Thread: 2/3 of an Anvil

It looks very useful to me, I like it.

Still a super useful anvil, even without the hardy holes. But one really wonders What must they have hit this with in order to break off the tail like that?!?

Originally Posted by Magpie

Still a super useful anvil, even without the hardy holes. But one really wonders What must they have hit this with in order to break off the tail like that?!?

Cold day, cold anvil, one hit and it shatters like glass.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

Cold day, cold anvil, one hit and it shatters like glass.

I will have to look into that. To me what is a cold or hot day to a human in the world of steel would be a very minute difference.

Originally Posted by 32t

I will have to look into that. To me what is a cold or hot day to a human in the world of steel would be a very minute difference.

Cold would be around zero degrees F for an anvil. I think -15F is the coldest temperature that you want to hit cast iron at because of cold embrittlement, but that is assuming you have perfectly clean cast iron. Reality is that there will be slag and other stuff in the casting that causes the temperature to creep up a bit. So 0F is an easy value to remember and gives you a little bit of safety.

Smithtys perheat their anvils in the cold to keep the anvil from sucking the heat of their work, so no problem unless some idiot comes by and "rings" the anvil with a hammer and causes it to crack.

Very cool, and with a little work would be just about perfect for a blade anvil. Any idea of manufacturer? How hard is the surface? A little truing up on the break with a slight radius and it'd be awesome for blade work. A traditional anvil with horn and heel can really get in the way when bladesmithing.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

Cold would be around zero degrees F for an anvil. I think -15F is the coldest temperature that you want to hit cast iron at because of cold embrittlement, but that is assuming you have perfectly clean cast iron. Reality is that there will be slag and other stuff in the casting that causes the temperature to creep up a bit. So 0F is an easy value to remember and gives you a little bit of safety.

Smithtys perheat their anvils in the cold to keep the anvil from sucking the heat of their work, so no problem unless some idiot comes by and "rings" the anvil with a hammer and causes it to crack.

Who in their right mind working with a hammer hitting things in -15 temperatures (F or C) I mean seriously at those temperatures you risky your forearm breaking off in a shattering of frozen bone and flesh. Anyting below 0C is too cold to be working with your hands and even then ONLY if absolutely necessary

Originally Posted by AlanQ

Who in their right mind working with a hammer hitting things in -15 temperatures (F or C) I mean seriously at those temperatures you risky your forearm breaking off in a shattering of frozen bone and flesh. Anyting below 0C is too cold to be working with your hands and even then ONLY if absolutely necessary

After reading this I had to double check your location.

I would imagine someone living in a place like Belize writing this.

If it were cast iron, this might be a consideration, but I'm betting that old chunk is cast steel (NOT the same thing by any stretch) Only really cheap anvils would ever be made of cast iron. Like the type from Harbor Freight. I dont care how cold it was that day, there was either a flaw, or somebody put the kind of wailing beat down on it that you reserve for 50 year old ball joints!

There is a legend/story about captured anvils during the civil war where they would break the horn and heel off. Don't know if it was true or not, but such an anvil is just about ideal for a blade smith anvil.

You don't have to hit them in sub zero temps to break a good anvil, especially around the hardy or pritchel hole, just abuse it. A good anvil is made to have a soft piece of hot metal between it and the hammer, and really good ones are hard as glass. My Refflinghaus is 59-60 HRC.