Lefse Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 So tonight I started cutting away at my railroad track anvil. I am doing horizontal with a horn and step. I figured a 5/8 inch cap on one end would provide me with a flat work surface and a step for making tongs and such. My question is this: which air hardening steel should I choose? I already ruled out 41xx because I hear it's hard to weld. What's the best option? A-2? And would hitting it with a couple jeweler torches for a while and then shooting it with an air compressor work for hardening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Welcome to the forum... Before you go to all that trouble, I suggest reading through this thread. https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/52308-a-collection-of-improvised-anvils/ Then this one. https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 May I commend to your attention "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" which has a chapter on making anvils from RR rail including info on hardening them---If you must do a horizontal one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 A2 top? why not use it as is ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Rail is high carbon steel, and can be heattreated rather easily because if it’s mass in water, welding a face on it is going backwards. Because of the relatively thin wed and the minute amount of flex that absorbed much of the energy from your blows a rail anvil in the horizontal (as it lays on the tracks) is not very efferent for general forging. It is effective as a turning anvil, input honestly a truck axle bic is less work. However if one places it vertically and uses the 1x1 1/2” end of the rail head as an anvil they are very effective. perhaps this will provide you with some inspiration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Yes it's much easier and cheaper to buy a solid chunk of steel than spending the time and consumables trying to turn a sub-optimal anvil into a sub-optimal anvil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 These guys would save themselves so much time and money if only the would forget you tube and read a little bit first... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Have we never gone off half cocked, Steve and Thommas? I know you two have saved me from myself once or twice, but surly you too were young and dumb befor you became old and wise? Thank you my friends for snatching me up buy my hair over the years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 4 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: Thank you my friends for snatching me up buy my hair over the years That's why his profile picture shows him wearing a hat.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 "but surly you too were young and dumb befor you became old and wise? " No I became much more surly with age...But yes I remember much of the stupid/dangerous things I did when young; (back when you could walk from Gondwanaland to Laurasia without getting you feet wet...) Which is why I advocate strongly that people don't waste time repeating the old mistakes but to learn from ours and go on to make new and improved mistakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Yes, John it is getting thin in top from all those hair snatching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I blame my ever rising forehead to having kids, before they were born I had a full head of hair and no white in my beard. As they grew I started to have less and less hair and more and more white---a clear correlation! (and now I have 8 grandkids they are calling me Santa at work---so I gave my coworkers all coal!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 You no longer have a fore head, it has evolved into a five head. I fear my beard has gotten whiter since the profile picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charcold Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Too many American Piddler's out there showing off chopped up rail anvils, making people think they cant even heat up steel without first burning through a pack of cutoff discs and a weekend's worth of labor. Usually not the person's fault, its just bad info getting tossed around like crazy. I thank my lucky stars i was told early and often to stand the rail on end and spend less time on a temporary anvil and more time on the more permanent forge, vice stand, etc. As a pet project these mini anvils make sense, but just too many people wasting time on them only to upgrade shortly after, wasting a weekend or more of prospective forging in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Troll baiting, I like it! Let me get my axe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 CRS's D2 power chord has to be heard to be believed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Almost a haiku: Surly you too were, [So] young and dumb before You became old and wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Going towards Yoda you are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefse Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 I wanted to do a vertical anvil I really did 2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: CRS's D2 power chord has to be heard to be believed! Good to see another guitar player 2 hours ago, Charcold said: Too many American Piddler's out there showing off chopped up rail anvils, making people think they cant even heat up steel without first burning through a pack of cutoff discs and a weekend's worth of labor. Usually not the person's fault, its just bad info getting tossed around like crazy. I thank my lucky stars i was told early and often to stand the rail on end and spend less time on a temporary anvil and more time on the more permanent forge, vice stand, etc. As a pet project these mini anvils make sense, but just too many people wasting time on them only to upgrade shortly after, wasting a weekend or more of prospective forging in the process. I really did want to set it up on end but my mother is a silversmith and wanted something with a horn on it. The track was free off my grandpa so what the xxxx I figured worst case it works fine for moving copper. I have read a lot of the posts you guys recommended, and when Minnesota thaws out I'll go look through the scrap yard. So no go on welding a step on it, oh well. Thanks guys for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Sorry I don't play but I sling the lingo; My previous job I spent about 10 years working for a boss that had almost completed a degree in Music before he looked at the job situation and switched to Comp Sci. I was the token non-player....and metalworker for folks building solid body guitars. Watching the two spinal tap movies in that crowd was....interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 2 ST movies ??? huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 "In 2002, This Is Spinal Tap was deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation by the United States National Film Registry" wikipedia "The Return of Spinal Tap" is not as well known... but surrounded by frustrated musicians I saw it and another classic in the field "Suck" a 2009 film about a rock band becoming vampires... (we had a "Bad Movie Night" ; Socorro is a small town and you have to make your own entertainment. I've seem more bad Zombie movies than I can keep count of including "Redneck Zombies" a Troma flick and one set in Charleston West Va(?) that was so badly done *we* gave up on it!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 You gotta include Attack of killer tomateos in bad movie night I have seen Suck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 But have you seen "Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Or Cocain Feinds... My rail anvil has a horn suitable for most small scroll work such as bracelets as well as turning cams, and not of it took a whole disk to make. It also includes a fuller, cut off and pritchel holes. For a silver smith including groves such as the early bronze anvils had would be easy enough. If you cut 1” slices off the flange and web you have blanks for making a small double brick, a pan stake and other sheet tools. A track plate makes a dandy tool, plate for those small tools, exceptionally well suited for a silver smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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