Is it recomended to heat up surface of very cold anvil ?

[Ome108]

Hi Everyone,
Is it advised to heat a piece of steel and lay it on top of the anvil, in particulary cold weather, so the anvil won't crack or break?
I had read this on the old world dominion website of Q & A.
THANKS,
Ome108

 

[Bo T]

Many materials have a ductile to brittle transition temperature. Simple high carbon steels are around 0 F. Other steels have a lower transition temperature. So, it depends on the temperature and on the material that the anvil is made out of. I'd say that it probably won't hurt.

 

[mete]

BTT can be quite high like 70* F !!
But in your anvil case the difference in mass makes the whole thing a moot point !
Push the anvil closer to the fire if you're nervous !!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The anvil isn't likely to break from being cold. What a cold anvil will do iis suck the heat from a blade and make a forging heat last a very short time. As the anvil warm, the heats are longer. It won't hurt to shorten that warm up time by putting a hot....but not red hot.....block of steel on it.

 

[Ome108]

Thank You all very much.
ome108

 

[Ome108]

I should have added that this is a 38 lb post anvil hardened to an average 54 RC.
SO not much mass.
Does the hammer I use need to be about a 16 oz, as to not be to heavy for the low wt of this post anvil?
Thank You very much,
ome108

 

[Bo T]

It kind of depends on how you have it anchored. I have an 8# sledge hammer head cemented into a 70# block of concrete and it doesn't seem to suffer from being hit with a 3# hammer.

 

[Ome108]

Thank you,
That makes alot of sense. I did not sink mine into a pail of cement, cause I am building a modular system of a stand out of hard lumber, 2 by 12's on end.
To be able to use one stand for all 4 pieces of hardened steel. The material is mostly H13 tool steel and one piece of s7, and 3 pieces of RR track of various lenghts, held to a 2by 8 with heavy duty electric ties. The top of the metal is about 1/2" higher than the top of 2 by 8 supporting backside of metal post anvil. Will see how it works, thanks for all the advise.
Ome108