Niles Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 I'm a structural steel fabricator/welder who is currently beginning to dabble in blacksmithing. I did a one day course and have my own forge. I'm in New Zealand and getting steel is expensive and difficult. I decided to make an anvil out of some leftover 40mm (1" 5/8) plates. For the working surface, i was wondering if hardfacing with weld would work as a replacement for a reflexive steel like tool steel or spring steel? I do have some leftover 1" thick leaf springs i could use but i was hoping to save them for hammers. Any pointers would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Crest Forge Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 Interesting. I am assuming your anvil will be solid, rather than a plate with supports underneath. So you will weld the plates together, making a solid block, correct? If you weld 1inch spring steel over that, you will be close to the design of the wrought iron anvils with steel face. A sawmakers anvil shape, perhaps? Not bad. How thick would be your "hardfacing with weld" be, in comparison to the 1inch spring plate? Would it be thick enough to resist the force of a sledge trying to dent the soft metal underneath? p.s. You want a smooth surface..I would think that finishing the 1 inch spring plate would be easier than welding and then trying to polish a perfectly flat surface from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Crest Forge Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 p.s. You may enjoy watching Alec Steele, episode 26, where he teaches how to make a striking anvil out of mild steel. He uses 60mm though, not 40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 It may be more difficult than you expect to achieve a full penetration weld for the entire anvil surface with a tool steel plate (not just the perimeter), and heat treatment afterwards. I recommend you review the Gunther/Schuler anvil repair method (hardfacing) and consider adopting that if you feel you must have a hardened surface on your home made anvil: link removed. You likely won't have to turn the backflips with rod selection they list for welding to wrought iron surfaces, but the final hardfacing operation and finishing is worth investigating. As a professional welder I'm sure you already know a lot more than I do about how to build up layers of hardfacing beads and which rods to use. The real key is to end up with as solid a block of steel as possible, particularly under the hammer. Consider orienting the sections you will be welding up vertically rather than horizontally if possible. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 I agree with latticino, if your not making full thickness welds, arranging your sections vertically will be best, if you have the available rod then a a half inch (125mm) round rod between each plate gives you just enugh gap to reach in and do full thickness welds. The ideal wit hardfacing is to lay down a suitable backing for an impact resistant hardfacing that will harden to between Rockwell 55-65. In the case of the Gunther method, preheating enugh to weld to tool steel with out Angelina it it the big rub. TJWatts built up an anvil and used the bottom flange off of a piece of rail road track for a top. Worked well as the bottom flange tapers from about 7/8” to 1/2 inch letting him get in all the way, the resulting anvil had a bit of crown as the thinner edges pulled down with the shrinking weld. He used forklifts and 250gallon IBCs to quench the top. it can be done, but honestly one would think that a 4” ( 1000mm) drop would be available even in New Zeland. Don’t discount the drops from places water getting large rounds, a place cutting 1’ rounds will have great double horn post anvils wile 4’ diameter rounds leave single horn post anvils. Baring this a 4” square with your skill set can have a horn and heal welded on easily (note mill your hardy hole in to the heal first) then hardfaced. In the mean time check out this to get ideas as to what works for the short term. for the hard core anvilfire(dot) com has an anvil fabrication section with some good ideals. Like you Jock comes from a family of heavy metal artists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niles Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 I have aligned the pieces vertically and it will be roughly 3 x 40mm wide pieces 6" long and 6" tall. with a 6"x12" face cut from the same material but with a pritchel and hardy hole over hanging the body and with a 16mm base plate for mounting. If i can, I'll simply make a bullhorn out of the leftovers. In total i have 3 plates 490mm by 350mm so I have a lot of leftovers and an oxy-ace tip and can cut up to 75mm thick so shaping the bull horn wont be an issue. total weight should be roughly 100lbs without the bull horn. I guess I should have specified, I'm primarily looking to make knives and swords and then getting into hammers and stuff. My forge is pretty good but large, almost 4' long with 6 burners so i can anneal and quench something the length of a sword easily. Still sorting out some issues with the burners but using one for working the steel perfectly fine. Do I need a hard face if I'm not doing and heavy hammering? I'm really just drawing out blades and maybe some tongs. Would mild steel be fine for that or does it need to be hardend? The face is ground down because there was a 1/4" of fire resistant paint on the plates and it stinks something fierce when you get any heat in it. That is the first leafspring I've started to draw out and shape but the plate on its own was so noisy that I needed earmuffs and ear plugs just to hammer away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 14 hours ago, Niles said: I'm in New Zealand Welcome to IFI, We won't remember this after leaving this post, hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show location. If you haven't read this yet, it will help you get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 Sir Niles, .I have done it different ways, still, I am going to build one welding the top tool steel plate technique. And yes, hardfacing is a good alternative to top tool steel plate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLsgFjkBQtg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSpXA0b33Fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1-gk6W5Qrs The first anvil I build is the one I use the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 One dosnt need a hard face on either anvil or hammer, but as a hard face reflects less when hit and imparts a bit of bounce to the hammer steel moves more effecently if one dose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLiner Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 I have liked that first anvil since I first saw it Caotropheus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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