MetalHead66 Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Hello I am kinda new, and one of the focuses I want to get into is tool making. I have seen lots of info on making pretty much any tool I can think of besides anvils, and was wondering if anyone had info on this topic. More specifically forged anvils, not tooled or cast. I have seen a few small projects mostly from alec Steele for decorative ones, but I want to learn to make useful ones starting small, and working up to larger ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Look through the improvised anvils thread. Don't get stuck in the thinking that an anvil should look like something you see in cartoons falling on Wile E. Coyote. Those have only been in use for a small percentage of the history of smithing iron and steel. For the majority of history an anvil was a block of steel. No horn. Look at a Japanese master sword smiths anvil or Viking anvils. Viking anvils look like what's known today as a stump anvil. A block of steel with a spike on the bottom to drive into the stump. You can find old footage of anvils and anchors being forged but like I said earlier.The London pattern anvil is "new" in the timeline of blacksmithing. You don't need one of those fancy newfangled anvils all these young whippersnappers are so crazy about!! Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Anything is possible to do with the right tools and materials. Is it worth the time? Probably not. You will spend a lot of time and resources trying to recreate the wheel so to speak. If you are just looking for a challenge to see if you can do it, go for it, but if you intend on using it and diving into blacksmithing, Pnut it right, you can make a simple improvised anvil to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Welcome to IFI... Have you read this yet? It will help you get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST - It would help to know where in the world you are located, hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show it. It would also help to know what experience you have in blacksmithing and what equipment you have to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Knowing that it will probably be more expensive to make a small number of anvils than to buy them; you will need a large shop and multiple people to work large hot items---cranes, large forges, large presses! And...EXPERIENCE! Refacing an anvil in the traditional manner was done as a Friday night demo at one of the Quad-States; even with experienced blacksmiths it took multiple tries to get it to weld. Most modern anvil makers are casting their anvils; often using high grade (read as EXPENSIVE!) alloys like H13. However there are ways to make your own; see my avatar picture? I was forging a chunk of 2.5" steel to make a shaft for a stake anvil that was made from a RR spike driving sledge hammer head. Note that I didn't own the 200# Chambersburg Hammer I was using. Below is a couple of shots of a different stake anvil I did, again with help of another smith and finally a picture of my "historic" anvil; forged from a singe piece of 5" sq stock by a highly skilled smith with access to the big tools! So stop by the shop and I'll get you started on one---I've been collecting odd sledge heads to make a bunch more---note no electricity in my shop currently so it will all be done by hand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Most modern forges anvils are forged in two pieces and arc welded together. That is the foot and body are welded at the waist. Makes forging a bit easier as a hunk of 4060, 4” square and about 8” long can have the horn and heal drown out (power hammer would be a good idea) then priceless holes can be drilled and a hardy hole broached. Best to use the same stock for the foot as we often use the foot for upsetting and such. Heat treat of a big hunk like that can be a bear, as steam pocketing is a reality. Myself I would like to see a line of Spanish colonial style anvil (no foot just a spike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHead66 Posted October 12, 2019 Author Share Posted October 12, 2019 On 10/10/2019 at 8:17 AM, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: It would help to know where in the world you are located, I did just forgot to get it done, I have been in and out of metal working my whole life pretty much, just getting into welding and hot forging. I want to focus more on tool making and furniture type stuff. I am not ritch but money is not a huge issue, I have been looking into power hammers and setting up an over head rail system, modular forge design and the such I'll update my profile now tho. I was in school for engineer, but ended up joining the military, and working in IT instead, so I have a good bit of knowledge on mechanics, electronics, and the such. On 10/10/2019 at 7:03 AM, pnut said: Look through the improvised anvils thread. Don't get stuck in the thinking that an anvil should look like something you see in cartoons falling on Wile E. Coyote. For sure, I'm already thinking of moving away from that design, I'm a fantasy fan, so was looking at a mix of dwarven design, for there heavy style with nice inlays mixed with the functionality of german english, Babylon and more. Still in the early fase, and will probably start with smaller easier stuff, but I like to think long term, towards an end goal of what I want for my shop On 10/10/2019 at 8:08 AM, MC Hammer said: Anything is possible to do with the right tools and materials. I like to call myself an advanced hobbyist, I do this for fun, and to make things i want less for proffit. I take pride in knowing that I can do things myself over buying it. On 10/10/2019 at 10:49 AM, ThomasPowers said: Knowing that it will probably be more expensive to make a small number of anvils than to buy them Texas is a bit far for me I'm in Colorado, I have an old barn and a 2 car garage im converting into my shop, different spaces for different kinds of work, it will take time, but I plan on working with one of the local black Smith schools to try and learn more. If I am ever in Texas I may take up your offer tho, i always nice to learn more. On 10/10/2019 at 12:40 PM, Charles R. Stevens said: Most modern forges anvils are forged in two pieces and arc welded together. Thank you that dose give me some ideas on what I could do for the larger projects I have in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 On 10/12/2019 at 3:08 AM, MetalHead66 said: but ended up joining the military And a hearty thank you for that. You will find that many of us here are vets. It was my therapist at the VA that pushed me into finding a hobby other than drinking beer. So i picked up a hammer and started heating steel and mashing it into shape. Something kind of zen about beating the ... out of a hot piece of metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Moose Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 And a GREAT way to releave the stress of dealing with the public all day in the course of my paying job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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