Good Anvil Set Up?

[BA_Colt]

I got some Railroad tie they can I can make an anvil. This might work?

 

[A.McPherson]

It might. I had a chunk that I used as an anvil for years, I had the top milled flat, and it worked ok.
It certainly was better than nothing.

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith , one of the old timers here always recommends using it like a post anvil. That's really probably your best bet to get it functioning like you want it to.

 

[BA_Colt]

Yes i will mill it as best I can. I do have two fine arts degrees. Took metal sculpture classes. I have a slight understanding of metal. Plus the metal is free! What could go wrong?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Some questions:
What are the dimensions and weight of that piece?
Is that flange/plate attached to the rail or just leaning behind it?

As Andy said, if the end is large enough, setting it upright and using the end as a post anvil gives the most mass under the hammer and blade. You might even cut off a section of that plate and weld it on the end to get a rectangular flat area.

The other option is to mill the top flat and use it as a long thin anvil. You should take the last three or four inches (75-100mm) of the rail and round that section to use for drawing steel out in forging. If the metal plate in the photo is a separate piece, welding it to the bottom of the rail will add mass and stability.

 

[12345678910]

Yes, look up google images of "Sea Robin Anvil"

and that's track, ties are wood.

Smooth surfaces won't transfer defects onto the piece.
All mass counts if you can stack and clamp it together.

Have fun Beth.

 

[BA_Colt]

Some questions:
What are the dimensions and weight of that piece?
Is that flange/plate attached to the rail or just leaning behind it?

As Andy said, if the end is large enough, setting it upright and using the end as a post anvil gives the most mass under the hammer and blade. You might even cut off a section of that plate and weld it on the end to get a rectangular flat area.

The other option is to mill the top flat and use it as a long thin anvil. You should take the last three or four inches (75-100mm) of the rail and round that section to use for drawing steel out in forging. If the metal plate in the photo is a separate piece, welding it to the bottom of the rail will add mass and stability.

Thanks. The plate is not connected. It is heavy. Right now it is at my friends’ house. Her husband got it years ago and has been trying to get me to take it.

I need workspace and a welder. Oh and a new wielding mask as I gave mine to my cousins daughter.

Thanks all. I will figure it out.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Dimensions, and approx. weight? Also, a photo of the end.

Also, it looks more like some sort of I-beam that track. If it is track, that is better, as it is harder than plain steel beams.

 

[Scott Hanson]

That looks old Trolly car track, I think it might be a little too light for an anvil. Try and find about a 2 foot section of standard 132# track, that's 132# per yard, so a 2 foot piece would be about 88#, I've seen track like this for sale all over the internet for a pretty reasonable price.

 

[Albin]

The bottom piece in the OP looks like fishplate to me, not track. Fishplates are what they use to bolt (hence the holes) two rails ends together when they don't weld them; two per rail. You can see several on the front of my tractor in the pic below:

The lower front is rail, for a crane IRC; the rest are various forms of tie plates. Note the bottom one looks a lot like the one in the OP's pic.