Thread: My humble pinning anvil

I feel in debt with one of my most useful tools. This slice of rail is plenty of great angles, and had endured a heavy ton of beating through its time with me. When at rest, it keeps being useful keeping doors wide open against the wind. Pretty cheap, indeed.

Where are the pictures?

Damn dumbness... loading now. I can peen using it between my tighs, while seated. Great ergonomics!

And here's mine! The cut off end of a 1 1/2" bolt. One of these days I'm gonna straighten the bottom so it sits square, one of these days.

Where did you get this? I mean where would someone go to find something similar. I ask because I do some metal work and like the angles this could provide.

Are you asking me or Matheus? If you're asking me, I work in heavy industrial construction, so I got it out of the rubbish. Any small block of medium to high tensile steel will do the trick, then you just need to file and sand the face so you don't leave marks in your peened pins. Any general engineering workshop will have a rubbish bin full of potential anvils. Happy hunting!

Originally Posted by puketui41

Are you asking me or Matheus? If you're asking me, I work in heavy industrial construction, so I got it out of the rubbish. Any small block of medium to high tensile steel will do the trick, then you just need to file and sand the face so you don't leave marks in your peened pins. Any general engineering workshop will have a rubbish bin full of potential anvils. Happy hunting!

Sorry I should have quoted him. I was asking Matheus. I can cut a bolt myself.
Fun fact the main beam holding up my house is a piece of railroad track turned upside down. Apparently the guy who built the houses around here got a deal and bought a bunch of railroad tracks and used them to build houses. It is basically an I-beam after all
of course I am not thinking of cutting a bit off to make an anvil like Matheus's

Hi,
Some friends and I picked an about meter long chunk of old rail from an extinct railroad maneuvering yard back when we were at technical high school (precision mechanics). We dragged the mo** fu** damned heavy thing back to school and chopped it with the stock metal saw, further working the faces on a mill and planar grinder. Some years ago I cleaned it and gave a heavy bath of copper and nickel. Pretty hard, grinding-resistant steel. Made in Brazil, probably by Krupp or COSIPA.

Holy crap! I carry this thing elsewhere by about 27 years! I should put a ring on it!

Originally Posted by Matheus

Hi,
Some friends and I picked an about meter long chunk of old rail from an extinct railroad maneuvering yard back when we were at technical high school (precision mechanics). We dragged the mo** fu** damned heavy thing back to school and chopped it with the stock metal saw, further working the faces on a mill and planar grinder. Some years ago I cleaned it and gave a heavy bath of copper and nickel. Pretty hard, grinding-resistant steel. Made in Brazil, probably by Krupp or COSIPA.

Holy crap! I carry this thing elsewhere by about 27 years! I should put a ring on it!

27 years that's impressive. Hmm They destroyed the major marshalling yards near hear couple years ago to build a mega hospital. Guess I'm too late

Matheus, What a wonderful revelation!!!

I have used a couple of, similar, short RR Iron anvils over the years and...Never even thought to use a finished end of them.
Thank You!!
~Richard