How much (length and size) chain should one be wrapping around ones anvil? It’s not cheap and not particularly easy to Get hold of in the current situation 

If you are trying to decrease the ring of the anvil, the same effect can be achieved more affordably by either adding a heavy magnet to the underside of the heel and/or attaching the anvil to the stand with a layer of silicone caulk.

1 hour ago, ohowson said:

How much (length and size) chain should one be wrapping around ones anvil? It’s not cheap and not particularly easy to Get hold of in the current situation 

Make the chain.. If you have 1/4" to 3/8" round or square stock, just make it.   It's great practice and fun.  Great way to perfect your forge welding. 

 

 

5 hours ago, JHCC said:

If you are trying to decrease the ring of the anvil, the same effect can be achieved more affordably by either adding a heavy magnet to the underside of the heel and/or attaching the anvil to the stand with a layer of silicone caulk.

I need to attach it to the stand as well so was hoping to combine the two; heavy (enough) magnets also not particularly cheap - caulk I have but I much prefer the look of a bit of chain.

4 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Make the chain.. If you have 1/4" to 3/8" round or square stock, just make it.   It's great practice and fun.  Great way to perfect your forge welding. 

While I'm not averse to the idea, there are three issues with that. 1) I don't have enough stock and we're under lockdown 2) The neighbours - and my brain - would prefer the anvil to stop ringing *before* I make a load of chain and 3) It doesn't solve the problem of how much/what size

Edited April 26, 20206 yr by Mod30
Trim quote, remove video in quote

Got any old speakers you can yank apart.. They have nice magnets in them.    I just had a buddy of mine drop me off some Bose speakers that were fried so smacked them apart. Nice and sturdy. 

 

Set the anvil in calk to stop the ring, then make the chain for the hold down, kill 2 birds with one stone.

jlpservicesinc nice videos! finding em really helpful. been intimidated to try doing chains but i may have to try some soon. im watching one you did on basket twists right. good xxxx!

7 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

Set the anvil in calk to stop the ring, then make the chain for the hold down, kill 2 birds with one stone.

Like it

cheechwizard.. thanks..   chain making as well as firepoker are great ways to nail forge welding.. Fast and easy then branch out skill wise from there. 

Some people seem to be naturals at forge welding..  Not so here.. Took me a long time to get it decent. 

I'll have to modify that a bit as the tip of my horn is snapped off - but it looks like an interesting thing to try. Assume could make a multi-pronged hardy tool for bending links in the right place even quicker. 

Why would you want to???    And yes, there are faster ways..      With the iron age being some 4000 years old there is nothing "New" ever..  there is only rediscovery.. 

With this,  I hear from newer smiths all the time ..  " there has to be an easier way".. 

I will say this as nicely as I can  Your a blacksmith or want to be a blacksmith, right..  LOL..   Well, that involves swinging a hammer, getting hot and dirty and getting sore from lack of muscle use.. 

You wanna make chain faster..    Just get the basics down and your be amazed at how fast you can make chain.    

As for making it easier..  You can use a chain hook which speeds up the process and make chain makers tongs which are designed for chain making.. I have a video on it, Mark Aspery has a video on them.   

Though these videos show a type of chain tong, the old designs also had hooks for holding the chain out of the way.  LOL..   

Ok, maybe faster wasn't the word to use. As I mentioned my horn tip isn't usable for this kind of size chain link (and I'd probably be using 8mm and a bit narrower a bend so the horn certainly wouldn't work). So would need to make a tool to bend it around - And if I'm going to make that then may as well make something I could do both ends with to get a nice consistent ring. None of that will involve less swinging of hangers.

Consistent rings are more a factor of cutting your stock to the same length.

I was surprised when you said that large enough magnets were too costly as I was getting them free or at 20 US cents a pound from junked speakers. I have 8 or so on the metal door in my shop. I wrap a plastic bag around them and use them for cleaning up filings, shavings and grinder dust from my workbenches. 

Of course I also get my chain at the scrapyard too.  A lot seems to have been cut apart into fairly small lengths, often with a lock still attached.  Pretty easy to make a mending link to join the lengths. Kind of fun to mix sizes and configurations that way too...

12 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Consistent rings are more a factor of cutting your stock to the same length.

I was surprised when you said that large enough magnets were too costly as I was getting them free or at 20 US cents a pound from junked speakers. I have 8 or so on the metal door in my shop. I wrap a plastic bag around them and use them for cleaning up filings, shavings and grinder dust from my workbenches. 

Of course I also get my chain at the scrapyard too.  A lot seems to have been cut apart into fairly small lengths, often with a lock still attached.  Pretty easy to make a mending link to join the lengths. Kind of fun to mix sizes and configurations that way too...

Both junked speakers and scrapyards are hard to come by when you've been in lock down for two months.

Depends on you location and situation.  I've been to my local scrapyard every Saturday so far.  It's next to where we dump our trash at the county trash transfer station---we're rural.  In town I used to get speakers out of the tip when I dumped my trash---lived in the inner city and blown car stereo speakers were common.

Being rural I can also pile up "possibles" for use when I can't get to the scrapyard.  I probably have enough stuff to last me the rest of my smithing life.  My wife assures me that is so and by a fairly large factor too.

any logging trucks in your area,  ask for the ends off a broken wrapper.  usually 5/16 or slightly lighter chain maybe 3' long on the end of a cable for wrapping a load of logs.

I don’t think you’re quite seeing the issues of lockdown. Although there is some logging in the uk, it’s not much. But unless they sell it at Tesco on our once-a-week shopping trip it has to be delivered. 
 

but the main thing is I just want to know how much is needed! 1’? 3’? 9’? One wrap or ten wraps? Does the weight of the chain matter? I can get chain I just don’t want to buy 30’ and find 6” would have done. 

I personally do not recommend using chain, but I’m sure some will argue with me and that’s ok. We all do what works for us. When I got my anvil, it rang very loudly (150# Cast steel columbian). I mounted it on an ash stump bedded in silicon with spikes driven tight. The ring is almost gone now and I don’t have chains in the way when working. (For example, bending long 90degree angles.)

If I did it again I would probably do it a little different, but not with chains.

Just my opinion,

David

And not knowing the dimensions of your anvil would make it very hard for a person to tell you the needed length wouldn't it? about 2-3 loose wraps is what I would try.  Hard to describe "heft" but I would say "of good size".

Can you get a tube of bathroom caulk at Tesco?  If so, try that.   The larger construction tubes of silicone caulk found at builder's supply places or DIY stores might work better.  

Perhaps you don't understand how lockdown is being implemented here in the States.   I was, wearing a mask, at an open DIY store Saturday here. (And have been going to the local scrapyard every Saturday morning---fewer people farther away than being in my house and yard!  I'm trying to make sure they survive the financial impact of this as they are a resource to be cherished!)

We leave the house for exercise once a day or essentials. That’s it. The anvil is 200lb btw. Ill order some caulk on amazon and when I can get some steel I’ll make some chain. Not for deadening but because it’s a worthy thing to make. 

I'm considered an essential worker, (IT), helping the University work with remote learning.  My wife is immured at home. Our house is on an acre+ of land,  (4046+ sq meters), and considered one of the smaller lots in our neighborhood.  Rural, originally we were a 6 acre lot with house but we didn't need 5 acres of desert and our eastern neighbor wanted another 5 acres of alfalfa field for his horse farm; so a deal was made where we could afford the house and he got the excess land and laser leveled it and irrigates it and we can rest our eyes on the greenery for *free*! 

Most of our neighbors were quite disappointed to find out that I *wasn't* a farrier.

There’s not many people in this country with that kind of land, rural or otherwise. 

Stands to reason at 671 people per square mile in England and 17.2 per sq mile here in NM and that's mainly piled up in a few cities---we have entire counties with densities under 1 person per square mile.

We’re just lucky we’re allowed miles

Most chain with a couple of lose wraps will make a difference.  Your trying to kill the vibration in the anvil, not keep it from running away.  Helped a fellow one time that had a loud piercing ring to his anvil.  Saw a set of tire snow chains hanging on the wall and used one of those around the anvil.  Use what is available and works.