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Anvil??

8man

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Oct 16, 2013
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630
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Bryan, Texas
Looking for a real anvil. I have the HF one, but it dents and dings if I drop a nail on it.

I found a 75lb one with a Rockwell Hardness of 52. Will this be hard enough for hobby use so I don't have to sand or grind it to keep it fairly flat and smooth on top? My gut says no, but I don't know anything about anvils. I want one to help with metal shaping as I'm learning to work metal for the car.
 
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6PTsocket

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Mar 12, 2014
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Looking for a real anvil. I have the HF one, but it dents and dings if I drop a nail on it.

I found a 75lb one with a Rockwell Hardness of 52. Will this be hard enough for hobby use so I don't have to sand or grind it to keep it fairly flat and smooth on top? My gut says no, but I don't know anything about anvils. I want one to help with metal shaping as I'm learning to work metal for the car.
I don't know anything about anvils but I would think that it can't be too hard or you would not be able to beat on it without risk of chipping or cracking. The harder steel gets, the more brittle. Why don't you go on line and see what you can find on anvil construction or find a very expensive one and see if they give the hardness. If the one you found gives the Rockwell hardness, I would suspect that that is an optimum value or they would just not give that information. People don't usually advertise bad specs. Whether the spec is accurate is another issue.

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2oolhound

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BC Canada
Most blacksmiths figure anyone who isn't a blacksmith abuses anvils. Blacksmiths only beat on molten metal with one. The rest of us beat on cold steel on them. My blacksmith buddy gave me a 14"x 14"x2" piece of steel to use as an anvil cause he knows I'd be an abuser;)
 

6PTsocket

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Most blacksmiths figure anyone who isn't a blacksmith abuses anvils. Blacksmiths only beat on molten metal with one. The rest of us beat on cold steel on them. My blacksmith buddy gave me a 14"x 14"x2" piece of steel to use as an anvil cause he knows I'd be an abuser;)
Good point. I never thought about that. I beat on the pad on my vise. What, if anything is sold for cold beating parts into shape. Do I have to get a thick piece of steel like yours? I undoubtedly would be a an anvil abuser if I had one.

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ovrrdrive

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Sep 13, 2015
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Central Florida
I found a short piece of train track and it works great. They were doing maintenance on the track downtown and I asked the foreman if he would sell me some. He pointed at some scraps and said I could just take them. I've used it several times and it works great. I doubt you'd put a dent in it either.
 

Davefr

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Jan 7, 2010
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OR
Anvil is for blacksmith work

Vise is for compression

Train track chunk is for general beating
 

1982fxr

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Phoenix
Is this a current production anvil that gave the Rockwell ?

Get train track or take a few $20 bills to the scrapyard and see what you can find
 

1982fxr

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Phoenix
Good point. I never thought about that. I beat on the pad on my vise. What, if anything is sold for cold beating parts into shape. Do I have to get a thick piece of steel like yours? I undoubtedly would be a an anvil abuser if I had one.

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If you beat cold steal on it it's basically abuse...
 
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6PTsocket

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The only RR track near me is in use. They would probably take exception if I cut out a piece

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Tim37

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Dec 11, 2014
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The only RR track near me is in use. They would probably take exception if I cut out a piece

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It's like we said in high school "it's only illegal if you get caught."

Btw I really don't condone detailing trains
 

Horsethief

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Sep 18, 2016
Messages
9
I rarely ever see a farrier hot shoe a horse. They beat shoes out cold all the time. Now I have had some say don't beat directly on the face with a hammer.
 

ovrrdrive

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Central Florida
The only RR track near me is in use. They would probably take exception if I cut out a piece

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It took me about a year to find some. Every time I saw men working on the railroad I walked up and asked them how I could get some. I finally asked the right guy at the right time. Some guys find it at scrap yards too. You have to be actively looking for it to get some of it.
 

Hal

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Mar 8, 2008
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666
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Vermont
A blacksmith told me that anybody who would work cold steel on a good anvil is going straight to hell.
 

Lassen Forge

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Apr 26, 2014
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The romantic hills of central Umbria, Italy,
Spend the big bucks, and get a Peddinghaus brand new, and then when you chip the edges and bust off the horn you only have you to blame. I watched a kid beat the snot out of a Hay Budden with an 8 lb hammer and cold steel... and he kept banging and banging and banging something you could pick up bare handed. Made me ill...

Unless you have the mega-ton presses to cold roll steel, then you need to get it hot.

Cold Shoeing? What is that? NONE of the farriers I know would abuse their equipment like that. Plus, it makes weak horseshoes, and you're not being kind to the horse, either...
 
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