[TheForge] Re: Top of a Broken Anvil

[Bruce Freeman]

Torching it in half for recycling makes sense.  If this was around
WWII, that might have been exactly what happened.  Perhaps  your
grandfather recognized the top as wrought iron and save it as such.

If you're a member of a blacksmithing group, you might suggest holding
an anvil repair workshop.  For a fee, folks bring their damaged anvils
and repairs are made.  To fix your half-anvil might be out of the
question, but filling holes in a horn is relatively easy.  The process
is to preheat the anvils in a wood fire (monitoring temperature with a
Tempil crayon so you don't ruin the temper), then using a "fill" wire
or rod to repair the deep "wounds" and some sort of hard or hardenable
rod or wire to repair the plate.  I'm not a welder, but if you need
details, we have several on the list who've done such repairs.  Such a
workshop is pretty easy if you have enough weldors, welders, and
grunts, and is best scheduled in mid-Summer so  you don't have to
preheat the anvils or the workers so much.  (That's a joke, boy,
that's a joke!)

Bruce
NJ


On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 9:38 AM, Jonathan Barnhart <blakkpawss at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >From what I remember it looks like it was cut with a torch.  Unless it was trimmed a bit to make it easier to repair after it broke, I'd have to say it was cut.  For what reason I don't know.  Maybe some idiot was cutting it up to make it easier to recycle as scrap.  I personally have no idea why anyone would cut up an anvil for any reason(even a crappy cast iron one doesn't deserve such treatment).  I do own a 35lb. cast iron Vulcan anvil that a previous owner used for drilling things.  They laid out things on the horn and drilled through them into the horn.  The horn is riddled with holes.  I thought I might fill it with iron welding rod, but then I got my 70 lb. Kohlswa.  So, I just let it go.
>
>
> --- On Wed, 9/10/08, A Vida <osan at netlabs.net> wrote:
>
>> From: A Vida <osan at netlabs.net>
>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: Top of a Broken Anvil
>> To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>> Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 8:28 AM
>> It just occurred to me that many Trentons were of 2 piece
>> construction -
>> the top half wrought iron and the bottom half mild steel.
>> These were
>> electrically welded at the waist.  My friend Marshall has
>> one like this.
>> Great anvil, but the weld is a possible failure point.  If
>> the welder
>> was having a bad day, a job may have been botched, yet look
>> OK and pass
>> QC.  Perhaps this is what happened here?
>>
>> is there any evidence of failed electrical welds?
>>
>>
>> Jerry Frost wrote:
>> > The only thing that might cause a problem would be
>> silica/slag
>> > inclusions but I don't know how much problem
>> it'd be.
>> >
>> > Frosty
>> > -------------------------------
>> > If it ain't forged
>> > it ain't real.
>> > Wrought iron is.
>> > The FrostWorks
>> >
>> > Meadow Lakes, AK.
>> >
>> >
>> > From: "dan tull" <dantull at numail.org>
>> >
>> >
>> >> The bottom should be wrought and soft for
>> drilling.
>> >> Only the top 1/2" of plate is steel.
>> >>>
>> >>> As to drilling it, I'm not sure that I
>> have anything heavy enough to
>> >>> drill it out.
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >
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>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ