ThomasPowers Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 As you should be able to find an improvised anvil for free, you mean you don't have the time right now; quite understandable. I get improvised anvils for 20 cents a pound at the local scrap yard as I can't go scrounging right now for free ones (High Risk.) I just bought an 80 pound one last Saturday so US$16 and it's medium carbon steel to boot! The improvised anvil thread has a lot of great ideas in it. Have you read it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Next time leave a piece in the fire till it starts hissing and sparkling. It's too hot and burning, next time stop a LITTLE sooner. Once it hits clear air it'll spark again but you're closer. a little sooner next time, and you'll sneak up on it like I did. Don't get hug up on the shape and you'll discover the world is positively strewn with anvils. Bull dozers are made of anvils as are most pieces of heavy equipment. RR rail is only one common anvil, most effective if mounted on end. My favorite improvised anvils are Fork lift tines and big truck or rail car axles. Mounted on end or as vertically as possible. Thomas has posted some excellent forklift tine anvil advice and pics. The improvised anvil thread is loaded with great anvils. Remember anvil is NOT a shape, it's a heavy thing you use to hammer other things on. PERIOD. They're everywhere, you only need more anvil face than the size of your hammer, flattening and straightening projects works well on end grain wood blocks, I have a couple birch blocks, one tall for fine work the other lower and wide for heavier work. A wooden mallet on a wood anvil doesn't mark up the work, a little practice and you can preserve texture no sweat. When You have a moment stop in at the local heavy duty shop with a box of doughnuts and ask if they have any BIG chunks of steel in the scrap bin. Axles, forklift tines, hitches, shafts, scarifiers, all sorts of BIG steel on heavy equipment you know. Big truck shops don't have as many options but there are plenty. Heck the secretary might take a shine to you and turn you onto the old Peter Wright she's been tripping over in the back room. You just never know, they're out there just keep your eyes open and take a moment when you can. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Looks like the webpage on how they made that fork lift tine anvil is gone; but I still found a picture of it: Over 100# and cost was $25 for the welding: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Mr. Frosty san, Could you please, expand on "heavy duty shop". A definition would prove to be very useful for me and, perhaps, some other folks. Also some mentioned examples would be very appreciated. Thanks, Sometime clueless, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 22 hours ago, rockstar.esq said: coil springs, take a lot of work to convert into flat stock. Unless one has a power hammer which makes quick work of drawing out coil springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 I have been looking at fork truck tines and other things. Here is one for sale in my area for $700 on CL. It states that it is over 200#. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Would have been so much better if they crammed all the steel together rather than leaving air gaps everywhere. Would do for a starter anvil or one for doing specialty ornamental work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 17 hours ago, SLAG said: Could you please, expand on "heavy duty shop". Oops, I forgot not everybody would know that the state equipment repair divided vehicles and equipment into light duty, pickups, autos, etc. and heavy duty, dump trucks, road graders and the like. "Heavy duty equipment" would have been more clear, my bad. Thanks for catching that Slag. Sometimes I forget people only know what I say, not what I'm thinking when I write. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 49 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Would do for a starter anvil But not at $700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 No I wouldn't go past US$200 for it and that is if I was doing a lot of ornamental work where the empty centers would be a positive feature, I's round off the edges on one cell and leave the other one square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 On 2/17/2021 at 3:16 PM, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said: Unless one has a power hammer which makes quick work of drawing out coil springs. While I suppose it's possible that the original poster has a power hammer, I figured the lack of a decent hand hammer, and anvil for working on salvaged materials suggested that we were helping an individual without power driven forging capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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