Make your own anvil hardies?

B

blaughn

Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
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I bought one of the Russian 110 lb anvils as a "see if I like it" starter anvil. I knew from the start that I was getting mediocre quality but it is a lot better than a chunk of steel on the concrete floor.:barf:

I would like to make an cutoff hardie and I have shaped a piece of 5160 steel as the blade portion. I plan to gas weld some low carbon steel as the square pin.

Is this doomed from the beginning or is this a reasonable approach? Is there a place to buy anvil hardies that will fit the 1 1/8" Ruskie hardie hole?

Thanks!!
 
The best way to do it ,as they did 100 years ago, is to first form the stem , then drive the hot stem into the hardie hole to form a good shoulder between stem and head. Then form the head and harden just the edge.Temper to blue /purple.
 
I have a couple of hardie tools made using leaf spring (AKA 5160). One is a cutoff and the other a fuller. I've had them for a while.

I brought them to work and used either MIG (fluxcore) or stick to weld them :confused: , probably useing a 70 series wire. I notched out the square piece so the spring (which was previously flattened) would have more area to weld to. I probably preheated them before and slow cooled after welding :confused: , as welding low carbon to high carbon might need these precautions to prevent cracking at the heat affected zone.

Not that they are used every day but, neither one has failed :D

Larry T
 
making a hardie isn't too tough, but it is time consuming as there is a lot of metal to move around. one other option would be to get a hardie with a 1" shank and either a piece of 1 1/8 thin wall tubing(1/16") to shove over the shank, or a piece of 1x1x1/8" angle iron. you can either weld/braze it to the shank, or cut the angle down an inch, and bend the ears out, this can be put in your hardie hole to tighten it, but it may cause your hardie to tip just a bit.
 
I've been making such things out of old hammer heads.
Cheap from flea markets....lots of different sizes and
types.
Just anneal, shape, and re-treat.
Oil quench from non-magnetic, and draw to dk blue/purple.

Enjoy,
 
I forged my cutoff hardy from one piece of w1 drill rod, but it was a lot of work. I'll weld the next one together, I think. I forged the working part of my spring fuller and had the bottom welded on. I basicly followed the directions in one of Wayne Goddard's books. I also have a bending fork ( I guess that's what you call it. It's used in making some ornamental iron work) that I forged the top of and had the bottom welded on.

BTW, I also have one of those Russian anvils. Like you, I find that it's a pretty good tool. Not as good as some, but at least as good as the price. I mainly use mine as a portable for travelling, and it serves it's purpose well.

Todd
 
I make my hotcut hardies from one piece of flat steel, usually around 1/4" or so, and I forge it to fit diagonally actoss the hardy hole. It's alot easier then trying to attach or forge in a square shank, and I haven't had any problems with it yet. Here's a pic of my old one, my new one has a wider cutting edge but I don't have a pic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/AwP_pics/hotcutter.jpg
 
AwP,
That is a very innovative idea! Do you mind if I borrow it? I can't believe I haven't thought of that before. It would be much easier than trying to upset and forge a 1" square out of 1" round stock. Thanks for the info. and pic.!

Todd
 
Borrow away, so many things I do are borrowed ideas anyway... that's what forums like this are for.
 
Thank you all - I continue to be amazed at the wealth of info and willingness to share on this forum.
 
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