[TheForge] Anvil repair workshop in NJ (was: Old tools)

[Bruce Freeman]

Jason,
Very interesting.  I suspect, however, that the Chinese anvils I've
seen are not lead-filled.  There's no sign of it, anyway.  (No Bondo
on these anvils!)

Peter,

To set the record straight, NJBA has had VERY GOOD results with our
repaired anvils.  This will be our fourth or fifth anvil repair
workshop, and I've heard of only some very minor problems with the
anvils -- minor chipping of re-welded edge, too-soft repaired areas --
and those on only a very few anvils and probably since corrected by
change in procedures.  One of my anvils was repaired significantly
(small piece broken from tail) and has shown no problems since.

I'm no welder, but it seems that considerable study has to go into the
rod or wire used.  I understand that cast iron apparently needs a
first pass with nickel or SS rod.  Any thick fills must be done with a
"softer" steel, and the hard-facing must be used sparingly.  Our
welders - one of whom monitors this forum - could better explain.
This is to say that if you just weld up your anvil edges with hanger
wire, you can expect problems.

Also, we do a pre-heat of the anvils, and this is apparently essential
for good adhesion.  We'll have three weldors going all day, and a
dozen guys keeping a fire going and lugging anvils -- on long-handled
carriers -- between fire and weldors.

The long and short of it is that if you get your anvil repaired by
NJBA (a participatory experience, by the way) you can reasonably count
on it being a good working anvil thereafter.

On Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 8:55 PM, peter fels & phoebe palmer
<artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:
>  Be extremely reluctant to weld on an anvil that has any life left in it.
> Many functional anvils have been ruined that way.
> The HAZ from any welding bead ruins the temper and grain structure of
> the adjacent face.
> In the long run, most welded-on anvils will catastrophically fail under use.
>
> On 10/13/2010 1:17 PM, Bruce Freeman wrote:
>> Well, in NJ you can get cheap Chinese anvils at Fazzio's any time you
>> like.  As one fellow asserted:  "That's a better anvil than you are a
>> blacksmith!"  (True for many of us, but certainly not all.)
>>
>> Meanwhile, if you have a beat-up anvil that you like, NJBA is holding
>> another anvil-repair workshop on Nov. 13 in Howell, NJ.  See our
>> website for details (http://njba.abana-chapter.com/ then click
>> "upcoming meets")
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Bob Ehrenberger<eforge at centurytel.net>  wrote:
>>> I have never seen a $20 anvil, but I came close.  I got my main anvil, a 170
>>> lb HB, for $75 from a friend who got it for $25 the day before.  He fell
>>> into a great deal and so did I. That was 13 years ago.  I sometimes see old
>>> beat up anvils at flea markets for under $200, but given the condition, they
>>> aren't really that good of a deal. If you keep your eyes open, and have some
>>> cash in your pocket you can still find an ocational deal, but they are
>>> getting fewer and fewer.  I like making tools so it doesn't bother me to
>>> spend time on tools, even if it ends up costing me more in time than it
>>> would have to just buy it.
>>>
>>> In BAM we have some members that like to go to auctions, they frequently by
>>> stuff just to bring to meetings and resell. They make a little profit, and
>>> the members that don't have time for auctions get some tools at a reasonable
>>> price. Like the kick press I got this summer, a friend got it at auction
>>> just about for free, and I traded something for it that I just had lying
>>> around, that my friend needed.
>>>
>>> It's not gouging to make a profit. If the price is too high it won't sell.
>>>
>>> PS: I do remember when I would see anvils in the hardware store along with
>>> the other shop tools, it's been a while.
>>>
>>> Robert Ehrenberger
>>> Shelbyville, Mo.
>>> eforge at centurytel.net
>>>
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>>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ