Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 17 hours ago, Nirve9909 said: Weighs a little over 800lbs I can see a sow block for a power hammer, when you get around to building one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLiner Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 That's a sweet anvil Nirve. Here are my favorite personal improvised anvils. 129 lb oil well drill hammer I believe it's s5, 65 lb block of s7, two 2" by 8" fork lift forks welded back to back for a combined weight of 260 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nirve9909 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Thank you all. I got really lucky finding it. Someone with a local machine shop bought it at auction from the navy because come on, big honking chunk of steel, but I guess the jobs he had planned fell through so it was hanging out taking up space. He paid $75 and I paid $150. Figured he was giving me a good deal so I wasn’t gonna fuss too much. I have another piece that I use because as Glenn NM mentioned it’s a little tall. I’m a dumb dumb though; my immediate thought was to find a place to cut it down rather than build a simple platform. Couple 2x4s and a piece of plywood are way easier to move than that thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Good thing you figured that out *before* you tried to cut it down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philb86 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 This is my improvised anvil that I just recently started forging with. Built a steel stand with hammer and tong holders built into it. It is a large roll for a turning machine from a job I had previously had that they were tossing because it had a crack in it at the corner of the keyway slot. It is hardened 4140. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Very Nice! How much does it weigh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Thanks for adding this one; it's a Beaut! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Excellent anvil. I keep envisioning a little welding turning the keyway into a hardy hole. I don't recall if you said earlier, is it a 1" keyway? It looks about that size from here. Sweet anvil. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philb86 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I believe it is right around 150#, cannot remember off hand the exact weight. Frosty, its 1 1/8", I do plan on welding in the remain sides to make a hardy hole on that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 Please remember Team Lift! Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scampbell Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 On 8/27/2018 at 10:35 PM, FlatLiner said: Just picked this RR car knuckle up in a gas station parking lot on a work trip for free fifty free. I saw it and asked about it they said if you want it take it. If you spray some foam in the holes it will quiet it down a bit (spray foam in a can ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 great score! I need to start a quest for a better anvil. My old pig iron one has taken a beating. I still need to save up to have cash on hand to start the TPAAAT, so Improvised is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seffers93 Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 New knife maker here. I’ve gotten comfortable with stock removal and have been dying to get going on some San Mai. Went and bought a cheap welder for the billet stacks and found this almost perfectly flat piece of steel, 2” thick. Maybe a little more. Stacked some 4x4s for a stand.. but then when I was walking my dog, I found tons of tree stumps on this trail I take. Wonder if that would make the banging a little quieter for the neighbors.. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelonian Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Looks like a good chunk of steel, but it will work a lot better it you turn it on end so there is more mass directly under the hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Definitely a nice block of steel. Turn it on its edge, and hammer away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 The stumps will probably work better for you. With wood you want the anvil sitting on the end grain. Dido on what Thomas said, and mount it firmly to reduce the ring. A bead of caulk underneath with help also. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 You lose some energy in the system with every interface between the anvil and the ground, so a stump has two: Anvil/stump, stump/ground. Stacking the wood that way gives you 9 as I count. Building it of dimensional lumber with the grain running vertically would have given you 2. I know there are many examples on the net of doing it that way---usually posted by people with little or no blacksmithing experience---a classic example of the blind leading the blind. Now with a stump you can actually modify it to hold that anvil flat or up on edge by cutting a slot in the stump's face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seffers93 Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Great info everyone, much appreciated. Looks like I’ll be loading up a couple tree stumps to pick from. Also great call for tipping it on its side. That makes a lot of sense. I’ll upload an update in a couple days. Thanks again guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 The steel plate has 6 sides. Putting it on edge puts the mass under the hammer. If you wear it out eventually, just rotate it for a new edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 This is how I did ours. Very secure and quiet with calking under it and wedges to hold it steady. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seffers93 Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 (edited) I was wondering how I might go about that. This is exactly what I needed to see. Thank you Edited March 31, 2021 by Mod30 Remove excessive quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 You're welcome BTW you might want to edit that post and remove the quote. You have about 30 min. to edit. The reason being quoting the post just prior to your reply uses a lot of bandwidth as outlined here. The quote feature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 I’d also recommend rounding the edges over a little. Sharp edges on the anvil will put cold shunt in your forgings. You could put different radii on different edges or just small on all with one edge that tapers from small to large... Lots of options, but sharp is “generally” bad. (Unless, you actually want to cut with it.) Welcome aboard, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seffers93 Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 Sorry about using the quote feature. I just read the Read This First sent by a Mod. I should’ve read that first lol. Thanks for the tip about rounding the edges. I’ll bust out the angle grinder and take care of that tonight. I wish work wasn’t a thing so I could go stump hunting tomorrow. I also have to figure out how to get them from the trail back to my car (it’s a long trail). Will post updates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 9 minutes ago, Seffers93 said: I just read the Read This First sent by a Mod. I should’ve read that first lol. Funny how that works.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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