Anvil Making

[frank22]

Here's a totally different question for someone to ponder:

I've acquired a 200 pound chunk of steel. It rings as sweet as a bell when I hit it. It's approximately 4.5 X 6 X 28. I can get it cut out to an anvil-like shape at the local tech school.
The gal doing the job asked if I want a hardened
steel plate welded to the face. I've read pro and con about this. Opinions anyone?

 

[MaxTheKnife]

What kind of steel is it Frank? You may not need the steel plate at all. Some or most carbon steels will work harden as you use them even without heat treating. But if it's mild steel I'd go with the high carbon plate welded on. Good find by the way. Stuff like that is hard to come by.

 

[Dangus]

Why have it cut into any sort of shape? Does it have flat sides? That's all you need for blade work. You don't need a horn and all that junk. You will probably want to get a piece of plate steel and cut a hardie hole through it and mount it on a little stand, but that's about all you need...

 

[Tmac]

Frank22, I'm making a similiar anvil as you. It will be 6"x6"x10 made out of 4140 which will be close to #100. Now, as Dangus said there is no reason to cut it in the shape of an anvil, a flat top is all you really need. With only a block anvil it will actually act as a much larger anvil, do to the solid mass of the steel. Next, you do need to find out what type of steel you have to heat treat. If it is hardenable most Rc anvil specs I've seen will have a rockwell of Rc 45-48. You are better off face hardening the working area of the block anvil. Having the whole block through hardened may cause cracking in the future. If you need a hardie hole you can have a square tube welded to the side of the block. Any cut-off hardies you use will have to be modified so you are hammering over the block and not over the tube ("Z" type bracket), the tube will just hold that in place. Fullers would work as is, with no modifications required.

Take care,
Tom

 

[Michael Bennett]

Harden it.

I have a 4"x4"x30" made of what I believe is 41xx. I'm using for an anvil as is. I sunk it into a bucket of sand and sunk that into the ground to the appropriate height. It dampens the ring and does work as an anvil for me; however, if I go to draw out a tang and form the shoulder, I deform the softer edges of the 4"x4" face. So I'd prefer mine hardened.

I wonder if the local voc-tech would cut an anvil out of mine?

Mike

 

[Osbourn]

I've been using a 55lb cast iron **** for long enough to make it look like a lunar surface. I took a piece of 6" mystery stainless round stock that was about 30-40" (really not sure of the length), mounted it into a brass shell casing filled with sand, anchored it with a cinderblock, also filled with sand, and now I'm a much happier camper. Flat surface, perfect height, harder than the iron ****, and I don't have to put it back into the shop when I'm finished. It also weighs in at around 75lbs. Works like a 175lb anvil I once had the pleasure of using, but no straight edges or hardy, so I still keep the 55lb around for some purposes. I totally envy your find with that 200lb chunk. If it rings, it's probably hardenable. Cast iron and mild steel make kind of dull thud sounds at higher densities.