what to use instead of anvil?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Paleo, Dont discount a large rock... It's the original anvil anyway :D Use a hammer and chisel set to whittle down a flat area and then wet sand with silicon carbide to finish, just make sure you have PLENTY of rock underneath ya and dont pound too hard!

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm
adalbol_anvil_stone.jpg
 
I think I saw a knifemaking CD that mentioned you could use a chunk of granite. Go to a monument dealer and see if you can get a big chunk of headstone granite. It's usually smooth as glass on one side too.
 
I got a piece of a forklift fork and cut a piece about the same size as a red brick. Check out your nearest lift truck dealership before their scrap metal truck comes around. It wouldn't hurt to go in the shop and ask them if you could look through their scrap area and describe what you are looking for, they might have an even better idea for an anvil.
 
get a cheap chunk of 4140 off ebay, weld some angle iron on the bottom to use as anchors, then heat treat. Done a couple of stump and student anvils this way most of them weighed between 35 and 50 lbs.
 
One bucket, minus the bottom.

Oops, cracked the bucket.

A total of 9 RR plates, one 8# sledge hammer head, and ~two bags of quikrete.

Round the corners of the first plate so it sits flat in the bottom of the bucket. set 6 plates lengthwise side-by-side on top of the bottom plate. fill between those with quikrete and then place 2nd to last plate flat on top, fill till level with plate, and place last plate flat on top. Place the hammer head centered on top and continue filling with quikrete until roughly half way up hammer head. Let the quikrete set up some then wiggle hammer head. Let it set some more, maybe 1.5 hours total and remove hammer head.


This is how it should look.

Fill the edges of the void left by the hammer head with silicone sealant, try not to get it in the bottom so the hammer head will make full contact with the RR plate.

This is before the quikrete completely set, it's about 175-180# now. It rebounds like a traditional anvil but with now sound whatsoever.
 
Last edited:
t4tert0t,
Anvil alternatives and substitutes are always a good subject for discussion, but this was a 3 1/2 year old thread.

Welcome to Shop Talk. Look at the date of a thread you pull up in a search. Bringing back old threads is called necroposting, and normally should be avoided. Start a new thread is normally better. You can link the old thread in the new one for reference.
Filling out your profile with all the pertinent info ( age, location, hobbies and interests, occupation, etc.) will give folks an idea about you and your skills. This will help get better answers to future questions, and may also let a nearby smith offer direct help or materials.
 
I live in Australia (Perth) and I don't have access to any sort of railway lines or scrap steel, scrap dealers only accept steel and do not ever sell it (they horde it), railway lines in my area are tiny and not useful for this, I was looking into the sledge hammer head in a bucket of concrete and all the sledge hammers are too small. I was wondering if anyone knows what I could possibly do for and anvil for beginner forging.
 
Just a note on safety, and the use of a sledge hammer head for an anvil.
Hitting two hammer heads together is ever a good idea. Hitting two hardened steel pieces together will eventually cause one or both to chip. So if you use a sledge head, make sure you protect your eyes. I realize you aren't suppose to hit the anvil but hit the metal on top of it, but we all know everyone hits the anvil occasionally, especially when starting off.
Jim A
 
Welcome cmiles.
If you read the previous posts you would have seen that this is a seven year old thread. Another new member resurrected it four years ago. Now you have brought it back to life again. This is called necroposting, and is to be avoided. Look at the date of the original post before posting on an old thread.
It would be better to start a new thread and then people can give you direct answers.

Thread Closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top