Hello the board,
I've a large piece of steel I'd like to utilize as an anvil, and am wondering if there is a way to harden the surface on at least one side? The piece measures 10" x 19.5" x 3". It is one solid, contiguous piece. It's got enough mass to be solid, and I've used it gently in the past, but would like to be able to use it to really hammer on and shape metal. But it is not very hard, and I can ding it with hammer strikes and corners/edges of work pieces. I'd like to harden one of the large flat sides, as well as one of the narrow sides. Is this doable? Any tips or suggestions are welcome!
Thanks
The easy cheap and fun way, is to get a steel box that your piece fits in, put some crushed charcoal in the bottom of the box, put your part in the box and cover this more crushed charcoal, put a lid on if you have one, then build one hell of a fire,this should take two men about a twelve pack of non Coors lite beer, I mean a 1/4 of a cord of hard wood fire, after that burns down some add enough wood to set your box over top of the hot coals, and add more wood, drink another six pack and then add the rest of the wood with the intent of getting that box as hot as two drunks could get it, finish your beer and go to bed, about noon the next day your box should be getting cool enough to drag out of the ashes and open the box, drink more beer while it air cools.
Your part should have absorbed enough carbon to become hard,
now you need to temper it.
How is that process different than annealing? Or are you just trying to carbonized?
It will still need to be heated and quenched.
Mr Gruff Tried RR track?
I've got a cheap anvil I've had for 10 years or and used the chit out of. But it's only like 60-70 lbs. this chunk o goodness is over 100 lbs heavier. Not going to bother with a hardy hole or horn.
Anvils is pretty damned pricey.
Get some 1/4 o1 or a2 plate face it. Weld in place
Thanks Rick, I hadn't thunk of that!
A large solid square beam makes great anvil set vertical. You work off the small square end. It's a Japanese style anvil. If you work off the horizontal long flat side it will ring terribly. Those square edges are great for setting the tang and ricasso steps.
The easy cheap and fun way, is to get a steel box that your piece fits in, put some crushed charcoal in the bottom of the box, put your part in the box and cover this more crushed charcoal, put a lid on if you have one, then build one hell of a fire,this should take two men about a twelve pack of non Coors lite beer, I mean a 1/4 of a cord of hard wood fire, after that burns down some add enough wood to set your box over top of the hot coals, and add more wood, drink another six pack and then add the rest of the wood with the intent of getting that box as hot as two drunks could get it, finish your beer and go to bed, about noon the next day your box should be getting cool enough to drag out of the ashes and open the box, drink more beer while it air cools.
Your part should have absorbed enough carbon to become hard,
now you need to temper it.
I'm afraid all you will get is drunk.
With out knowing what kind of steel it is carbonizing has the best chance, as far as welding a piece of A-2 to it the only thing that will happen is the A-2 will likely break on the first strike and the welds certainly will follow, as A-2 is an air hardening tool steel and will become brittle, O-1 being oil quenched to harden just means the welds will break, if you are going to patch a piece onto it then 4140 or better yet 4350 prehard would be better choices.
Beer still helps.
The easy cheap and fun way, is to get a steel box that your piece fits in, put some crushed charcoal in the bottom of the box, put your part in the box and cover this more crushed charcoal, put a lid on if you have one, then build one hell of a fire,this should take two men about a twelve pack of non Coors lite beer, I mean a 1/4 of a cord of hard wood fire, after that burns down some add enough wood to set your box over top of the hot coals, and add more wood, drink another six pack and then add the rest of the wood with the intent of getting that box as hot as two drunks could get it, finish your beer and go to bed, about noon the next day your box should be getting cool enough to drag out of the ashes and open the box, drink more beer while it air cools.
Your part should have absorbed enough carbon to become hard,
now you need to temper it.
I'm afraid all you will get is drunk.
Lol...I think in this case one could coin the term "Getting Annealed" as the same thing.
Goat a lot of guys use 7018 rod to reface small section. Kiss blocks on punch press's are mostly made of a-2 or d-2. I have a 200lb Peter wright that was on a wagon when my bunch came to Indian territory. I refaced it with a-2
Thanks dude! I'll check out Pacific next time I'm in town and see what I can snag. Should I put anything twixt the pieces or just make it as flush and square as I can?
The living legends told me to grind flat as possible with a hand grinder. Weld in place
I beat the [bleep] out of mine like most days without a hitch.
Truefully I have 3 English made that all bounce bearing but can't find fault in railroad track
I've got a cheap anvil I've had for 10 years or and used the chit out of. But it's only like 60-70 lbs. this chunk o goodness is over 100 lbs heavier. Not going to bother with a hardy hole or horn.
Anvils is pretty damned pricey.
Jumped over to Ebay just to check out prices and you are right ... damned pricey for 100+ lbs.
I have a Peter Write anvil, it is a good live anvil, but half the hard layer was broken off before I first saw it.
It does all I need.
Prices on darn near everything on eBay have become crazy. I'd check Craig's List or local classified rags Thrifty Nickel and the like.
Prices on darn near everything on eBay have become crazy. I'd check Craig's List or local classified rags Thrifty Nickel and the like.
That's fine but don't buy a cast anvil shaped object.
Goat a lot of guys use 7018 rod to reface small section...
This seems the best approach. Think of how diesel shovels and bulldozers have their blade/bucket teeth and wear areas reinforced with (high-nickel?) rod.
Prices on darn near everything on eBay have become crazy. I'd check Craig's List or local classified rags Thrifty Nickel and the like.
That's fine but don't buy a cast anvil shaped object.
The shipping charge is going to be more than the anvil cost
Goat a lot of guys use 7018 rod to reface small section...
This seems the best approach. Think of how diesel shovels and bulldozers have their blade/bucket teeth and wear areas reinforced with (high-nickel?) rod.
Thought they used borium or Drill-Tek?