Blacksmithing - fixing a cracked anvil
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- In this video, I repair one of my block style anvils that cracked during heat treating. Not sure how it work out in the long run...
website: www.gstongs.com
email: glen03@earthlink.net
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Good repair, and if it's to be used as a light duty bladesmith's type anvil it ought to hold together. I have a friend who has tenoned in a new horn on a broken anvil, then built up around the tenon with weldment, and up to now he hasn't had issues with the anvil.
Nice work glen!
Albert
Albert, After giving it a try, I think it will hold up too. The welder did a very good job. My only concern is that some of the cracks run deeper than the welds penetrate. I should have shown how my own anvil in this style rings crisply (without magnets attached) but this one makes a very dull thud sound. Thanks. Glen
I remember this cracked anvil from your earlier video. Great outcome and nice summary at the end.
I can't complain. I recouped the final amount of money I had in on this one and the gentleman that bought it wants the second one (for a friend). You win some, you lose some... Thanks for watching. Glen
Glen GS Tongs 😊
Glen, I am always happy to see one of your videos in my feed. I doubt you would have any problems with the anvil, but you might with the welds. Unless the welder used high carbon something something for the welds you are fine, but if he used just plain old filler rod, where the welds are it might dent a little. But, you would have to hit it just right to get that. Great video.
That's a good point. I explained to the welder the situation; what this anvil is used for (just in case he was unsure) and so I assume he used an appropriate filler rod/wire. I will ask him next time I see him. Thanks so much. Glen
useful information had no idea that could weld the cracks and still be quite effective. Cheers!
I work at a foundry and castings are repaired with welding all the time. If you think his cracked area was bad, try filling in a space literally the size and shape of a soda can, completely with weld. And it's perfectly fine afterwards. It's not worse in quality than the original material at all.
Thanks for the very interesting and informative comment. Makes me feel more confident that this will hold up well. I wouldn't say (in the case of this anvil) that it's as good as one that didn't crack (as far as rebound is concerned) but it will serve its purpose.. Thanks for watching. Glen
Jeffrey, I've seen guys build up complete anvil faces with special hard face welding rods. Talk about a grinding job... Anyway, when I used this anvil, I couldn't tell much of a difference with my own, completely intact anvil. Thanks. Glen
Glen, you shouldn't have any problems with the anvil as long as the cracks didn't run too deep. I repaired tooling that alloy and h13 also. If the welder did his job correctly, it should last. The radius anvil face acts like the horn on your anvil. Just allows the bar or stacked billet of steel to be drawn out easier. Thanks for the videos. Ron
Ron, Well, that's the crux of the issue - in some spots, the cracks were just too deep to weld completely. I think it will hold up but it will always have some internal imperfection that could lead to failure. I gave the gentleman who bought it my guarantee. If something happens, I'll take care of it. I thought the radius on those Japanese anvils was for that purpose but wasn't totally sure. I rarely use a horn but for some reason, really want to use an anvil face with a radius... Thanks. Glen
Actually Glen i would have used a grinder to make a 45 degree seam with 1/4 holes drilled about 3/16 deep for the weld to penetrate a bit deeper into the steel...then taken it to a shop for them to shave a 1/16 of an inch on a milling machine to better clean and smoothen the area..wish i had a cold roll block....
Ciao quel blocco d'acciaio è stato riparato perfettamente! che splendida attrezzatura che hai, un abbraccio di cuore!
The Japanese bladesmith anvils maybe get that way from hundreds of years of beveling blades. I have seen where they have two separate forging areas. One to weld and do general forging, and one that is strictly for the beveling.
Ernest, I never thought of that but I suppose it's possible. Some of the anvils they are using look very old for sure. I've also heard that the majority of their style anvil is below ground level, making them much heavier than they seem. No matter, I sure wish I had one of those anvils... Thanks for watching and commenting. Glen
I found a piece of 2" thick 24" square piece of hot rolled steel for $100. I plan on cutting it up and making an anvil of sorts out of it. I will weld the pieces together but I will put sizable bevels and build up the groove to the surface. Not as good as solid but better than a surface weld.
Robert, Have you put your homemade anvil to use yet? I hope it works for you. Thanks. Glen
Haven't had a chance to get it together. Just had my right knee replaced and it will be a while before I get back in the shop. You can follow me on Instagram Pirate_welding. Should be posting on there as things progress.
this would be perfect for a begining blacksmith. Just think when he gets realy good on this one and buys a new one...
Robert, That's a good point. The guy who purchased this has been pleased so far. In the future, if he changes to an anvil without imperfections like this, he may immediately notice a difference... Thanks for watching. Glen
Good video
Thanks Greg. Take care. Glen
Nice job Glen! Glad to see that the anvil will be put to good use. Now on the Japanese anvils, it is my understanding that the radius is beneficial for drawing out material in a cleaner or smoother manner which can reduce the amount of cleanup work. If I can find or recall where I saw this I will send you the reference. How are you progressing with the SEO for your website? I can think of several ways to help with the search rankings that would improve your site and thus your business while making it easier for people to support you through purchases, donations, etc. I am glad to see that you added a live i.e. clickable link to the video description. Plus it would be helpful to add a link to a section or page of the website that pertains to the video's topic. For instance, if you had a section or page on the website about anvils then you could add to this video's description something like - to learn more about my anvils go to (insert live link here) and use a link that uses the keywords pertaining to the topic or subject matter like - gstongs.com/anvils. Then on the anvil page of the website you should have a description of your anvils, including material, size, weight, hardness, how and why you arrived at the unique design, and the steps or process required to have them made, what others should look for in a vendor or craftsman to have one made for themselves, etc. In other words, just be helpful and try to provide others with the information that you would like to have found when you were looking into anvils and share some of your personal experiences along the way. Also, you should include pictures of anvils and for the tag be sure to include the "alt" attribute with a detailed description of the image in the photo using the appropriate keywords in a conversational manner. The alt attribute of the tag was designed for two major purposes, which is to display the text on the rendered page in are text only browsers or those that have the images turned off and to assist those who are visually impaired using adaptive devices like screen readers. However, the attribute helps search engines to determine the context or subject of a page and site in order to catalog them i.e. determine their relevance to search terms, thus making it an important element of SEO. You could also provide links to or embed your videos that pertain to anvils. In closing, I would like to say that it would be much more appropriate and professional if your email address was something like glen@gstongs.com instead of using a free email address or one provided by an internet net provider. Well, I hope that I did not overwhelm you with all of this and if you need some clarification or have any questions or just need/want some help with any of this or SEO in general, please let me know. I do hope that you found this to be helpful or at least beneficial in some way. Godspeed my brother.
Peace!
Jeffrey, Thanks for watching this video and for explaining the reason for the radius on some Japanese anvils. And big thanks for taking the time to explain in detail website SEO and what I might do to improve how people and search engines find me. After getting my new website up, I've barely had time to make any but a few minor changes which you previously suggested. I will go over what you've outlined here and see what I can do. And if i need help, I will let you know. My business comes in spurts and currently I am fairly busy. Once things slow down, I will implement some changes. Feel free to continue to make suggestions - I appreciate it. Talk to you. Glen
glen03@earthlink.net
Will do Glen! Glad to help out in any way that I can.
Does it ping the the same as it did before it cracked.
Does a hammer blow bounce more or less then before.
Did you heat treat it when it was knew.
Nicely done !
Thanks James. Stay tuned for more... Glen
Great blacksmithing philosophy
Thanks for your support. Glen
I enjoyed the video.
Wonder if a cracked anvil absorbs more impact energy, reducing its efficiency?
I suspect some swordsmiths/blacksmiths can hear the change in pitch when hammering and pick up on a hairline fracture early.
Andrew, I would say a cracked anvil almost certainly absorbs more energy and so less energy is transferred into the workpiece. As for a hairline fracture changing the pitch, that is very true. Even a slight fracture, inconsistency or inclusion will make an anvil not resonate with a high pitch ring. But just because an anvil doesn't ring also doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem. There are other factors involved... Thanks for watching. Glen
some anvils are made with crowned faces to counteract any change from lots of use
I've seen very old anvils with "sway back" where an area somewhere in the middle becomes concave from repeated use/abuse. But this also is likely due to the anvil being "soft". Depending on how an anvil is made, starting out with it crowned would then make sense... Thanks for sharing. Glen
How much for an anvil like the one on the left ? With the Hardy and Pritchett .. it looks really solid
price of steel now adays....i buy steel for my shop, a 6x6x12 cold roll plain block would cost me 485.00 so that size today with no milling close to 1,500-2000.00 depends on your steel supplier
Glen
at least you got your money back for the investment it to bad that when they were made the people snuck the damage by without saying anything.
Good fix though.
Yes, that's a very god point. The gentleman already has the anvil and is thus far pleased. It seems he (his friend) wants the second and so I should recoup the final amount of money I was in on these. All's well that ends well... Thanks. Glen
I imagine that the weld was very hard bc the welder didn't preheat the anvil. With a piece so large and with a higher carbon alloy he should have.
Marcus, That's a good point. From my welding knowledge, I know that some steels or especially cast iron need post heat treatment to prevent the welds from cracking, that is, holding the piece at a high temperature for a long period and very slowly cooling it down. I've heard of preheating for things like torch welding, brazing and the like. Not sure how preheating/post heating would affect this steel (4145) but it's worth investigating. Thanks for watching. Glen
Two questions Glen. First, what part of the US of A do you come from, I'm having a hard time placing your accent. Sometimes it seems New York-ish, and other times almost mid-western. Secondly, how much did it cost to make your anvils? I'm only a recent subscriber. I am using an antique cast iron anvil now and am thinking about upgrading to something more durable.
Sorry for the late reply. I'm originally from Staten Island, NY. But I've live in the Northwest and Taiwan for many years so my accent has maybe become hybridized... The smallest block style anvil I had made (about 65 pounds) cost me about $330 to have made - this includes the steel, surface grinding, machining and heat treating. For a time, I was selling this for $610 (over $200 of which was the shipping). So, you can see the margin was not very good for such an item, considering all the back and forth required. Thanks for subscribing. Glen
Glen GS Tongs in northern Ireland you can buy a 250 pound anvil forv£300
Glen I would love to have that anvil. Rob.
Rob, It really is a good anvil, depending on the work one does. Some guys may find it just too small but you'd be surprised by how large of steel I work on my own. Talk to you. Glen
What would be the shipping on the anvil?
The shipping for that anvil would be $210 via express airmail. It weighs ~ 65 pounds and this is close to the maximum for postal delivery. And, I'm still into the cracked anvils for the cost of the steel ~$100. So, you're looking at around $300 which is a lot of money for an imperfect anvil. However, it would be worth it to someone who works in a similar way as I do, who would find this anvil useful... And while the shipping is high, by comparison, I paid $150 to have my small forge sent here and it weighs considerably less... Thanks. Glen
you shoulda beat those welds down with a hammer first ! that would have been less grinding and made it harder
I never thought to try that. The weld material was very hard but I probably could've worked it down some with repeated hammer strikes. Thanks for watching and sharing. Glen
Would you provide measurements and the type of steel used to make your anvils?
Edward, The two block anvils I use in videos are approximately 88 pounds and 65 pounds. The larger is roughly 9.5" x 7" x 5.5". The smaller is 8.5" x 6" x 5". They are both made from 4145 steel and are completely heat treated, top to bottom. Thanks for watching. Glen
Hey Glen, what alloy is that anvil cast from?
This anvil (and my own in my videos) are machined from 4145 steel, not cast., and are heat treated to ~ 48-50 HRC. Not super hard for an anvil but this steel is still very suitable in my opinion. The steel company boss tells me that 4145 works hardens as well and judging by own anvils, I would say he is right. Thanks. Glen
It looks like a Frankenanvil
Exactly my thoughts... Thanks for watching. Glen
Off topic......did you burn the top of that stump?
No, that stump just became blackened by the forge scale and oil. Thanks for watching.
Pretty crappy that the welder didn't even grind his own welds
I honestly did't expect he would grind the welds. I know that's more of a standard procedure elsewhere; part of the total job, but I gave it to him understanding he would only weld... Thanks. Glen
Excuse me, this is what the anvil local production? How can we get it? Thank you
The anvil style you see here is my own design which I had made. For a time, I was offering this style for sale but currently have stopped. The shipping is just too high (I am in Taiwan) and the amount of work that goes into making a proper anvil is a lot with the potential for problems to arise at the final, heat treat stage. Thanks for watching. Glen
Thank you very much for your reply. By watching your video, I think this anvil you is very practical, not only that, through your video, let me learn a lot of knowledge about the blacksmith. Don't know if you could buy this anvil through what way, you have to provide this anvil? Thank you！
Katana swords :D It's like saying Sword swords :D
Yes, I see what you mean. Thanks for pointing that redundancy out and for watching. Glen
The idea that an anvil has to be "solid" is just ridiculous. It may be slightly better as far as the amount of energy absorbed during work, but the overall mass and shape of the anvil is much more important.. I.E. the mass under the actual work, as opposed to working over the edge of a "traditional" shaped anvil. That's why people in the know covet the thick waisted anvils so much.
Dego, You make a very valid point - I very much agree. I feel the mass directly under the workpiece is very important. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Glen
it's a A.L.O. anvil like object
Michael, Thanks for reiterating the name - A.L.O. Glen
How do you call that type of anvil?
I just call it a hornless, block style anvil. But I guess you could also call it a swage anvil. Thanks.
Don't hammer with your thumb up
Others have also said this and I understand the reasoning. But it's hard to keep my thumb down in certain positions. And I've been hammering so long that I'm not sure this will ever change. I do have a very light, easy grip on my hammer though. Thanks for watching.
would you be willing to make a small one to sell?
Levi, I used to get these made for sale but stopped. The shipping is high and margin low on such an item. But so many people have inquired that I may revisit this in the future. Sorry I couldn't help you at this time. Thanks for watching. Glen
Taiwan numba waaaaaaaan
Formosa my life, I thought my blood type was Taipei. No matter, it's time to relax with a beer and Taiwan on...
painful!
Adam, Thank for watching - helped make this a bit less painful... Glen
My dear friend you have so many Anvil. I also need one of a square anvil just like you have. How I will get in My sweet Pakistan Kohat district.
I always watching your work shop videos and I like your programs
I don't mean to be rude but that's not an anvil that's what's know as a swag block
Tyler, Anvils come in many forms. While this may not be what most people think of as a traditional anvil, it functions as an anvil (it's heat treated and has hardy and pritchel holes). But since it also has some swage depressions, some folks might call it a swage block. Thanks for watching. Glen