxide to the laguna to reach a 70 30 mix I should have kastolite. the question is do I calculate ratio by weight or by volume? if that doesn't work I have all kinds of other things on hand what can I do to get a 3000+ alumina refractory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey98118 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Weight, but no; you still won't have Kastolite, as you have left out the glass mini-spheres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binesman Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 right alumina bubble refractory. good call mikey. I'm not familiar enough with the science. what will that do as far as refractory ability? also what will do that as far as temp tolerance? Also I'm guessing those bubbles melt upon firing and are just used to create air pockets to help with the refractory. If that's all it's for it's not important to my use. If that somehow makes it so it's heat tolerance does not reach 3k what can I do? Would suspending it in a dry liquid work? That should create the same kind of bubble structure upon firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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