[TheForge] anvil repair

Wed Apr 24 14:50:10 EDT 2013

James...the section at Anvilfire.com used to be the best on the subject.
You might consider a somewhat lower preheat/interpass temp. to minimize softening the face.
I'd grind out all rust, cracks and coldshuts completely. Peen after each pass ( airhammer?)
Consider 3 rods with the 7018 in the middle. I wouldn't use the MIG.
A high impact, work hardening, hardface is desirable ,peened like crazy before grinding.
Lots of usable anvils are ruined by hasty welding and you always end up with soft spots.
I'd respectfully suggest not welding at all, but rather, grinding the edges smooth to the sharpest available radius, however poor,
and making a hunky hardy stake with nice crisp edges for when you need them.

On Apr 24, 2013, at 4:14 AM, James wrote:

I know this has been discussed before but I need a refresher course...

Bought an old (1856) William Foster anvil a few weeks ago.  The top is pretty flat but the edges are beaten off almost all the way around and a couple places that appear to have rips or tears in the top.

According to the Postman book, Anvils in America it has a wrought base and a steel top that was forge welded.

If you were to attempt to rebuild the corners/edges of this anvil, what procedure would you follow?   And what electrodes would you use?

My inclination is to clean it as much as possible, pre-heat to about400 degrees F, weld the bottom of any holes that cannot be cleaned without doing serious damage to the anvil with a 6010 electrode (because it tolerates rust and junk and penetrates deeply). Then build up the surfaces with something like a 7018, grind down, etc. (I've read the 7018 works pretty well rebuilding an anvil.)

I have an almost full 50# box of Lincoln Abrasoweld that I use occasionally but don't know if it's for impact, abrasion or both. I hesitate to use an extremely hard rod on an anvil. On the other hand, in the 40 years that I've been welding I've used Stoody, Hi-Alloy, Hobart, specialty rods etc. with generally good success. Those rods used to be pretty common here (100 mi. NE of Dallas, TX) but now you just about can't get any special stick rods (Ni for cast iron being and Hi-Alloy 500 the only exceptions).

I presume this is due to the extreme popularity of MIG machines and the guys using portable rigs only use 6010/11 and 7018 for most work. All that to say, specialty rods are hard to find here and the boys in the welding shops aren't very helpful.

Would you go to the trouble to find a different rod selection than what I have mentioned and what procedure would you recommend if different from the above? Since Postman says the body of this anvil is wrought - and I've never stick welded wrought iron - will I have any difficulties if I get down into the wrought part?

And one more question, just how well would a MIG w/ standard off-the-shelf MIG wire and 92/8 or 75/25 shielding gas work to repair an anvil?

Thanks,
James
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