Tool Talk
Blacksmith and Metal Working Forum => Blacksmith and Metalworking Forum => Topic started by: Twilight Fenrir on August 07, 2015, 03:02:12 PM
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Well, I went to a garage sale advertised on CL today... and found myself a 300-ish lb anvil, for which I paid $300 with 5 pairs of tongs :3 There are no visible markings on it, but I believe it's a Peter Wright, based on its shape, and the flats machined on the horn-ward and heel-ward portions of the base, which I have only ever seen on Peter Wright anvils.
It needs some TLC... someone took a cutting torch to the underside of the horn, to slim it down presumably, and left it rough. I actually like that it will have a narrower end, so I'll grind it smooth and be happy there. a bit of one of the edges is chipped away, but it should be repairable with some careful wedling. And the top of the anvil is dished about 3/16". It was used at a local marina in ye olden days, and I'm actually related to the original owner in a round about way :P
Another nice thing about it, is it has the same size hardy hole as my 200 LB Vulcan which it will replace, won't even have to re-size my tooling :D
There is something odd, though... I don't see the line I would expect between the tool steel plate, and the wrought iron body... it looks like it's all one piece o.o Is it possible this is 300 lbs of solid tool steel???
I'm going to paint it black, and write "ACME" on it in white lettering, just because I'm a traditionalist :P But this baby is gonna get a lot of use!
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_105227_zpsghnbvvn4.jpg)
No other pictures available at the moment... I have to dig out my engine hoist to get it out of my trunk :P I can juuust pick it up to maneuver it, not enough to lift it out of there, haha.
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Looks a lot like mine, there are some numbers on it, I was thinking it was 150-170lbs
well when decipher the numbers it was 300. No wonder it was heavy. I was younger then. might be why I'm so worn out now??? It was rougher than yours, it had cutting torch gouges. 1st I ground the gouges, then I warmed it up some then, using my mig on the highest setting (180/200 amp machine) over filled the gouges. Then with a 9" angle grinder made it smooth again. Has worked well for 25-30 years. The little 1903 Fischer I put on the Bridgeport and milled the tool steel to a nice finish.
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Looks a lot like mine, there are some numbers on it, I was thinking it was 150-170lbs
well when decipher the numbers it was 300. No wonder it was heavy. I was younger then. might be why I'm so worn out now??? It was rougher than yours, it had cutting torch gouges. 1st I ground the gouges, then I warmed it up some then, using my mig on the highest setting (180/200 amp machine) over filled the gouges. Then with a 9" angle grinder made it smooth again. Has worked well for 25-30 years. The little 1903 Fischer I put on the Bridgeport and milled the tool steel to a nice finish.
Really? MIG wire? And you didn't have any trouble with it??? I was sort of expecting more people to say "No don't weld it!" I see a lot from both ends on people who are pro and anti weld repairing an anvil... But most of them are people "Who have seen...." Not "Well, I did it, and this is how it turned out..." So, that's pretty appreciated insight n.n
My damage is on the edge, so I think I'm going to need something more stout than mig wire, but I'm going to smooth out the top, and see how working on it goes, and if it really NEEDS to be fixed... I'm guessing it will... it's damaged in the same area my Vulcan is, though the way it's damaged is different, so it might be usable as is...
Anywho, I unburied my engine hoist and yanked it out of my trunk, so here are some pictures! I also spent the last couple hours making the horn damn near perfect(ly usable), but my phone died, so no pictures of that yet :P Got to use my giant antique aluminum angle grinder for the first time.... man that thing works nice!
So, here it is pre-any-touching:
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184634_zpspzoz8knj.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184634_zpspzoz8knj.jpg.html)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184501_zpszrg6a9gz.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184501_zpszrg6a9gz.jpg.html)
I half expect a baboon carrying a lion cub to walk out on the horn in that picture :P
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184529_zps9z0qqict.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184529_zps9z0qqict.jpg.html)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184737_zpsmzmwwnf0.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184737_zpsmzmwwnf0.jpg.html)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184442_zpsfxt8aa2e.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150807_184442_zpsfxt8aa2e.jpg.html)
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Relating to welding an anvil... I found this really nice writeup :3 It even goes so far as to offer expected hardness values, with specific rods, on specific anvil conditions... Very nice :D
If only my Arc welding skills were up to snuff XD
http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/anvilres.htm
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Some disrespectful bustard beat the snot out of that anvil. He should be strapped to a stump and a hammer & chisel used on him.
I'd have no hesitation running E 70 S6 solid wire with Co2 to build the face back up. Might cheat a little with some carbon weld out blocks on the edges to make life easier. You'll want to pay attention to preheat and possibly want to bury it in vermiculite to cool.
You do have the bottom of the horn to learn on.
I wouldn't mess with metalcore wire unless you have experience. The problem will be where your build is shallow at the ends of the wallow.
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Per Richard Postman, Anvils in America: "...should a wrought anvil have four handling holes and the flats across the front and back of the feet under the horn and heel, you can almost always be sure it is a Peter Wright."
Even with the damage still a good buy. Hope you enjoy using it!!
Mike
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Aunt Phil, you sound like I do when I see someone take a nice original old pick-up truck and make it into
a hot rod. it will never be the same again.
as for the anvil, if only it could talk.
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please note the iron is supposed to be hot when forming!
yours is rougher than mine was, some nasty stuff done to that poor anvil!
Yours looks to be cast steel, the difference between a 70xx series mig wire and a 70xx arc rod (think the metal, not the flux) is very little. The real difference is in the thermal shock, the mig is going to be less plus more consistent. The arc rods do vary a little as they burn down, but in the long run it is the preheat and slow cool down that does the most good.
Now do you need a perfect anvil? you might be best just cleaning it up some with a grinder, using it, let the next guy worry about it.
If you are going hard face the surface, built up the low spots with a common rod, then add an even hard surfacing layer!
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Some disrespectful bustard beat the snot out of that anvil. He should be strapped to a stump and a hammer & chisel used on him.
I'd have no hesitation running E 70 S6 solid wire with Co2 to build the face back up. Might cheat a little with some carbon weld out blocks on the edges to make life easier. You'll want to pay attention to preheat and possibly want to bury it in vermiculite to cool.
You do have the bottom of the horn to learn on.
I wouldn't mess with metalcore wire unless you have experience. The problem will be where your build is shallow at the ends of the wallow.
Haha, well, it was in service in a fabrication shop for almost a century... Everything wears out eventually... The cutting torch on the horn seems unnecessary though >_>
So.... you'd recommend building up the dishing? I have a friend with a mill, I was just going to get it decked ^^; Having it decked would let me keep that nice, now ultra-dense steel where the anvil deformed. But, welding it would let me keep the mass...
I just looked it up, and a 10lb spool of S-6 is only $30... that's not bad at all! :D S-6 is air-hardening steel, right? If that would work for building up the edges as well, I'd be tickled pink! I wouldn't mind spending a day or two just sitting and welding on the thing... The problem would come with pre-heating it... a 300 lb anvil won't fit in my oven, or my forge :P I read a weed burner is an effective way to do it, and I can probably manage to borrow one of those.
That would be a lot of vermiculite o.o I mean, I can get it, but wow... I realize it wouldn't slow the cooling as much, but would wrapping it with fiberglass insulation slow it down enough to be safe? 400 degrees should be under ignition point.
please note the iron is supposed to be hot when forming!
yours is rougher than mine was, some nasty stuff done to that poor anvil!
Yours looks to be cast steel, the difference between a 70xx series mig wire and a 70xx arc rod (think the metal, not the flux) is very little. The real difference is in the thermal shock, the mig is going to be less plus more consistent. The arc rods do vary a little as they burn down, but in the long run it is the preheat and slow cool down that does the most good.
Now do you need a perfect anvil? you might be best just cleaning it up some with a grinder, using it, let the next guy worry about it.
If you are going hard face the surface, built up the low spots with a common rod, then add an even hard surfacing layer!
Good info, thanks :) I'm much better with a MIG welder than an Arc welder anyway, so that would be ideal.
A perfect anvil? No, not at all. But I want it to be as good as it can be. I do NEED to clean up the edge that is all chipped away though. That's the edge I'm going to be doing a lot of work on (And presumably the edge the previous owners did a lot of work on :P) So it needs to be addressed one way or another. I could live with the dishing... but, as I said above, I have a friend with a mill, so I don't have to live with it :P
Anywho... here's how the horn restoration went! It's not 100% done, but it's certainly good enough for my purposes. The few hash marks you still see on top of the anvil are barely able to be felt when running a finger over them. I tried to remove as little metal as possible. But, all that ugly cutting torch work has been made lovely and usable. I didn't like that the top of the horn was flat near the base, so I rounded it over. I've never seen an anvil with a flat there, so I'm assuming that was wear. I don't care about the cutting ledge. It can stay how it is for now. I might dress it up a little bit in the corner. (Note: it rained overnight, the odd splotches are just water :P I oiled it down before I went to bed to prevent rust.)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081607_zpsprnhhfw9.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081607_zpsprnhhfw9.jpg.html)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081558_zpsuum2h6mv.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081558_zpsuum2h6mv.jpg.html)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081546_zpsshxs88wy.jpg) (http://s137.photobucket.com/user/Midnight_Fenrir/media/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150808_081546_zpsshxs88wy.jpg.html)
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T F, Loose rule of thumb is E 70 S6 wire run with Co2 will give you a deposit damn similar to 7018 rod.
Right now, the best price on that wire in 10# spools is http://www.htpweld.com. Their website is a pain in the ass, but nobody has quality wire at their prices.
Your citation of 10# spools concerns me. What machine will you be attacking the divot with? 10# is generally an indicator of a small machine or worse a 110 volt machine with a low duty cycle. A job of this nature and mass is something you don't start & stop, it's a continuous weldout.
Concerning preheat and post cool, there are tricks of the trade. The first is minimizing heat loss in the process. I'd look at first isolating the anvil from contact with heat conducting material. The cement board sold in places like Homer Desperate is an excellent isolator. I'd box the anvil with such or a drywall lined plywood box that would allow me to insulate the base and probably half of the anvil itself with vermiculite or even Kitty Litter (new) and then get about cooking it with a propane torch. That would be done after securing the weldout tabs to the anvil itself.
Make the box in 2 pieces so you can sit one atop the other in the manner of a beehive and when you finish the welding, set the second in place and fill the top box with vermiculite. That will give you the slowest cooling you can achieve in a field weld situation.
I've never been a fan of fiberglass blanket for such situations, and have fought a few Enginitwits over the issue. You get into some very interesting air flow dynamics when you heat up a large mass of metal and blanket insulation can actually create cooling vortexes around the hot metal. Boxed and poured in insulation always delivered better results in my world.
Air/Propane torches, I'll just admit I'm spoiled. I own torches up to 250kbtu, and will say absolutely, short of a coal fire they are the least expensive heat for the purpose. I've worked with propane torches that run on liquid propane and compressed air on large weldments, and thankfully no longer have to. Bottom line, you can make your own air/propane heater with a MIG contact tip and a few pieces of pipe or use a cheap Horrible Fright weed burner. Just be aware you ain't sliding the job with a single BBQ tank, these torches will outrun a BBQ tank, especially a tank with a trilobal handled OPD valve. I would love to drown the SOB who came up with that contraption so I could watch the air bubbles leave his mouth and nose.
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Aunt Phil, you sound like I do when I see someone take a nice original old pick-up truck and make it into
a hot rod. it will never be the same again.
as for the anvil, if only it could talk.
The only thing worse is the commercial shop specializing in doing that work for little rich boys who are clueless on how to do their own work. There was a shop in Rochester that engaged in such destruction. He was sure a continuous weld couldn't be made across a roof without warping, so he just dabbed birdshit on and filled in with Bondo.
I was called sadistic for enjoying watching his jobs come apart from the vibration of the mega engines stuffed between frame rails that weren't designed for the task. Yes, I did laugh when he set his shop on fire with a contraption involving sparkplugs in the tailpipes that shot flames out of the pipe. Then I built a better flame unit using propane and a small blower to induce air to the exhaust stream.
Now if I could just figure out a way to turn the vehicle exhaust to a brake light activated soap bubble generator I could put a Clean Air Technology sticker on my van and annoy a lot of people.
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T F, Loose rule of thumb is E 70 S6 wire run with Co2 will give you a deposit damn similar to 7018 rod.
Right now, the best price on that wire in 10# spools is http://www.htpweld.com. Their website is a pain in the ass, but nobody has quality wire at their prices.
Your citation of 10# spools concerns me. What machine will you be attacking the divot with? 10# is generally an indicator of a small machine or worse a 110 volt machine with a low duty cycle. A job of this nature and mass is something you don't start & stop, it's a continuous weldout.
Concerning preheat and post cool, there are tricks of the trade. The first is minimizing heat loss in the process. I'd look at first isolating the anvil from contact with heat conducting material. The cement board sold in places like Homer Desperate is an excellent isolator. I'd box the anvil with such or a drywall lined plywood box that would allow me to insulate the base and probably half of the anvil itself with vermiculite or even Kitty Litter (new) and then get about cooking it with a propane torch. That would be done after securing the weldout tabs to the anvil itself.
Make the box in 2 pieces so you can sit one atop the other in the manner of a beehive and when you finish the welding, set the second in place and fill the top box with vermiculite. That will give you the slowest cooling you can achieve in a field weld situation.
I've never been a fan of fiberglass blanket for such situations, and have fought a few Enginitwits over the issue. You get into some very interesting air flow dynamics when you heat up a large mass of metal and blanket insulation can actually create cooling vortexes around the hot metal. Boxed and poured in insulation always delivered better results in my world.
Air/Propane torches, I'll just admit I'm spoiled. I own torches up to 250kbtu, and will say absolutely, short of a coal fire they are the least expensive heat for the purpose. I've worked with propane torches that run on liquid propane and compressed air on large weldments, and thankfully no longer have to. Bottom line, you can make your own air/propane heater with a MIG contact tip and a few pieces of pipe or use a cheap Horrible Fright weed burner. Just be aware you ain't sliding the job with a single BBQ tank, these torches will outrun a BBQ tank, especially a tank with a trilobal handled OPD valve. I would love to drown the SOB who came up with that contraption so I could watch the air bubbles leave his mouth and nose.
Ah crap, yeah, I've got a 120 volt Lincoln Electric 140 amp welder. I've never hit the duty cycle limits with it, so I didn't really realize it had one :P After your comment I looked it up, and it's 20% X_X For the record, I was only looking at the 10 lb spools because I figured that would be all it would take, and I blew all my money on the anvil, so I'm kind of broke :P My welder does take 30 lb spools, I have one on there now. Still, good catch on that one, thanks.
But, this is still very do-able... the master blacksmith from whom I apprentice has a very large mig welder, and he actually has repaired several anvils. So I suppose I'll just have to enlist his help with it. I was just hoping I could do it on my own ^^; (Except for decking the top, which would require his machinery)
I have an oxy/propane cutting torch... but I'm guessing that's not what you mean... Still, if I'm gonna be stuck doing it at my master smiths, I'm sure he's got the means to do it. I'll double check with him on how he does it before I let him get anywhere near my baby :P He has some questionable techniques some times >_>
Vermiculite it is n.n I've got a magswitch welding ground, so I don't have to weld tabs onto my anvil... It's a pretty handy little unit.
Any particular way the welds should be laid down? I've read about doing it cross-hatched, I.E. lay down a layer length wise, then a layer width wise, then length, etc... With peening it between.
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OK, I don't think you're grasping the concept of weldout tabs.
Building up an edge, is a major pain compared to welding a seam. The cheap and dirty workaround time saver is to tack what amounts to a shelf outboard of the edge you're trying to build. This makes for a much easier buildup and when you're done you just cut the excess away. My preference runs to using carbon because I have less cutting away to do, but steel will work fine.
About that magnetic ground, hang it on the side of a refrigerator, it will do you more good. Those things were never anything more than another way for a tooltruck driver to mine more money out of some body pounder's pocket. I know, you have the good one and it really works well etc. Hang it on the edge of a piece of steel and watch the microarcing as somebody else welds. Then tell me how good the ground is. If the contraption worked, somebody would make one for pipeline welding, and pipe weldors would buy them by the truckload.
Your O/P cutter is NOT a heating torch. Think Turbotorch on steroids or slightly downsized weed burner. I don't have a pic on this computer, I'll try to remember to snap one later and post it.
Remember, cutting torches only have to melt a tiny pool to get the cut started, then the iron becomes the fuel that makes the cut happen. That is why a cutter will generally have a chisel in his pocket and a 4 pound hammer. You use the chisel to build a feather of steel to start the cut easier. Saves a lot of fuel and time too. It's also easier when you have old eyes and lets you cut where you want to start.
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OK, I don't think you're grasping the concept of weldout tabs.
Building up an edge, is a major pain compared to welding a seam. The cheap and dirty workaround time saver is to tack what amounts to a shelf outboard of the edge you're trying to build. This makes for a much easier buildup and when you're done you just cut the excess away. My preference runs to using carbon because I have less cutting away to do, but steel will work fine.
About that magnetic ground, hang it on the side of a refrigerator, it will do you more good. Those things were never anything more than another way for a tooltruck driver to mine more money out of some body pounder's pocket. I know, you have the good one and it really works well etc. Hang it on the edge of a piece of steel and watch the microarcing as somebody else welds. Then tell me how good the ground is. If the contraption worked, somebody would make one for pipeline welding, and pipe weldors would buy them by the truckload.
Your O/P cutter is NOT a heating torch. Think Turbotorch on steroids or slightly downsized weed burner. I don't have a pic on this computer, I'll try to remember to snap one later and post it.
Remember, cutting torches only have to melt a tiny pool to get the cut started, then the iron becomes the fuel that makes the cut happen. That is why a cutter will generally have a chisel in his pocket and a 4 pound hammer. You use the chisel to build a feather of steel to start the cut easier. Saves a lot of fuel and time too. It's also easier when you have old eyes and lets you cut where you want to start.
Haha, got it...
Also... holy crap, that's a brilliant way to start a cut! I've never heard that one before, lol. I mostly use my torch for spot-heating small stock to bend, but it does get a fair share of cutting done with it too. I will have to remember that trick.
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yes CO2 shielding gas is better!
It was an all day project, but looking back it was worth the work.
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Alrighty! I finally got all the welding and grinding done yesterday. I still have to roast it over a camp fire like a marshmallow to re-harden it, but all the hard work is done. It was quite a project, about 6 hours of welding, and the same amount of grinding.. It's not perfect, but it's about as good as I can make it right now n.n
Post welding: Pre Grinding
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20150912_181657_zpszaor59mc.jpg)
Post grinding:
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20151025_135702_zpsloeyjbmf.jpg)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20151025_135717_zpsuse9fis3.jpg)
(The face isn't slanted, like that picture makes it look for some reason...)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/Midnight_Fenrir/Blacksmithing/IMG_20151025_135744_zpsz5ttza4t.jpg)
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WOW!! Very nice work!...
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Looks like 10 to 15 pounds of wire buttered on there, but I'm not seeing any preheating signature on the anvil itself.
What wire did you burn in?
Were you holding an interpass temperature or just winging it?
What did you do in terms of postcooling?
If that's an example of free hand grinding with a 7 or 9 inch grinder I can find you work real easily.
The BIG question???
Have you given it some healthy love taps with a 4# hammer yet since it has cooled?
That test was the one I always went to coffee before somebody else did it on a buildup job.
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Don't hurt yourself on that sharp horn.
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Looks like 10 to 15 pounds of wire buttered on there, but I'm not seeing any preheating signature on the anvil itself.
What wire did you burn in?
Were you holding an interpass temperature or just winging it?
What did you do in terms of postcooling?
If that's an example of free hand grinding with a 7 or 9 inch grinder I can find you work real easily.
The BIG question???
Have you given it some healthy love taps with a 4# hammer yet since it has cooled?
That test was the one I always went to coffee before somebody else did it on a buildup job.
AT LEAST 10-15 lbs... I didn't keep super close track, it ate as much as it needed...But I think it was closer to 20lbs. There wasn't much left on the 30lb spool...
I didn't pre-heat it :/ I was working with the smith from whom I've been apprenticing. He assured me it wasn't necessary, but I insisted on it... We spent about 2 hours trying to rig up the parts to make a propane torch to do so before giving up on it... He said he'd pay for the anvil if anything went awry... So I just did it... The anvil got pretty dang hot in about an hour anyway, and stayed much too hot to touch throughout the process... I peened it between each pass...
I used ER70S-6 .030-Inch wire.
I haven't taken a swing at the anvil yet... It's going to get roasted over a bonfire until it's glowing hot, then the face is gonna get dropped in an oil bath to harden it as much as can be. Then it will be put into service, replacing my 200# Vulcan cast iron anvil.
Also, yes, that's free-hand grinding, using mostly an antique 7" angle grinder. I used my 4" with a flap wheel around the corners to lightly round them, and to put the bevel on the oposing edge of the face.
Don't hurt yourself on that sharp horn.
Gah, you sound just like ny mother XD That's all she could say when she saw my anvil :P I'm handling 1800 degree pieces of glowing steel, and the safety concern is the sharp anvil point :P I'm looking forward to having a sharp point, instead of the very blunt remains on my Vulcan. Plus... Sharp edges! God those will be nice to have! The only sharp edge on my Vulcan is the heel, and even that isn't great.
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PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MOTHER BOY!
She made that body you're intent on wrecking, and she's your mom.
Anvil horns hurt like hell when you nail one with your leg, and can rip your pants too. You really want to suffer the humiliation of asking mom to sew your pants up after SHE TOLD YOU?
If your iron is only 1800° you're working it too cold.
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PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MOTHER BOY!
She made that body you're intent on wrecking, and she's your mom.
Anvil horns hurt like hell when you nail one with your leg, and can rip your pants too. You really want to suffer the humiliation of asking mom to sew your pants up after SHE TOLD YOU?
If your iron is only 1800° you're working it too cold.
Haha, that horn won't touch my blacksmithing pants :P I wear fire-hose canvas. And anyway, I can sew my own pants :p
Well, I was just throwing out a number.... But 2100 is forge welding temp IIRC, so 1800 should be a pretty bright orange... Again, if I recall correctly...
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PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MOTHER BOY!
.....
Anvil horns hurt like hell when you nail one with your leg, and can rip your pants too. You really want to suffer the humiliation of asking mom to sew your pants up after SHE TOLD YOU?
One day you will be painfully reminded, WE TOLD YOU SO!
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Don't come running to me when you break your neck Twilight. You were warned!
(don't give me any backsas about not being able to run with a broken neck either)
Real Smiths wear kilts, not firehose pants.
Now go stick a tennis ball on that sharp point before some innocent person gets hurt by it. Nobody cares if you get hurt, but I don't want to feel bad cause some poor innocent person got hurt. Better make it a soccer ball so it can be seen easier.
And
Don't let me see you running with tongs in your hand either!
Dear Lard, why does my brain retain housemother admonitions?
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Don't come running to me when you break your neck Twilight. You were warned!
(don't give me any backsas about not being able to run with a broken neck either)
Real Smiths wear kilts, not firehose pants.
Now go stick a tennis ball on that sharp point before some innocent person gets hurt by it. Nobody cares if you get hurt, but I don't want to feel bad cause some poor innocent person got hurt. Better make it a soccer ball so it can be seen easier.
And
Don't let me see you running with tongs in your hand either!
Dear Lard, why does my brain retain housemother admonitions?
I have 2 kilts :P They were expensive, though, I don't want to start them on fire!
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Don't come running to me when you break your neck Twilight. You were warned!
(don't give me any backsas about not being able to run with a broken neck either)
Real Smiths wear kilts, not firehose pants.
Now go stick a tennis ball on that sharp point before some innocent person gets hurt by it. Nobody cares if you get hurt, but I don't want to feel bad cause some poor innocent person got hurt. Better make it a soccer ball so it can be seen easier.
And
Don't let me see you running with tongs in your hand either!
Dear Lard, why does my brain retain housemother admonitions?
I have 2 kilts :P They were expensive, though, I don't want to start them on fire!
NOT even with an 11foot 9inch pole!
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
What good are a few male deer? o.o I mean, I guess they're tasty... and you can make some cool stuff out of the antlers... but I'd much rather get tools than deer :P And, it's tough to forge power tools... theoretically possible... but tough.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
What good are a few male deer? o.o I mean, I guess they're tasty... and you can make some cool stuff out of the antlers... but I'd much rather get tools than deer :P And, it's tough to forge power tools... theoretically possible... but tough.
You got an anvil; You got a Hammer & you got an arm.
What the hell more do you need for power tools?
Most you need is a decent sledge.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
What good are a few male deer? o.o I mean, I guess they're tasty... and you can make some cool stuff out of the antlers... but I'd much rather get tools than deer :P And, it's tough to forge power tools... theoretically possible... but tough.
You got an anvil; You got a Hammer & you got an arm.
What the hell more do you need for power tools?
Most you need is a decent sledge.
Actually, I could really use some swage blocks n.n Or even just big chunks of iron from which to make them! A power hammer would be nice, even though I prefer to work by hand... Ooh, I could use a long electric kiln type thing so I could actually harden/temper swords since so many people ask me about that :P A smaller portable anvil, a bigger portable forge... Raw materials... All kinds of things I can take for barter...
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
What good are a few male deer? o.o I mean, I guess they're tasty... and you can make some cool stuff out of the antlers... but I'd much rather get tools than deer :P And, it's tough to forge power tools... theoretically possible... but tough.
You got an anvil; You got a Hammer & you got an arm.
What the hell more do you need for power tools?
Most you need is a decent sledge.
Actually, I could really use some swage blocks n.n Or even just big chunks of iron from which to make them! A power hammer would be nice, even though I prefer to work by hand... Ooh, I could use a long electric kiln type thing so I could actually harden/temper swords since so many people ask me about that :P A smaller portable anvil, a bigger portable forge... Raw materials... All kinds of things I can take for barter...
Go find an abandoned RR siding, there sure as hell are plenty of them next to unused industrial buildings in this country in 2015. Plenty of free iron there.
Long tempering oven, pencil out what that will cost to operate. I've installed equipment that never got used after cost of operation became known. NOPE, I didn't tell the fools, I just did exactly what they desired. I'll bet less than 1% of the people asking you for the service will not be willing to pay the cost of operation.
Only mobile smithing I know of is a farrier, and he constantly complains about the time it takes to cool so he can put it in the truck and go to the next job. He also complains about people expecting him to work for free. Coal & portable ended with Diesel locomotives arriving on the rails.
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Keep up the banter, you guys are entertaining.
None of my anvils have a point that sharp, and I'm glad they don't.
You want banter, send money.
I don't entertain for free.
Can you barter for banter?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
AND
Unless your retainer arrives in the next 24 hours Twilight will be by to drop his anvil on your foot.
You may barter for the option of which end of the damn anvil lands on your foot first.
Speak for yourself, I'll barter for banter. I accept all manner of blacksmithing tools :P Gimmie an anvil and I'll banter your ears off!
HEY, I'm trying to pick us up a few bucks here. You seen the price of E70-s6 this week?
You got a hammer, a heater & an anvil you make the rest of the tools. You add a welder and you can cheat a lot. I've got a smith still sputtering 6 years after I did a buildup with the MIG machine, threw it on the anvil and beat hell out of it, because I convinced him it was a total hammer job.
The current economy doesn't allow for complementary banter.
What good are a few male deer? o.o I mean, I guess they're tasty... and you can make some cool stuff out of the antlers... but I'd much rather get tools than deer :P And, it's tough to forge power tools... theoretically possible... but tough.
You got an anvil; You got a Hammer & you got an arm.
What the hell more do you need for power tools?
Most you need is a decent sledge.
Actually, I could really use some swage blocks n.n Or even just big chunks of iron from which to make them! A power hammer would be nice, even though I prefer to work by hand... Ooh, I could use a long electric kiln type thing so I could actually harden/temper swords since so many people ask me about that :P A smaller portable anvil, a bigger portable forge... Raw materials... All kinds of things I can take for barter...
Go find an abandoned RR siding, there sure as hell are plenty of them next to unused industrial buildings in this country in 2015. Plenty of free iron there.
Long tempering oven, pencil out what that will cost to operate. I've installed equipment that never got used after cost of operation became known. NOPE, I didn't tell the fools, I just did exactly what they desired. I'll bet less than 1% of the people asking you for the service will not be willing to pay the cost of operation.
Only mobile smithing I know of is a farrier, and he constantly complains about the time it takes to cool so he can put it in the truck and go to the next job. He also complains about people expecting him to work for free. Coal & portable ended with Diesel locomotives arriving on the rails.
Interesting... There are lots and lots of rail lines around here... I might be well served checking out the mine pits for bits of abandoned machinery... Northern Minnesota is full of mine pits :P
Yeah, I know noone would actually PAY for one right now... But at least I could say, 'Yes I can' and maybe catch the one in a thousand who would :P
I just picked up a better forge the other day n.n It's a nice little Buffalo forge, about twice the size of my crappy rivet forge. The down side is it has a pump-lever versus a crank, but I think I can convert it over easily enough... For now, it's definitely a step up n.n I go to historical reenactments, so a portable shop is a must...
(http://www.do-bid.com/dobid/dobid151/17-1.jpg)
(http://www.do-bid.com/dobid/dobid151/17-5.jpg)
(http://www.do-bid.com/dobid/dobid151/17-7.jpg)
Just need to build a more portable anvil stand, and vise stand... 4 RR ties bolted together isn't the easiest thing to load into a truck....
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A, did you use stove polish on that forge pan?
B, any clay bottomed creeks in your area?
C, Look at that blower handle for a while, there is a trick to tie a short rope on it and use a board for a foot treadle that beats hell out of cranking. Just don't grab the forge pan for stability while you treadle.
D, there should be aprons for that pan that index into the holes below the lip.
You're claiming to be a blacksmith and complaining the anvil ain't easy to load, you see anything wrong with that argument? If smithing was easy girls would do it.
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A, did you use stove polish on that forge pan?
B, any clay bottomed creeks in your area?
C, Look at that blower handle for a while, there is a trick to tie a short rope on it and use a board for a foot treadle that beats hell out of cranking. Just don't grab the forge pan for stability while you treadle.
D, there should be aprons for that pan that index into the holes below the lip.
You're claiming to be a blacksmith and complaining the anvil ain't easy to load, you see anything wrong with that argument? If smithing was easy girls would do it.
A. No, it was already 'restored' prior to my acquiring it. I think it's high temp spray paint... Will find out when it gets put to use :P
B. Not that I know of.
C. That's... Kind of brilliant :D Thanks!
D. Aprons? That serve what purpose? I used those holes to make and mount a tool rack on my previous forge, I was planning to do the same with this one...
Ain't complaining about the anvil itself :P I pick up and carry my 200# anvil in my hands. :P But I have to pack a dolley and ramps for my anvil stand, and vise stand. The dolley and ramps take up a lot of room in my truck that could be better used. If I make a hollow stand for each, I can load them by hand. Maybe even store my tongs and hammers in them so I don't have to have that great big tool box, too :P
Also, girls do blacksmith :P
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OK, no good old creek mud available, time to look into clay from a ceramic shop, or plastic refractory. Even a quarter inch of clay will lengthen the life of the forge considerably. It also puts more of the heat in your coal into the work and less into the forge pan.
Aprons give you coal preheating and storage as well as a place to break the fire up when you're finished cooking your iron. Flip the coal waiting to burn in the pan onto the apron, spread the fire out and save coal. Good coal is expensive. Lousy coal is costly too.
C- there is a lot of sneaky in being a good smith. Watch an olboy working a treadle and you'll see him casually use the handle to get the jackshaft perfectly positioned to take off when he steps on the treadle.
I've driven damn good smiths nuts by employing MIG buildup and beating that to shape and letting them try to figure out how I shaped that.
D- think on it, where those holes are located in that cast iron pan is invitation to fracture hot cast if stress is applied there. Hang a tool rack there and you added a lever to multiply the impact of a tool falling into its stored position.
NEVER EVER CARRY ANYTHING heavier than your coffee mug! Wheels are Mother Natures way of saying Back Injury is FOREVER. An old wood milk crate would hold half a ton of weight. You can make an anvil stand with crap 2x4s and plywood that will work as well as your heavy block if you joint it properly. A little extra jointery and it can be a carrying box too.
Yup, I know about girl strikers. I willingly sit back and let Rusty's wife swing the hammer. She's fun to watch too. She even sings and fiddles.
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Just curious if Twilight ever heated that anvil up and quenched it, to reharden it?
This thread contains some of the most appalling abuse/restoration of an anvil I have ever seen.
There is a proper way to weld up and hardface an anvil....it doesn't involve any rehardening by heating in a bonfire.
He even posted the write up that anvilfire has about proper weldment and hardfacing.
Breaks my little blacksmith heart to see all these posts.......
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Just curious if Twilight ever heated that anvil up and quenched it, to reharden it?
This thread contains some of the most appalling abuse/restoration of an anvil I have ever seen.
There is a proper way to weld up and hardface an anvil....it doesn't involve any rehardening by heating in a bonfire.
He even posted the write up that anvilfire has about proper weldment and hardfacing.
Breaks my little blacksmith heart to see all these posts.......
No, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Been busy getting ready for Minnesota winter...
And what is that right way? Believe me, I spent DAYS researching 'the right way'. Every person had their own right way, and for every person with their own right way, there are two who say that it's wrong... And everybody is an expert with years of experience who has restored countless anvils...
Maybe the answer is... That they're all right. Anvils are deceptively complex machines. But I think perhaps we exagerate this, making them more mysterious than they need to be, like so many other things in our trade. (I'm looking at you, Damascus Steel) People still adamantly insist that you have to quench a blade with the leading edge pointed North...
250lbs of solid wrought iron aren't going to crack because it wasn't pre-heated. Wrought iron is naturally fairly soft and forgiving. Hardening it in a big fire is how it was originally made to be hard, so that's not abusive. The only big factors in this particular restoration is the metalurgy of the filler, and the skill of my welding.
My arc welding isn't up to snuff... It just isn't... But I am passable with a MIG. I used the wire Aunt Phil suggested, it was also the same wire that the smith from whom I apprentice uses for fixing his anvils. Whether or not it will harden enough remains to be seen... But it will be better than what I have now. If it doesn't hold up, I just have to grind it all off and try again if/when it fails. That's how we learn what's the right way...
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Twilight, in a repro catalog of the 1880 Jackson & Tyler Tools and Supplies, Baltimore, MD
there is a picture of a forge that looks like yours. (has the lever handle)
specs; No.3 with dash, size of fan, 8 inches, size of hearth, 21 x 27 inches
height of fireplace, 29 inches, weight, 145 pounds
price; $36.oo
they also sold Eagle anvils; 4lbs. to 90 lbs. $1.oo to $8.oo
100 lb. to 800 lb. anvils 9 cents per pound.
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Twilight, all of Keeykeepers complements aside, have you given that hunk of iron a good beating yet?
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Wasn't trying to put anyone down, but to heat and quench an anvil that size will require one hell of a fire to get to critical temp, and a pretty elaborate setup to quench it correctly.
Proper weldment of an anvil face requires that the sub-face be built up slowly with regular electrodes, and then hardfacing electrodes used on the last part. The face of forged anvils, is a tool steel, and the body is usually wrought iron.
Would be a different story if the entire anvil is of the cast steel type.
I've never claimed to be an expert, like some do. Just commenting from the perspective of a blacksmith who has been doing this stuff for almost ten years, and has spent countless hours at conferences, and learning from masters along the way.
If I'm not helpful in my comments, then so be it. Nobody listens anyway.
I'll leave you to all the wrench forum resident blacksmith (amongst other trades) experts, then. Good luck, enjoy what you are doing, and most importantly, have fun.
I have better things to do, then be dismissed by those that know everything.
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Good natured fun-poking aside, each has his own level of knowledge and no one should try to bully another over matters such as this.
I think this has gone far enough.
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I want to know if Twilight has put a good beating on that chunk of iron yet.
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Your grinding job was first rate.
Now, a long winded report on heat of organic materials:
For the record, almost all organic material burns within a narrow temperature range. Lpg gas, wood, and coal will all get about as hot as each other and all will burn at 2000ºf snd hotter. Burn temperatures are not ignition temperatures, I.E., natural gas has a much lower ignition temperature than wood.
This goes against our own experience, it would seem, but it is true and is a fact that I live with as a fire protection engineer. Single family homes flash over at temperatures over 2000ºf, often within minutes of ignition. A single christmas tree can cause a 2400º flash in minutes.
For wood, moisture needs to be removed, so we see it burn slower (at first). In a large fire moisture is removed quicker. The heat is greatest within the fire and dissipates quickly at the flame tips and as the smoke plume rises.
The amount of available oxygen is a big factor, as is enclosure configuration. Smiths are accutely aware of the effect of blower usage on heat output, and as every 12 year old boy scout learns when starting fires, added air can heat things up quickly. Reflected heat adds to the heat of a fire, in a bonfire there wouldn't be much reflected heat
Wood fires have been used for temperatures over 2000ºf in ceramic kilns for a long time.
Speaking of kilns (I have 6, 3 that I use regularly.) This would be one of the rare times that I would disagree with Aunt Phil (I still do this carefully and never married to my thoughts completely, like a cub questioning a journeyman) Many modern kilns are very efficent, with little heat loss. My biggest is 41" wide x 25.5" x 13.5" deep. It has a computer controller and you control the rate of temperature rise/fall, how long to stay at a certain temperature, etc. It holds heat so well that I have to vent it to cool slowly even. I think our power is moderately priced here in Colorado. Anyway, running it through a heating to melting / fusing phase then down through a 6 or 8 hour annealing phase down to 150ºf costs very little (a few bucks at most.)
I've enjoyed this thread, I think I've learned from many of you. I saw valid points in all posts, and from an outsiders perspective it seems like there is more than one way to skin this cat.
I have questions, I understand that hardening an anvil face is not needed after hard facing, but if you did heat up an anvil and quench it - Would you need to anneal to relieve stress? I would guess that an anvil, like one that was in a fire (even if it cooled without quenching) could be hardened too much, is that correct? Would such an anvil be unsafe or subject to hardened parts flying off when struck?
Does the sheer mass of a big anvil offer some level of safety?
My anvil is nicely sized for me, it is a whopping 35 lbs. It is a Cliff Carroll model made right here in Colorado. I have it on an anvil stand that cost more than my anvil. I like the stand much better than the stump setup I had before. I think that these anvils are mostly for farriers. I don't know its construction, and their website doesn't answer that question.
I'm taking a picture of my set up. I'm adding some of my stakes (they are equally small scaled as the rest of my beating kit.) I dont use a forge - just an annealing pan or a fire brick box for bigger stuff.
Don't you smiths make fun of my rig, and any aspersions as to my strength would be ridiculous if you saw me.
When I want to work steel or iron I do that at my in-laws. When it comes to toys, his shop is the bomb. I gave him his anvil, it is welded to a section of I-beam. I saved it from the trash in 1984. It was a shop warming present for when he had a 40x60 ft metal building put in behind his house (hobby shop and hot rod storage.)
Looking forward to opinions of Twilite, Aunty, Keykeeper and others.
Chilly
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My huge anvil:
(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/chillylulu/Tools%20Sized/20151207_115951-1_zpssfchauox.jpg) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/chillylulu/media/Tools%20Sized/20151207_115951-1_zpssfchauox.jpg.html)
I included a goldsmiths hammer, the face is less thann1/4" across. Don't ftet for me, the fancy handle helps keep me from getting wore out.
Some of my stakes:
(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/chillylulu/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120107-1_zpse7tjcs4l.jpg) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/chillylulu/media/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120107-1_zpse7tjcs4l.jpg.html)
A single stake in a stake holder that I never use:
(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/chillylulu/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120257-1_zps4co0gjce.jpg) (http://s880.photobucket.com/user/chillylulu/media/Tools%20Sized/20151207_120257-1_zps4co0gjce.jpg.html)
I hope this makes all you blacksmiths feel superior :smiley:
Chilly
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Sheesh Chilly. you're a fitter with CAD out the wazoo, and you bought that cute little anvil stand? Whutthehell, did the guys take all the scraps to the junkyard? Was there a problem jigging the legs up?
What's with the tinknockers stakes in the picture?
BTW, we're now into CAFS systems, you best study up on bubbles. They even have bubble machines in Popo cars now.
I'll make it easy for you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_foam_system
I gotta try this idea out with an old water can. If that proves out I'm going for a 100 gal model.
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Those stakes are too small for tin knockers, Phil. They are 2-3" long. The hole in the stake holder is about 1/4" square.
Nothing new about foam - we install it all over the place, but mostly in aircraft hangars (overhead, columns, and sprayed up underwing with monitors.) Just cut up a bar of soap real fine and put the powder in that water can. You may have invented a new extinguisher.
I don't make big things. Maybe I would if silver and gold were as cheap as steel.
Chilly
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OK, sop ship me a couple 5 gallon pails of foam concentrate so I can play.
If my idea is right, I should be able to build a HUGE pile of foam on a cold night and really confuse people driving by.
Secondly, why is it called an aircraft hanger? I've been inside many of them and have yet to see any aircraft hanging in there.
Third, I don't think you should be posting those tools in a blacksmithing section. Technically blacksmithing is working with iron, and your goodies are for working bright metal, therefore Pawpaw needs to start a different section for Brightsmithing or goldsmithing or silversmithing.
Shaving a bar of soap might be against some law in NY, seems like everything is.
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Good natured fun-poking aside, each has his own level of knowledge and no one should try to bully another over matters such as this.
I think this has gone far enough.
I don't know what was said, as I don't check in here much, Papaw. What ever it was, I must have struck a nerve with someone.
I will say that I apologize, if I offended Twilight. I remember when he came on the scene, and I have tried in the past to pass on good info to him.
As for anyone else that has issue with what I said, or questions why I said it, a PM before bashing me in an open forum would have spoken volumes as to your character.
I used to love coming to this forum, and found it refreshing to try and help others.
Now, not so much anymore, due to circumstances like this.
I wish you all the best, I'll just lurk from now on.
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I was only referring to the general direction things were going, not calling out anyone at all.
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Hmm looks like mine also. Love the ACME idea.
Looking forward to seeing the paint job
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Alrighty, sorry for the absence, life and such :P
The other day I decided I was probably not gonna be able to wrangle my teacher into helping me re-harden this baby any time soon, and I got sick of waiting, so I slapped it on my stand and started using it. Making a hardy for my new little Kohlswa anvil I picked up the other day.
It is a godsend! MUCH easier to use than trying to work around the damage on my cast anvil. It also rings super loud, so I hung a big spike through the pritchel and that helped significantly. I was working it pretty hard, hammering a big chunk of high carbon steel, but the face seems plenty hard for practical use.
My Vulcan has been sold, so now it's just my Peter Wright, and my luttle 100lb Kohlswa for my portable shop. Also in the process of making some portable stands for both, which I'll make a new thread for when I finish...
Thanks for all the help and suggestions offered throughout this, and sorry if I got a little defensive ;^^
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Do you have it pointing north? how about the quench trough? Watching "iron & fire" the smithy says when you heat metal to harden you take it above non-magnetic temp, so when it cools it bends to magnetic north.... Sound like B/S's "bs"
I turned my anvils to north and found out why I didn't before! I've run into 2 of them and got the point! I have the bruises to prove it. My quench tanks are round so they always point north!
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Do you have it pointing north? how about the quench trough? Watching "iron & fire" the smithy says when you heat metal to harden you take it above non-magnetic temp, so when it cools it bends to magnetic north.... Sound like B/S's "bs"
I turned my anvils to north and found out why I didn't before! I've run into 2 of them and got the point! I have the bruises to prove it. My quench tanks are round so they always point north!
Hahaha, actually, by pure fluke chance yes, the horn of my anvil points north :P
I know lots of people who swear by quenching magnetic north, but I think it's a lot of superstition... Besides, I've got a big steel oil can I use for quenching, which would block any effects anyway :P
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How about wrapping some chain around the waist(not your waist the one on the anvil) to reduce the ring?
Mike