Post Anvil setup - Help

C

coldsteelburns

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Aug 2, 2010
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So I've recently become sick and tired (and so have my neighbors, who don't complain because they're too cool, but I feel bad for them :o ) of using my large-ish block of mild steel for my anvil on a stump which is too short, (they are hard to come by for me) and it's just too loud with bad perfomance. I live in a pretty small neighborhood where the houses are pretty close together, we still have a yard to work in, but nothin to hide the noise. So I am trying to set up a post anvil of some sort, and I've been keeping my eyes open over the years and never really found anything that I could work with or afford at a junk yard etc., plus, being pretty broke most of the time I couldn't buy a fork lift tine even when I found one.

Anyway, I have an idea that I've asked a couple other bladesmiths about but figured I would ask here as well to get some more input or maybe recommendations for better ways of how I should go about it. So I have finally settled upon the idea of buying the 4x4x4" heat treated 4140 stake anvil from old world anvils, and instead of mounting it in a stump as shown on the site, I was thinking I could cement it in a metal pipe/ tube cut to a proper forging height just like Rick Marchand has his set up. But I'm not quite sure if this particular anvil would go deep enough into the cement to get good results (or at least better than being on a stump) as well as minimize the noise level by having it mounted more firmly and solid. Basically I am hoping that I would get better performance from the anvil as well as it lowering the noise level (even more so) if I were to mount it into cement, as opposed to sticking it on a stump...

So any and all suggestions would be appreciated in how I should go about this, or even if there is a better way to go about it (but not more expensive :D )

Also, I've watched those Kukri forging vids on YT and the Nepalese use what look like sledge hammers mounted/cemented into the ground for their anvils which seem to be very quite relative to my current chunk of mild steel (which it much larger than those) and they are able to forge those big ol blades day after day on them... Just food for thought :)

I want to be able to do this once and to do it right as I don't have much money to throw around for experimenting (I know, I'm not the only one ;) ) plus I don't have my own vehicle at the moment so I'm not able to go driving around to scrounge for things when I want to.. :thumbdn: lol

So here is the anvil I am talking about btw : http://www.oldworldanvils.com/anvils/4x4-stake-anvil.html

And here is a vid showing Rick's post anvil set-up which is exactly how I am wanting to make mine! :)

[video=youtube;0NkDLz9fyfc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NkDLz9fyfc[/video]

As always guys, thanks a bunch for all the help you all always provide, it's much appreciated :) Thanks!

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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I cemented an 8 pound sledge hammer head into a 70# chunk of cement. I wear ear plugs when I am forging something. Just a little louder than I like being next to it. Your 4x4 stump anvil will work better as it is flat and the sledge head is a little rounded. Mine cost something @ $10 to put together.
 
I have an awesome Hay Budden that I love but I wouldn't mind a post anvil like Rick's. Doesn't even need to be that big. I finally found a junkyard that will let me pick and was wondering if you guys looked for anything particular to salvage into a post anvil? There is a steel supplier not far from me but a chunk of 4140 or 1045 the size of Rick's would cost more than my anvil did!
 
That stump anvil appears to be deeper than 4", maybe an optical illusion? That stump anvil is only going to weigh between 20 and 30 pounds.
 
I'm interested... I wonder if putting this little anvil in concrete will effectively add to the mass?
 
Augus7us, look for fork lift tines, they're are apparently 4140 or at least similar from what I've read. A lot of guys use them, and I probably would, but I just don't really have the means to go pick one up and honestly have no idea how much they cost at the junk yard I know of. I remember them telling me a certain $ per pound when I asked about specific cut offs, and I remember it seeming a bit high, especially if they sold the tines per pound. I don't have anyway to get there (no vehicle) otherwise I'd ask them if they sold the tines per pound, or would sell them for what they "are"... which is an old dirty fork lift tine.. lol

Anyway, I'm kinda hoping Rick might chime in here so he can share his knowledge wih us regard that sweet post anvil and whether or not he would think the stake one would work like his...of course any feedback from anybody who knows if it would work nicely in concete would be great! :D

I'm glad ta see you interested as well Daniel, I know your interested in gettin your own "smithy" set up as well :thumbup: ;)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
Hey Paul,
Thanks for posting my vid. I use my post anvil more than my horn anvil. Mine is 4"x 4" x 14" if I remember correctly. 1045 material. The 6" thick walled tubing is about 30" high with a 12" x 12" welded base plate. I measured out the face height that I wanted(approx 35") and filled the tube up to the bottom of the anvil. I shoved a few pieces of rebar, cut to the proper length, directly under the anvil. Once cured, I placed the block inside, wedged it in with steel shims and filled the spaces with more concrete. The whole thing weighs around 210 lbs.

I forget how much the steel cost me. I worked for a tool and die company and got a decent deal.
 
There he is! ;) Thanks for chiming in Rick, and for all the info :)

Did you heat treat that 1045, and if so did you do it by yourself?

I'm curious if you have any thought's or opninions about that stake anvil from that link I posted.. it's heat treated 4140 and is 4"x4"x4".... do you think it would work well if mounted in cement properly (no sure how I'd go about it with it being a lot shorter).... or do you think a tall fork lift tine work be a better overall choice for general bladesmithing and that I should just scratch the idea of putting all that money and work into such a small-ish piece of 4140... Sorry ta put ya on the spot and throw all these questions at ya, hope you don't mind :D

eta: oh sorry, didn't see your second post regarding the stake anvil, thanks man :)

Thanks again

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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The stake anvil that you are looking at is meant to be set on a chunk of wood with the stake to anchor it. It might work with concrete but wood helps pin the stake and hold the anvil in place. Ricks anvil looks to have about half of steel anchored in the concrete. The sledge head that I am using has about 2/3 of the head anchored in the concrete. I think you need a sizeable portion of the steel set in the concrete to anchor it in place.

Daniel, The sledge/concrete has very little vertical movement so I believe the concrete increases the apparent mass.
 
My anvil block is buried 10" into the concrete. It truly IS one piece, now.

I HT'd the 1045 myself but it isn't fully hardened. I stuck the end in my forge until it turned red and then water quenched it... but knowing what I know now, it didn't get done properly.
 
Paul I have to confess I didn't click your link and assumed it was just a picture. Now that I've seen what you're talking about I think its pretty slick. Not to terrible on the price either.

Rick can you enlighten us on what went wrong and how you would do it differently were you to give it a second try?
 
Well, I didn't get it hot enough for being the hypoeutectoid steel that it is. Plus, I didn't heat enough of the block. It was more of a face hardening. Next time, I would ether send it out for heat treat or build a large enough temporary forge to do it, myself.

In the video, I mention the different edge radii that I use. That has proven to be invaluable to my forging. I would not make a post anvil without them.
 
Well I just got some good new back from Old World Anvils in an email :thumbup: I asked if they have any lover pieces of there normal "stump" anvils, which are the same 4x4x4" pieces of heat treated 4140 without the stake on it. I made sure to ask if the longer pieces would still be heat treated if they did have any and how much they'd cost, and they'd replied this:

"The longest one we have at the moment is 10 3/4” for $228 which can still fit in a flat rate box so shipping is included. We are waiting for more material to make the 11 3/4” ones which are the longest we can fit in our oven for heat treating. It may be a month or so before we receive that."

So I guess my question "now" is, should I get the 10 3/4" piece they have right now of is it worth the wait and extra $$ for that etra inch? Would it make that much of a difference since it's pretty long already? Thanks again :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
It's up to you. You would only be losing 3-4lbs without the extra inch. If you are setting it in concrete anyway, you would be giving up even less as the concrete would make up some weight to fill the void.
 
Right on, thank you man! :) I've probably been over thinking all of this anyway, but I appreciate your help Rick :) Guess I'm goin for the 10 3/4" one, plus that's already on the HIGH side of what I can afford :o

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
I might! I'm still researching, looking for large anvils locally, drops online and pondering possible heat treat. I think I can get a post hot but how to move it? That sounds like a good price for a heat treated anvil.
 
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