Going to a Scrap Yard and Need Something for a Forge/Anvil

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Spartan2744

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Jul 7, 2013
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I'm going to a scrap yard sometime this month to look for some good leaf springs. However, I also need a forge so I can heat it up and shape it/treat it. I'm not sure what exactly to search for. I know I should search for 55 gallon steel barrels and lawn mower blade housings, but is there anything else I should search for? Maybe something that won't cost me too much money? I have a budget of under $100 (which I was told should be more than enough for some good steel). Also, is there anything that I could use as a makeshift anvil? Like I said, I have a small budget so I can't go and buy a $1000 anvil from a shop. I'm planning on making combat knives and battle-ready swords (I don't actually plan on using them for combat). I appreciate any help you guys can give me. I'm a beginner.
 
About 12yrs. ago I followed the same path to the scrapyard for anvil and forge parts. Found a 6"X4"X24" chunk that weighed 125lbs. of unknown steel for the anvil and a piece of 1/4" thick tube that was 6"X8"X16" for the forge body. Got it all home for about $100. Stuck the anvil piece in a 5gal. plastic bucket and filled that with sand. That was put on a wheeled platform to bring it up to proper height. Made a great anvil that work hardened with a little time. Lot of pretty good knives were forged on that before finding a traditional anvil. With the tube it was just a matter of gathering the right materials and constructing the forge and burner. That forge still is my only one and works great.
 
Skip the leaf springs. Head to njsteelbaron.com and buy some 1084 from Aldo. It's cheap and its clean and its a KNOWN steel. Maybe the leaf springs are 5160, maybe they are something else. Maybe they have stress fractures, maybe they are really thick and will take a lot of forging down to get to a decent thickness. Regardless, Without knowing the alloy, they will be hard to get the heat treat exactly right. Buy 1084 and don't waste a bunch of time making someone that may turn out just ok, or might even turn out looking like a knife, but unable to harden properly.
 
This is more of a learning experience for me than anything else. Also, i've heard that some junkyards have ways of telling you what sort of steel it is. I've also been told by a friend to get the springs from older trucks because they have 5160 usually. It's also cheaper going to the junkyard, anyways. I want the steel thick, too. I wanted to make a large two handed sword. I don't plan on actually going into battle with my weapons, so if they don't harden the way I want them then that's okay with me. Although it would be nice to have some battle ready weapons in case cordyceps mutated to infect humans.. I will buy some steel from the website you mentioned sometime in the future. But for now, i'm going to take my chances and hopefully find some quality steel. Thanks for your response.
 
I would research swords a little, they are actually forged down pretty thin (for a sword) to reduce weight. Still a hefty chunk of steel but not as thick as you may think. Still a good learning experience.

Another suggestion is start off a little smaller if you can, a sword is a huge undertaking.
 
Check the rebound with a hammer on any potential anvil chunks. More rebound is better. Avoid cast iron. Mass under the hammer blow is more important than a large face, so think about turning thick plate on end, and such. Forklift tines are supposed to be usually 4140, excellent for an anvil.

If you're going to use car springs (and I've built plenty of blades out of them prior to going full-time), avoid anything that is already broken or cracked, or that has been bent cold. Be sure and test a sample piece for hardenability before investing a lot of time and effort making blades from it.
 
Spartan2744 said:
This is more of a learning experience for me than anything else. Also, i've heard that some junkyards have ways of telling you what sort of steel it is. I've also been told by a friend to get the springs from older trucks because they have 5160 usually. It's also cheaper going to the junkyard, anyways. I want the steel thick, too. I wanted to make a large two handed sword. I don't plan on actually going into battle with my weapons, so if they don't harden the way I want them then that's okay with me. Although it would be nice to have some battle ready weapons in case cordyceps mutated to infect humans.. I will buy some steel from the website you mentioned sometime in the future. But for now, i'm going to take my chances and hopefully find some quality steel. Thanks for your response.
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I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm trying to educate you so you don't spend a bunch of time and energy for naught. From what I get from your post, you don't care what your outcome is, you want to bang on some steel and make a knife/sword shaped object. Fair enough. Don't worry about what type of steel it is then. Heck, get mild steel, it will be cheaper anyway. If you don't care if your sword-like thing cuts or not, then I'll bet you can pick up a piece of mild steel drop for free from a local metal supplier.

If you've never forged, you are going to be sorely disappointed in how long it takes to actually forge a sword. Why not start with a small hunter or something similarly sized? I have seen no mention of a grinder. If you are going to close forge everything and finish with files, a sword is going to suck to finish. Plain and simple.

Again, if this is just something to mess around with until school starts again, go for it. Bang away dear sir. But, if you want to actually learn how to make a knife, then read the stickys, read some old posts, and then go at it in a way that will allow you the greatest possibly for success.
 
My first swing of the hammer was 20+ years ago at a recreation old homestead where I worked as a "blacksmith's assistant/general hand." He said one thing that stuck with me in that endeavor as well as life in general. Whether it is completely accurate or not is a matter of conjecture, but basically goes, "Any time wasted learning to do something incorrectly will cost you double when learning to do it correctly." I figure if you are going to put the effort into learning to forge, might as well be the right way. It took me 15+ years to ever even swing a hammer again and even longer to actually start making knives, but I'm glad I learned at least a little of "the right way" back then. Shortens the learning curve. Not quite like riding a bike, but it is something that sticks with you.
If its gonna look like a knife, might as well cut like one ;)
Good luck.
 
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