Thread: portable anvil

Originally Posted by ScottGoodman

I know this may sound off, but you would know the risks...but have you considered befriending an oil change shop? They put old oil into 55gal containers. Your heating set-up is portable, so if you were able to dunk in a large container it might work. Then it would be a booger to "fish" out. I normally wouldn't recommend this to a newb, but it's maybe a "direction" as you will need volume to keep the oil below flash point.

Another likely location might be where heavy equipment is worked on. They normally have cut down 55gal drums for sliding under the equipment to drain the oil. You being the best scrounger I know...maybe these few ideas might get you going.

Of course, protect yourself and others from the nasty bad smoke that it would create.

Hey you Scott get out my head my head

That is what I was thinking also, thanks for the ideas.

A Red Adair Athey Wagon would do the trick?

Charlie, do me a favor and when you next have the anvil off of the stand, like before you heat treat again, do the bearing test again with the anvil sitting directly on your concrete floor. Also could you feel any indentations where the bearing hit before. My thinking is that the stand may be contributing to the poor bearing test. The modulus of elasticity is virtually the same up to yield on hardened and unhardened steel. The yield strength is where the big difference is. If the steel is yielding, permanent deformations would be occurring where the bearing is hitting. If the steel is not yielding, the rebound should be the same.

Originally Posted by spazola

Hey you Scott get out my head my head

That is what I was thinking also, thanks for the ideas.

It was psychedelic for sure!

[QUOTE=sharptonn;1731638]A Red Adair Athey Wagon would do the trick?

QUOTE]

Got a belt buckle from him as we watched a Tenneco well crater outside of MCAllen. When it was all over you could see the top of the rig about 50 feet into the crater.

Originally Posted by spazola

It is the handling of the chunk of metal that concerns me. I will build a pole with handles to attach to the bottom so that two people can lift and dunk it.

As for the volume of oil I will just use the biggest metal container I have or can scrounge up.

You guys are all on the right track, thanks for your thoughts.

How about tapping or welding an eye bolt or 2 to the bottom and then heating it upside down hanging from your poles between a couple of sawhorses or equivalent? You could then lift, carry, dunk, and remove easily. You could set up a couple of sawhorses at the proper height at your quench drum to just go over and set it down in.

I have never quenched an anvil and these are the ideas running through my head. Do at your own risk!

Quenching that much mass in oil will be very ........... I don't know the word, let's say exciting. I'm with Scott in that you will want a large volume of oil to keep it cooler. I think you will want the whole thing submerged and it would be nice to be able to slid a lid over the whole barrel in case you need to put out an oil fire I would expect a lot of smoke and flamable fumes. Remember how long it took to quench your post anvil in water. I think this will be worse.

I would have a bag of marshmallows and sticks in case the fire department was called you could say you were having a recreational fire....

Might be wise to include the Burkeburnett VFD there, Charlie.
Grill some burgers for the boys while the anvil gets cherry.

The remote drop from a distance would be prudent, I think.
Rope, pulleys, and chain........Everyone behind the fire truck!

Originally Posted by bluesman7

Quenching that much mass in oil will be very ........... I don't know the word, let's say exciting. I'm with Scott in that you will want a large volume of oil to keep it cooler. I think you will want the whole thing submerged and it would be nice to be able to slid a lid over the whole barrel in case you need to put out an oil fire I would expect a lot of smoke and flamable fumes. Remember how long it took to quench your post anvil in water. I think this will be worse.

Showing my ignorance but the vaporizing of the oil would take place within a small distance of the metal. 1/16 of an inch or less. What difference would it make if you quenched it in a 1000 gallon tank of oil? At that point the heat transfer wouldn't be quick enough through the oil to make a difference.