[TheForge] treadle hammer anvils

Thu Jan 9 22:54:00 2003

All I know is that in practical application (which is what counts) my 
hammer does what I ask it to.
It was cheap, easy to obtain, easy to cut to the desired dimension and 
works for my application. I use it for tools, not for drawing tapers. If I 
wanted to forge large amounts of steel I'd use an air hammer or trip 
hammer.  The treadle hammer is for fairly precise  forgings using tooling. 
George Dixon demo'd for 2 days using my hammer and turned out some 
beautiful work with it,  I guess it met the requirements...

what more is there???

(sorry Clay)

mike

At 10:39 PM 1/9/03 -0500, you wrote:
>I hope Clay Spencer doesn't mind me quoting him.  When I asked him about
>tube anvils for TH, this was some of his reply:
>
>" My main thought is 'Would you use a 3 foot long, 4" square tubing with
>1/4" wall and a plate on it for an anvil for a 3 lb. hand hammer?'   Your
>hammer blows would not be nearly as effective. .... Some of the books I have
>read recommend the anvil weigh 25 times the hammer, another said 10 times
>the hammer and another said 4 times. For a 3 lb. hammer you wouldn't use a
>12 lb. anvil or even a 30 lb. anvil.
>
>Paul De Francisco used to make some of my design hammers to sell. He took 2
>copper pennies, same year, and hit one blow on the solid anvil. It took him
>3 hammer blows to get the penny expanded to the same diameter on the hollow
>anvil."
>
>Regarding filled tubes, Clay said "A tube filled will have some spring
>probably as much as unfilled. I don't think there is much way to fill a tube
>and keep the filler attached to the wall when the tube is impacted by a
>heavy hammer. With a filled tube I don't believe the mass of the fill will
>be effective."
>
>Made sense to me.
>
>Walt
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Steve Smith <[email protected]>
>To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
>Date: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:52 PM
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] treadle hammer anvils
>
>
> >I agree, the answer depends on how the hammer is used. Also, if the
> >hammer is screwed down to a large concrete foundation, that should help.
> >
> >I don't think filling the tube with loose scrap concrete, sand, etc.
> >will help. I think the fill would have to be firmly attached to the
> >hammer. Just my opinion, no facts to back it up. Maybe you could fill
> >the base with sand and put some kind of hold down on top of it to
> >compress it. I also like Bruce's and Mike's idea of bolt on mass.
> >
> >I suspect most of the pre-made hammers use a hollow anvil so that 1.
> >they cost less to make and 2. they cost less shipping.
> >
> >Both of the hammers I've made were solid anvil.
> >
> >Steve Smith
> >
> >GHS wrote:
> >> bob, The "solid "configuration that you
> >> used on mine is good and solid. That
> >> being said, for the most part I do not
> >> hit hard enough to really utilize it,
> >> most of the time.. I use it as a striker
> >> when I am holding tooling. So for me the
> >> tube probably would have been fine.
> >> If he is not likely to be stomping as
> >> hard as he can most of the time a tube
> >> will still make a sufficient immovable
> >> object. It might be a bit noisier
> >> though.
> >>
> >> Mike Graf
> >>
> >> [email protected] wrote:
> >>
> >>>i am building a treadle hammer for a friend. he is not sure whether to go
>with a solid anvil or a tube type. it seems that most commercially available
>t hammers have tube anvils with a plate on top, centaur, kirkpatric (the
>same?) and the one advertised in the hammers blow.
> >>>
> >>>are there others that can be bought?
> >>>
> >>>any opinions on the functional difference between solid or tube anvils?
>the guy i am making it for is concerned about moving it (weight). he lives
>in a flood plain and his shop has 7' of water in it some springs. he usaully
>loads thing up and moves it to high ground till the water goes down.
> >>>
> >>>bob s.
> >>>
> >>>_______________________________________________
> >>>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> >>>theforge mail list group photo site is
> >>>http://www.photoaccess.com
> >>>Login:  [email protected]
> >>>password:  anvil
> >>>___________
> >>
> >>
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> >theforge mail list group photo site is
> >http://www.photoaccess.com
> >Login:  [email protected]
> >password:  anvil
> >___________
> >
> >
>
>_______________________________________________
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
>theforge mail list group photo site is
>http://www.photoaccess.com
>Login:  [email protected]
>password:  anvil
>___________

         Michael Linn
       Artist Blacksmith
      McCalla, Alabama
       AFC Webmaster
http://afc.abana-chapter.com