Fixing a chipped anvil.

[QbBlacksmith]

Is there anyone out there that can tell me what I need to do to fix this large chip on my new anvil. It gets in the way of my Forgings and I would like to fix it but don’t want to ruin it.

 

thanks,

Quin,

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

In my opinion this is the only way to repair a good anvil.  Anvil Restoration

There are a lot of threads about that. It looks like someone has already tried welding up the edge and did more harm than good.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Irondragon ForgeClay Works
add thought

[George N. M.]

Dear Quin,

The only way to resore an anvil, if you can't work around the damage, is the Rob Gunther - Karl Schuler method which was published in ABANA's The Anvil's Ring  in April, 1998.  This involves heating the anvil with a weed burner to 400 degrees or so, then, while the anvil is hot, applying hard welding rods with an arc welder, then letting the anvil cool very slowly (when my 100# Vulcan was done I wrapped it in fiber glass insulating batts for about 48 hours).  It takes considerable welding skill and experience to be able to do this and the appropriate rods are fairly expensive.

At least you don't want to do the whole face which might be prohibitively expensive.

If it were me, I'd probably shift my working area towards the heel and learn to live with it rather than going through the hassle and expense of trying to restore it.  Honestly, while it is a large chip there is still plenty of working area and edge available.  The other side in the photos looks to be in better shape.  You might want to think about turning the anvil around and having the horn to the right.

It's your call.  It's your time and money.  But if you do it make sure that whoever is doing the welding knows what they are doing.  This is master welder skill, not just someone who has a welder around the place and uses it for occasional repars.  Your cousin or friend using his dad's welder is NOT who you want.

IMO, restoration of an anvil should be undertaken only as a last resort.  IMO your anvil is not in that state.

GNM

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Goods]

It looks like the previous owner may have already tried to weld up the edge. Damage may have already been done. The edges were “repaired” by the previous owner on one of my anvils, and they are work hardening over time and crumbling bit by bit. I take a good file across the bad spot on occasion to clean them up. I’m lucky, I haven’t seen any HAZ cracking yet!
You may try just rounding the chips out a little. The anvils at our groups shop have really rounded edges, but we can still get some really nice pieces done on them. It just takes a little adjustment. If you need sharper radii, make a hardie block with different radii on the four corners. Over time if another one doesn’t show up (once you have one and aren’t looking, they seem to come out of the woodwork), then look into restoring it. Just make sure it’s done right, you don’t want it getting worse!

Keep it fun,

David

[ThomasPowers]

The common mistake is a welder not realizing that the face of the anvil is high carbon steel and so when they weld up an edge an area in the HAZ gets above critical temp and then is "quenched" by the cold mass of the anvil leaving it cracked or brittle and so under use it cracks off even a larger/deeper part of the edge than originally was a problem.

Another is using abrasion hard facing rod and not impact.

I've been lucky enough to have several anvils repaired CORRECTLY at "Anvil Repair Days" held by my local ABANA Affiliate(s), one in Ohio and another in New Mexico.  Have you checked with the blacksmithing groups in Canada?

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

I’d just leave it alone and make a plate that locks into the hardy hole if you need a crisp edge,

most all my anvils have heavy chipped edges and I just work around em

[FlatLiner]

It looks like the typical ranch anvil that was used for cold forging horse shoes. I picked one up in Evanston, WY that had worse edge damage and I just flap wheeled the edges to keep the chips from spreading and made an anvil block for when I need a "sharper" edge.

[Frosty]

I hate to say it Quin but that looks just like the damage was the result of welding up the edges. You can see where the bead "wetted", it's a pretty typical pattern for the edges of a bead's Heat Affect Zone. (HAZ)

There is plenty of edge to work around that big one, try not to miss blows on the edges and use it as she is now. Repairing part of the edge is more than likely going to cause problems in the edges bordering and potentially deeper by expanding the HAZ. If you chose to fix that big chip you might as well do them all to help avoid future issues. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[QbBlacksmith]

Decided to leave it alone and use it.

after all I have a beautiful 120lb columbian cast in Sweden 

[FlatLiner]

That's funny, I also have a 135 lb Columbian that I picked up because it's edges were slightly better lol.

[Goods]

Well, it’s my 150lb Colombian that had the edges welded up…

[ThomasPowers]

Columbians I have seen were cast in Cleveland Ohio.  Is yours stamped Sweden?

[FlatLiner]

Richard Postman I believe said that the last 4-5 years Columbian anvils we're cast in Sweden.

[Goods]

Mine was cast in Ohio, and it looks like the previous owner welded up fairly minor chipping with regular mig wire… He must have done some pre/post heating. I haven’t had and cracking, just strange crumbling/flaking of the welds, which I believe is from work hardening of the filler material.

[QbBlacksmith]

On 6/6/2022 at 12:19 PM, Frosty said:

I hate to say it Quin but that looks just like the damage was the result of welding up the edges. You can see where the bead "wetted", it's a pretty typical pattern for the edges of a bead's Heat Affect Zone. (HAZ)

There is plenty of edge to work around that big one, try not to miss blows on the edges and use it as she is now. Repairing part of the edge is more than likely going to cause problems in the edges bordering and potentially deeper by expanding the HAZ. If you chose to fix that big chip you might as well do them all to help avoid future issues. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Good thought.

 

thanks