Thread: Cold weather forging

'Evening folks,

I have a cold-weather forging question for you. After having been cooped up inside sick for the last several days I was hoping to get out to the workshop this evening and hammer some very hot things. But then I got to thinking: is there potential for damage in cold weather to my equipment. Most importantly my anvil. In other words, is there potential to damage the face of my anvil when it is what we humans would consider very cold when I introduce it to steel at forging temperatures?

As an FYI, it is about -20 to -25c (around -4 to -13f for my Unitedstatesian neighbours) here at the moment. While I can easily bump the air temp up to a more reasonable working temp, that won't have much affect on the anvil for a while.

On the one hand, certain things start to get quite brittle at these temps. But on the other, the temperature differential right now is not that much more than if it was, say 0c. (i.e. 1225 degrees vs 1200 degrees)

Any ideas?

The short answer is yes. Spalling is more likely in the cold. It does depend on hardness so the harder the steel the more likely to see cracking chipping etc. Most old blacksmiths recommend warming up the significant tools to be used especially if they are going to get a hard workout.

You could speed up the anvil by resting some hot steel on it.

I have the interest, but lack the funds and appropriate space for smithing, so I am addicted to another forum that I know I've seen cold weather forging discussed. Go to I Forge Iron
If i remember his handle correctly, you will find posts by Frosty the Lucky to be of special interest to you. Btw, the search function on that site has room for improvement.
Long-story-short, warming the anvil is recommended.

I dunno. Being at BobAllman's once in the fall, it was good to get away from the forge! Plenty hot!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I dunno. Being at BobAllman's once in the fall, it was good to get away from the forge! Plenty hot!

Come on up here in January or February! Heat isn't usually the problem...

You can definitely mess up a cold anvil, hammer, or hardie. I have seen horn tips break off and hardies split in half. I have had the ball crack off of a ball peen hammer. I've heard of, but never seen, a face split. Even though it rarely dips below 0 F where I live, if it is cooler than 40 F I will wrap my anvil, hammers, and hardies in an electric blanket the night before I plan to use it. Once the forge is fired up to temperature, everything within 10 feet stays warm.

I have heard of felling axes breaking off the edge when they're frozen, and the guy advised to keep the axeshead under your jacket on the way to the job to get them at body temp. Forging at -20 C is not an issue for me. It my get to -15 outside one a cold winter, but usually it doesn't go below -5, and the couple of days that it actually freezes is very low.

I knew about he axes & old axmen keeping their blades next to the body, but never really thought about my anvil. My winter has been relatively mild this year & has been hovering around freezing for the most part. My anvil is about 5' away from my forge, so if I'm running the forge, the anvil will warm up fine...but I really never considered it. Good thread and info...

Originally Posted by shooter74743

so if I'm running the forge, the anvil will warm up fine...but I really never considered it. Good thread and info...

Not really. It takes a heck of a time for an anvil to even notice the red hot steel you're banging on top of it.
And forge fires are built to keep heat inside, as much as possible, nevermind the fact that it is 5' away from your anvil.

So if your anvil is well below freezing temperatures when you light the fire, don't count on the air convection to heat up the anvil before you might damage the anvil.

What can happed to an anvil? can you crack it if cold?