![]() I would say that the horizontal railroad track is a poor substitute for a real anvil. ![]() Then, I set one up vertically, and it made a huge improvement. I also did not really believe the experts, and had to set one up horizontally. The angled blows are exactly what makes the web flex. The weakness of a horizontal orientation were painfully obvious when drawing down a 5/8" piece of high carbon steel over the edge. But, a lot of bladesmithing work is breaking down bigger pieces of tool steel into a knife sized flat. I don't know about the bladesmithing aspect, since some of the forging operations seem less challenging when it comes to power being applied off center. The unfortunate thing is, despite number of hits and ebay pictures, the vertical positioning is MUCH more effective. The horizontal alignment is much more "natural", and besides, when searching the web, most railroad rail anvils are horizontal. The following article discribes making your first forge weld and specifically addresses the anvil, anvil alignment, hammer and timing of the weld.Ī lot of people advise standing the salvaged railroad rail vertically and not horizontally. Use the anvil to it's full potential, using the sides, ends, top, bottom, inside and outside curves, step, and more. ![]() Next turn the anvil every which way but loose, and turn it to all points of the compass. Then make the working face flat and level in all directions, and at an appropriate working height for you. Now there is some discussion as whether to use true north or magnetic north, but until you need to split hairs, north will do. When setting up an anvil, align to NORTH, using a compass, North Star, or Southern Cross (for those that live down under). You can now use your tong hand to lay the work onto the track web, steady the work, and align the work directly over the 2 inch dia section of the rail. If you want to steady the piece of work, then align the rr track so that the portion the train wheel runs on points toward your hammer and 90* from your belly. This way there is less chance of banging your knuckles on the other sections of track, skinning knuckles or breaking fingers. It is just another tool, use it to your advantage.Īs to your north, align the rr track so that the portion the train wheel runs on points toward your belly. No reason not to use all sides and the bottom of the anvil to do what you need done. Tubing with 1/4 inch wall thickness is exactly 1 inch, but that leaves no room for the 1 inch hardie post. Look at the end of a chisel, the area is about the size of a nickel, and you can hit that with a hammer, so what is the problem with hitting a 2 plus inch diameter target?ġ-1/2 inch square tubing with a 3/16 inch wall thickness will give you a 1 in opening plus a bit. The end of the rail road track is about 2 inches dia or so, making the hammer face still the limiting factor. ![]() My hammer face is 1-1/2 inches square or less. The face of the hammer is the limiting factor. If you have a REAL anvil that has a face the size of an aircraft carrier, you can only move the metal that is under the hammer face. There is one out there with your name on it. Enjoy yourself and your time at the forge while you look for a real anvil. The anvil is after all a multipurpose tool. Use the anvil to it's full potential, using the sides, ends, top, bottom, inside and outside curves, and more. Most anvils end up somewhere between knuckle high and where the wrist meets the arm. This is usually just above knuckle high when you stand straight with a closed fist, then adjust higher or lower to suit your needs. Lay it on it's side for both inside and outside curves (horn and swage), if you need a hardie hole, weld some square tubing to the flat base so that it is level with the end of the track when standing on end.Īs with any anvil, first align it to north, make the working face flat and level in all directions, and at an appropriate working height for you. Stand it on end for use as an anvil, putting all the mass under the impact area of the hammer.
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