Knife forging without an anvil

[MichaelBikel]

I found some old wrenches that were my grandfathers and I was thinking of using one or two to make a knife. I have only blanked, never forged and I don't really have enough interest/money for an anvil. I have seen guys use a log with an old axe head slammed in it or a small section of railroad for an "anvil". Anyone have any other ideas that would be inexpensive? Now that I am thinking about it, could I use a standard hammer or would I need something more specific to stretch the material?

On another note, I have never really looked into why an anvil is necessary. I am assuming the weight is to allow the energy from the hammer to more efficiently transfer into the workpiece in addition to having a steady surface? And i'm also assuming that without a flat surface, the piece will warp where you may not want it to?

 

[ducksface]

A big rock works fine as an anvil.
As you powder a section, move to another section.
99.9 percent of anvils are decorative or not really needed for the job they do.
You're on the right tack.

The usefulness of an anvil is varied. The requirement for an anvil is very specific.
Handy? Yes, potentially.
Required? Almost never except for a tiny faction of specific manufacturing. .

 

[jimgood]

I found some old wrenches that were my grandfathers and I was thinking of using one or two to make a knife. I have only blanked, never forged and I don't really have enough interest/money for an anvil. I have seen guys use a log with an old axe head slammed in it or a small section of railroad for an "anvil". Anyone have any other ideas that would be inexpensive? Now that I am thinking about it, could I use a standard hammer or would I need something more specific to stretch the material?

On another note, I have never really looked into why an anvil is necessary. I am assuming the weight is to allow the energy from the hammer to more efficiently transfer into the workpiece in addition to having a steady surface? And i'm also assuming that without a flat surface, the piece will warp where you may not want it to?

You pretty much answered your own questions. An anvil can be anything heavy and strong (not brittle) enough to do the job.

The thing with forging is to minimize rebound. You want all the energy transmitted into the workpiece to distort it with as little effort as possible.

As for hammer...sledges are best. Whatever you can repeatedly swing without undo stress on your arm.

 

[matt_i]

If you can find an offcut piece of solid-round steel, lets just say 3-4" diameter, 4-6" long and have it faced by someone with a lathe (truly an easy, 5-10 minute job) you now have a mini-anvil. I'm guessing you are hot-forging here..what is going to supply the thermal energy?

 

[MichaelBikel]

If you can find an offcut piece of solid-round steel, lets just say 3-4" diameter, 4-6" long and have it faced by someone with a lathe (truly an easy, 5-10 minute job) you now have a mini-anvil. I'm guessing you are hot-forging here..what is going to supply the thermal energy?

I have seen some people use bernzomatic torches for small jobs. Since I am forging from a wrench I figure most of what I will be doing is grinding with a wheel anyhow. The issue is that the wrench tapers since one side is smaller than the other so I was hoping I could "stretch" out the more narrow areas for more height and possibly length.

I have seen tin can forges, brake drums, all that good stuff. I was really just hoping to be able to make something small and clean...

 

[Lhorn]

Hmmmm. Basic black smithing, knife making would be an interesting thread or sticky.

 

[Corndoggeh]

In ancient times they used blocks of granite as anvils.

 

[MichaelBikel]

Thanks guys. Random question, how hot does the forge need to get before I hammer?

Also I am wondering about the composition of my forge. Today I cut the end off of a 02 tank that I found, it is 1/4" thick. Is it possible to use this without some kind of plaster or do I need an insulating material?

 

[Al Borland]

On temperature, you want the metal glowing, kind of a salmon color, hotter than red.

 

[M_George]

Best to have a forge. My best advice is to go into YouTube and research knife making and making a break drum forge. I started out with a break drum forge and a foot long section of railroad track. But be beware, this can lead to a and addictive hobby. I have since acquired both coal and gas forges and taken classes at the Broken Hammer Forge in Delaware. It can get costly, but very gratifying. Sometimes referred to as The Art of Manliness.