[TheForge] Re: frozen anvils and hammer dies

[gblacksmith]

Roger:  The technique you describe is VERY helpful when bladesmithing. Just 
taking the chill from the anvil is a great help when forging stainless 
blades.  I also preheat my tongs and hammer faces as well.  With stainless, 
you need all of the help you can get.

                                                                             
    Grant
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger Olsen" <erik at methow.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 7:52 AM
Subject: [TheForge] Re: frozen anvils and hammer dies


> Somehow my virus net caught the beginnings of this thread so I don't know
> what all has been said but I would like to add that I live in an area that
> has weeks around 0 degrees at a time and cold waves that move in that have
> brought down the temps to 30 below zero.  At tailgate sales around 
> Montana,
> Idaho, Alberta, and British Columbia it is not uncommon to see broken 
> anvils,
> usually the heel from the hardy hole back and swage blocks with a broken 
> off
> corner.
>
> Everyone I know has learned to routinely preheat their anvils and hammer
> dies.  The usual and preferred method is to light the propane forge and 
> slide
> in  a piece of stock about 5/8 or 3/4 by 4 inches or so wide and about 16
> inches long,  let it soak a good core heat and then bring it out and just 
> lay
> it on the anvil.  Hammer dies and swage blocks have those magnetic engine
> block heaters from the automotive store on them all night long,  one on 
> the
> waist of an anvil at bed time will work well for an anvil as well.
>
> Roger Olsen
>
> still on the East slope of the North Cascades
> ______________________________
>
> GHS wrote:
>
>> I have wondered myself. It might just be that when someone breaks an
>> anvil, they look for a reason.
>>
>> Rather than blaming structural flaws or misplaced blows, they choose "
>> Hey, it was MIGHTY D^%##%$ COLD"
>>
>> I would be interested in some good science on this one.
>>
>> Mike Graf
>>
>> xlch58 at swbell.net wrote:
>>
>> > I had always heard the issue was potential damage to the anvil, not 
>> > just
>> > losing heat in the work.   I tend to preheat my anvil even though it
>> > doesn't get that cold in Texas.  Easy enough to do.
>> > Charles
>> >
>> > Grover Richardson wrote:
>> >
>> >> So, a cold anvil is only .04494382 colder than the warm anvil.  That 
>> >> is
>> >> about 4.5%.  Measurable, but not metal threatning<G>.  Yes, it will
>> >> have a
>> >> (possibly noticeable) effect.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
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