[TheForge] I don't think so

Sat Feb 22 12:43:01 2003

I've never heard of anyone breaking an anvil due to extreme cold either.
Other forms of abuse? Oh yeah, but not cold.

On the other hand I have personal experience with steel and extreme cold. At
one time, many years ago, I worked for a masonry contractor who ended up
working too late in an early winter. On one job at around -25f I had a piece
of #5 rebar snap off in my hand with much less force than it'd take to break
a surveyors lathe. On another occasion, working for a service station we
were pushing a dead Ford Galaxy into the shop at around -35f. The customer
jumped in to help and pushed both hands right through the trunk lid.
Everybody at the station knew to push on corners only but the customer
didn't and moved before we could say anything. His trunk lid had two
shoulder spaced holes about 5" dia, almost perfect circles, both "slugs"
broke in almost perfect half circles.

One last example I didn't see happen but saw the pieces was a 16' length of
13" wide flange that got dropped off the truck deck and broke in several
pieces in Fairbanks, temp was around -45f according to the driver. I was
working for the supplier who shipped the steel north and subsequently got
the pieces back for exchange.

All that said, perhaps no anvils have broken in use at extremely cold temps.
Is this because the effects of extreme cold are a myth or perhaps nobody's
worked one due to the cautionary tale? Doesn't matter to me either way, it's
too easy to avoid finding out. Better safe than sorry.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Franklyn D. Garland" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] I don't think so

> Well this may start another round...
>
> I have always viewed the "break your anvil in cold weather" concept as a
fable.  To date, after
> over ten years of working through Chicago winters, I have yet to break an
anvil.  I have, on the
> other hand, been really frustrated when my #200 heat sink sucked the heat
out of the metal I
> was trying to work on.
>
> During the winter I actually try to work the big pieces first.  They hold
the heat longer and warm
> up the anvil for the smaller stuff later.  Granted, the hammers are no
bigger than about #4, but
> I ain't busted a single anvil yet!
>

>
> Franklyn D. Garland
> The Celtic Knot Forge
> The Elektric Anvil
> http://www.celticknot.com
> http://www.elektricanvil.net
> ICQ #7171572
>