DC712001 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Is there such a thing as a Stainless-Steel Anvil or could a thick piece of stainless be used as an anvil? I know that the cost-of-material for stainless would make it cost-prohibitive in most instances, but I was just curious if they exist, or if the material itself could serve as a suitable forge surface, if say, you happened upon a thick piece of SS scrap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) im not sure of the physical properties of stainless steel. I know that i have wore out hacksaw blades cutting a few inches through thin walled SS pipe though.(my guess is its hard, never worked much with it) Edited November 19, 2008 by highlander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Lets just say, use the best that you can afford. If what you have is a chunk of iron, stainless or not, then use what you have. The smith who taught my first exposure to blacksmithing in his shop had a thick piece of armor plate that he used as a surface to flatten stuff that were longer than his anvil. It can be handy to have a long piece of iron for flattening long stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC712001 Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 Appreciate the replies, thanks. I guess I'm also wondering (if cost were no object) would Stainless Steel be an acceptable/good choice as compared to steel anvils from the standpoint of toughness, rebound, etc? How would it compare better/worse/same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I don't much about anvils yet but SS is often soft compared to most metals. You can get some SS that is tough, I think 440. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeatGuy Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Both 420 and 440 are heat treatable steels so they have the potential to be used as an anvil. I have some experence with 420 it can be hardened to rc50 so it may not be a good candidate for an anvil. brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I suppose you could spec SS for an anvil but it'd be insanely expensive. Maybe if Bill Gates gets into it? If it's what you have at hand and it works, it's an anvil. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 I still have a small stainless steel block that my dad used as a ASO when he was a mechanic for straightening and flattening items on. Still in use as its very convenient and handy for certain jobs, Dad passed away some years ago, but he's still there with me in the forge, everytime I pick up some old tools he had, and there are plenty of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trollhammer Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 My first "anvil" was a 316 SS drive shaft from the Amoco plant here in town. My dad got it for some reason and it sat under his house for 7 or 8 years before I caught him hauling it to the scrap yard. Its about 5-1/4" in diameter and about 4 feet tall. Completely solid. I figured its weight mathematically, and it came out around 232 lbs. The top that I hammered on is pretty dinged and dented. I later got a HF 110 lb cast steel Russian anvil, and it seems to me that its face is harder than the chunk of 316. I'm not sure what to do with it now, other than sell it for scrap and use that cash to buy a real anvil. Any suggestions as to what to do with it? Mickey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgtwister Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 you should have sold it about 6 months ago when was high then it may have brought a few hundred i just scraped a commercial dish washer striped it to just 304 stainless it weighed 250 i got 25 bucks i would hold onto it and either make some thing out of it or if you know any machine shops that turn stainless you could tell them what you have and they may need it some day and could bring you more for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Anvil block for a junk yard hammer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Well at exactly 5.25" dia and 48" long it would weigh 296.5 pounds if 304 stainless and a bit less as 410 stainless. Anvil for a treadle hammer for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teejay Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 300(non-magantic) series stainless is actually soft and will ding and dent and then need resurfaced or it will show up in your work.400(magantic) series SS is heat treatable but expensive.4140 would be a better choice unless the SS is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Anything free is always good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC712001 Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Thanks for the replies. I always thought of Stainless Steel as being (all things considered) typically Harder material, certainly than mild-steel. Granted, there are various grades of SS, and various conditions of heat-treatment. Just wondered where it roughly fits in for dent-resistance, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trollhammer Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 How I never thought of using it as an anvil for a powered hammer is beyond me! Thanks guys! Although, I've been trying to get rid of a bunch of projects on "the list" due to time and finances, this is one that I'll definitely have to get started on. Mickey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 sort of an odd measurement but armour makers usually say you can go 1 to 2 guage s thinner if you use stainless instead of mild steel and get the same dent resistance. They also charge 2x as much due to the difficulty of working it and the increased cost. I tend to think of 300 grades as "gooey"; but 400 grades as being harder. Since you would be putting on a bottom die for a power or treadle hammer the softness is not as much as an issue---I mean commercial powerhammers used cast iron with a tool steel die! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 As stated above SS can be many grades, it can be hard to cut with a saw but easily dented as in a crosion resistant grade, it can be easy to sharpen, hold a good edge (as in a scapel) It can be heat resisting but not be able to be tempered. It all depends on the grade you are preparing to use. For example to anneal austenetic SS you heat it to about 900-1000 deg cent and quench vigourously in water. If you were to do that with a martensetic grade that would nearly cause it to turn its self inside out, there are horses for courses, yes you could use SS for an anvil but for a good anvil it needs to be the right grade. Cheers Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 There are many grades of SS, austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex, precipitation hardening to name a few basic grades. Generally, except for the martensitic grades, stainless steel is very low carbon, in the .03-.08% range. When you try to cut austenitic, or 300 series, the abrasion of the saw will cause the steel to transform to martensite. It is not real hard but being untempered, it is hard enough to wear you out. Most SS is just gummy because there is no pearlite or inclusions to cause the chips to break off. This makes it hard to saw or drill because the chips stay around the cutting edge and hold in heat. Generally, there is no reason to use SS for an anvil. Cast medium to high carbon steel works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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