Help!!!

Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
1
Hi everyone,

First let me introduce myself. I'm in the military (USAFSOC) stationed in Okinawa. I'm new to the forum, but have been building my own Stock Removal blades for a couple of years. When i got sent here, I had to leave my equipment back in the staes, since I had a weight limit on what I could bring.

I decided to try forging blades instead of the Stock Removal process. I bought vol. 9 from Hoods Woods and I'm trying to get started here. I have everyithng set up . except for one small important thing; I have no anvil.

I've been looking through every scrap yard here on the island (all 6 of them; its a small island) and have come up with nothing. I did locate a big piece of I-beam, but cant secure a small enough piece. There are no trains on the island, so scrap railroad track is non-existent. I even thought of using a big flat rock. All the rocks here on this island are volcanic and wouldnt hold up to hammer blows

So here I am. If there is anyone out there who could send me about an 8 to 10 inch piece of rairoad track, I'd be more than grateful. Of course, I's be more than willing to pay for any charges incurred on an item like this.

If anyone could help me out on this, then drop me a line at magkaisa@konnect.net.


Thanks in advance


Bob:)
 
make shift anvils
1/2in mild steel bolted to a stump
a piece of 1inch armor plate
a 6 inch piece of 8 inch bar stock
truck spring wired to a 2x6 bolted to something heavy
a slab of carrier deck plate

be imaginative

look in the scrap heap of a welder.find something heavy
most steelcan be cut with an abasive blade on a skillsaw
if all else fails try grisly imports(i know, I can't spell)

good luck
 
Another thing that would be good and portable is an old iron....the type that were all steel and had to be heated on a stovetop. They are always at anitque shops or flea markets.

Just turn it upside down and sink the handle in to a 5 gallon bucket filled with concrete. The surface is large enough, flat, and hard.

If you have any trouble finding one, let me know, I know where 5 are at about $15 a peice.

Greg
 
<<font face=arial black color=990000 size=4><b> Good Heavens man!! You need to make friends with a machineist 1st class!! Hell, the "gub-ment" throws enough stuff away in the course of a day or two to build a aircraft carrier! Surely someone on base in the machinest shop can help out?

regards, mitch
 
They could probobly help you make a nice forge get you some good forgable steel to. not to mention help you with heat treating questions.

everybody should know a good machinist:)
 
Weld flanges at the each end of the I beam section. Weld some bolts, heads upwards in the hollows thus formed and fill the hollows with molten lead. The bolt heads will keep the lead in place. If you can't find lead, use aluminium, lead is better as it adds weight and helps absorb shocks.
 
howdy fellow AFSOC brother go to the structural repair or the machine shop. see if the will let you rummage through their reccycle bin there always throwing away somthing or just talk to them they may have a remnant of large stock they been saving. hope this helps. Russ
 
If you can't find something just email me and I will get you a piece of rail road track shipped out asap.
Bruce
 
Speaking of old railroad. When rail repair crews go and fix rail lines, they usually just leave any scrap they generate right there along the tracks. They typically consider recycling those small amounts to be too much work. Good pieces can be found along there. If you wanna be totally legal about it though, find a repair crew at work down there and ask them if you can have a piece...
 
Hi, if you haven't found anything yet,or until you find something better, I've seen one face of a large sledge hammer set into a hole in a stump or log and the opposite face used as an anvil surface.
I think you could also, try the ship yards in Naha or the Seabees over at Camp Shields for something to bang on. Good Luck, Greg
 
I saw that sledge hammer head idea in the How to make a Khukuri video. It looked as solid as could be and the Bishwakarmas had two strikers swinging hard on it. Very solid, cheap in comparision to other anvils and readily available. The first anvil I ever used was a sledge hammer with the handle still on it. One end on the hammer head was in a shallow hole with the other end sticking straight up. Then put one foot on the handle and kneel down to work so your whole body wieght is holding it firm. Its pretty solid and very portable.
 
sledgeanvil.jpg
 
I have hear of people using cast iron engine blocks for anvils. Just make sure that it is not an aluminum one. If you ask around, there is probably someone who would be happy for you to help them get rid of part of some dead or abandoned car on their property. Enjoy!

Phil
 
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