[TheForge] Anvil rework, Was reducing fuel costs

[Andy Vida]

Bob Ehrenberger wrote:

> With a big enough forge and equipment to handle a hot anvil it
> should be possible. Any takers?

	Well, that's a mighty ambitious proposition these days.  Peter
	Ross once commented that he wasn't sure that the expertise to
	weld something that large existed anymore.  He said that he
	considered the welding of a steel face onto a large sledge to
	be pretty ambitious even for the Colonial Willamsburg smiths.

	If you think about it, you basically have one heat with which 
	to stick the weld.  After that, getting the wrought up to
	welding heat is taking the steel to burning heat.  I would
	think that a higher temperature flux such as a good clean 
	wood ash would be very helpful to minimize burning.

	I would love to give it a shot, but it would have to be
	very meticulously planned out and practiced before trying
	to do it for real.  The movement of a hot anvil is not
	a thing to take lightly.  100 or more pounds of iron at
	welding heat is throwing off lots of BTU.  How will it be
	handled from forge to anvil?  Chain hoist is obviously
	used, but in conjunction with what?  I'd probably cheat and
	forge up some Ti tongs.  
	
	The orchestration should be practiced many times before 
	anything goes to heat.  Prepping the mating surfaces with 
	the right amount of crown.  I'd probably use a wooden or 
	leather mallet for sticking the weld.  Less heat loss through 
	conduction than a steel hammer.  Once stuck, go to real hammers
	and finish the job.  I would think that that operation could 
	easily employ one malleteer and two strikers, plus one man
	on tongs to hold the work straight until the weld is stuck.
	Add two more to move the anvil from forge to work position
	perhaps on the floor on a bed of vermiculite, wood ash, or
	cinder.

	I think this would be a fascinating project.

	-Andy