Glenn Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Anvil by genesaika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC-130J Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 This is my first post. I've been trying to get into blacksmithing for quite some time. I'm also cheap so getting the required tools has been holding me back. I came across a free piece of 8"x8"x23.5" piece of stock and couldn't pass on it. At approx. 440 lbs it was waaaaay too big for me to move by myself so I had it cut in half. Now I have 2 pieces of 8"x8"x11.25' steel and they're more manageable at about 220 lbs each . I don't know what it was used for so I don't think it's hardened. When I hit it with a hammer I get about 3 bounces out of it. I'm not sure if I'm just going to throw it on a stump or build something out of 4x4s to put it on. I have some 4x3x3/16 square tubing that I could use for legs as well. For this size of a piece am I good to use it on the side or should I stand it up? Is this a good piece for me to start beating some hot iron once I clean it up? Any input from everyone would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 It's a great piece to start using. Stand it up on end. Just radius the edges a bit on the hammering part build a stand and use it. Awesome freebie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 *2* anvils! I once put together a beginners set up of coal forge, blower anvil and a few basic tools for under US$25 so I always feel sorry for folks that don't feel they can afford to start blacksmithing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 13 hours ago, KC-130J said: I have some 4x3x3/16 square tubing that I could use for legs as well. I’m completely converted to the steel tripod style of stand. There are some good threads here on their design and construction. Great find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortMagPirate Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Thought I'd throw this in here. Finally got around to putting anvil #1 in the block. A little bit of quality time with the chainsaw and now all it needs is a couple of 6x6's to raise it up to height and some wedges to snug the steel up in the hole. I have another large round that I might just use for the piece of rock breaker but now that this one is ready to go I can wait on the big one until I'm ready to build a good stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Spooge some silicon in there and call it a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortMagPirate Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I was thinking wooden wedges might give it more "backbone..." make it more solid... but silicone would work too, I guess. I have a couple tubes laying around doing nothing anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I agree with CR Stevens, use silicone and the steel block will stay attached to the wood base for a long time. I would hurry and improvise anvil #2 with the bit of rock breaker. I know it has a round section but you have a flat top surface. You will see the high rebound and how fast steel moves on top of rock breaker steel. Even though I have a real anvil, I keep on giving preference to my rock breaker chisel improvised anvil. These chisels are made of the best impact resistant steel industry has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberBull Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 This actually works pretty well for light work anyway. 20lb sledge hammer head secured with a RR spike to a piece of square timber sitting on a couple of old galvanized milk crates. Im still waiting on my anvil to ship but this works better than it did clamped to a welding table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relyks13 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Would an old steel weight plate work as an anvil? Your post was moved from a non-related section to the improvised anvils thread.you account will remain moderated until such time as you attempt to post in the proper area and NOT in reference section all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Yes, no, maybe. Depending on what you are calling a steel weight plate. Photos would help a lot. How much does it weigh? Have you tried it yet? How did it work for you? What were you able to do and what were you not able to do using it as an anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Dimentions would work and also assurance that it's not a cast iron weight plate---which wouldn't work. Also what you want to forge on it: jewelry can be quite small indeed; anchors and you need a large anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 A solid stump or steel tripod and ore tasting your sledge face up would make it even better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 This is a replica of the "Tucson Ring Meteorite" which was found by a blacksmith in the 1800's here in Tucson and used as an anvil. The actual one is now in the Smithsonian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Stanford Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 This railroad track with coil spring "horn" is what I used for 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share Posted February 3, 2018 It has the makings of a stake anvil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC-130J Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I have a question about my improvised anvil. It's the above 8"x 8" x 12" hunk of metal. I plan to place it on end in an improvised stand and have began fabricate that stand. I also began to clean up the working end of my hunk-o-metal. When cleaning it up I found the piece to be quite soft. Soft enough to put descent marks in it with a 16 oz carpenter hammer. I'm wanting to try to harden it before I put it in my stand. Is haredning it as simple as heating the working end up and cooing the whole block with water from a hose? I have a propane burner built that I think will heat this piece. I've looked around for heat treating guides but I haven't found anything for "anvils". Any anvil hardening tips would be appreciated. Or advice on if it actually needs hardening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Good Morning, The short answer is 'No'. Buy another piece, of known quality of Steel. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Depends totally on the alloy; first do you know it's steel and not cast iron? Do you know if it's a medium to high carbon steel---the types of steel you can quench harden? If it's mild steel you will not be able to harden it by heating up and quenching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howling dog forge Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 How about a 8" x 8" x 1" block of a real known tool steel drilled and counter sunk to line with drilled and tapped holes in large block. Harden the 1" plate and bolt it on. I don't know about you but I would be hard pressed to heat the 1" much less the 12" to harden it. I would think it would eventually work harden, I guess, would start by beating radius on edges rather than grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 Bolted is like parimiter welding, there will be some energy absorbed and not used to deform the hot work, a piece of 3/8 round placed between the larger chunk and the plate will allow you to reach in with welding rod and solidly weld the plate on. From here we build a ground forge, this is were your leaf blower shines and after getting your method of handling to gether and your local fire department to quench it you can readily heat it with less than 100# of coal or charcoal. lots of work, just use the large chunk of mystery steel, it’s harder than the hit steel your hitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 The way I test mystery metals is to saw a small piece off, or on larger pieces like this one I just heat a corner with an OA torch to bright red and quench it. But as Charles said, even if it is mild it is still harder then yellow hot steel... Quit hitting it cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Nah, screwing a plate of HC steel to the block will make a poor face. The original block will make a better anvil even if soft. However, if you have the heating capacity to bring it all to the right temp you can braze the HC to the block. I don't know if a garden hose will supply enough quench to harden the face, you might need to rent a pump and raid a local pond or swimming pool for enough water. Remember to keep the face brushed or filed clean so you can judge it's temper colors and stop the residual heat from the block from running the temper. You'll need a BIG tub of water and something to keep it stirred. Brazing a HC face on a soft block is something I've been wanting to do for a couple decades now but haven't taken the time. Just after Deb and I got the house to move in an acquaintance dropped off an untouched cast iron ASO. He did a little research AFTER buying it and it's been sitting among the Alder and Willow for about 20 years now. I even brought some grader edge home for the purpose. It was just a lot of time and effort to bring 220 lbs. of cast iron to brazing temp in a controlled manner than I wanted to spend and the new face plate doesn't really figure into that calculation. Maybe one of these days some of the guys in the local club will want to spend a night camping out on one of the local rivers, watching and tending a till the Braze flows, then man handling the (still ASO at this stage) out of the fire, flipping it over and running the water on it from a rented 2" trash pump till it's quenched, the temper runs and the temper stopped. Soderfors and other Swedish foundries casting anvils used a water tower to provide a timed water stream of specific size to quench anvils of given size for centuries. I don't have the numbers and doubt they ever did steel faces on Chinese cast iron so we'd be winging it. You however are talking about a steel face on a mild steel body so you'd be working with a LOT more consistency of materials than I would so it SHOULD be more predictable without as much hassle and guesswork. And this closes another of Frosty's old idea files dredged from his dented memories of decades old thinking and musings. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 TJWatts used a pair of 25g totes on forklifts to quench his Frankenstein’s anvil (train rail flange face) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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