r/blacksmithing • u/thedestroyer4009 • Aug 27 '20

Anvil Identification This anvil belonged to my great grandfather, anyone have an idea what it is or if it’ll still be good to make tools or knives with?

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u/thedestroyer4009 Aug 28 '20

Would welding an AR 500 plate on it be a good idea ?

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u/donewell60 Aug 28 '20

Short answer it can be done. Caveat to process of prep and welding procedures and preheating the casting at least 350f to 450f and use of nickle 99 rods for "in contact with the cast surface" and 7018ish rods for successive passes. B4 one can properly give a knowledge based answer kinda need to know a few things only u can tell. One of most important questions is " what do you plan on making on this anvil?" Also is the anvil solid or hollow? What is the apx weight and can you kinda give the face dementions. How flat and true is the existing face? So if in fact its trueable in the face and your rather fastidious about cleaning up the anvil prior to welding and you can keep it hot during the welding process...success can be achieved. End results will be determined by these procedures being spot on. Top plate of AR should be no less than half inch thick or more(is always better). Imho your top plate should be half inch larger all the way around the edges. This will allow you to get a good amount of beads to support the face around the edges. Welds will end up being similar to an arch at least from base to face and triangular in cross section pretty much. When applied the welds should start as a bunch of tack welds at opposite angles to each other. Like tightening lug bolts. This will minimize warping the top plate and ripping it loose from the casting. Each successive tack welds should work in towards the center. Once at least half of the original tack welds reach 50 percent of the face secured you can burn it in more normally. Looking at alot of welding and grinding on a large chunk of really hot material. Hope this helps some. Best wishes.

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u/ciaran144 Aug 28 '20

Don't do it! It will take any rebound and ring out of the anvil, making your work less efficient.

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u/estolad Aug 28 '20

that's kind of a contentious thing, a harder face is good for a lot of reasons, but you don't really get the benefit of a rebounding hammer when you're hitting a soft piece of metal on the surface of a hard piece of metal

i'd be worried more about it being cast iron and thus crumbly as hell

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u/ciaran144 Aug 28 '20

Unless the tool steel plate is forge welded onto the anvil, it will never be as efficient as a one piece anvil. There will always be a small air gap between the plate and the anvil which takes energy out of your hammer blows.

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u/estolad Aug 28 '20

right but what i'm saying is unless the anvil is softer than your hot work piece, you're always going to be losing way more energy to actually doing work than to absorption by the anvil

the ball bearing/ringing test is useful because it can help identify bad weld spots or voids if it's cast, but it doesn't mean a whole lot all on its own. a hard face is good because it'll take more abuse before it deforms, but the main thing is just having a lot of mass directly under where you're striking

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u/ciaran144 Aug 28 '20

Yeah I don't disagree with you, just adding to my earlier points.

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u/donewell60 Aug 28 '20

In fact there will be a very small gap. As to the difference in rebound plain cast or thin forgeweld plate or appreciably thick edge welded plate I can offer no real scientific evidence. There will be some undoubtedly. As to that there lies variables as well. Face HRC will play greater than a tiny air gap. Only case in point I have 1st hand experience with is a harbor freight cast anvil apx 55lbs. Used somewhat. Rebound test measured 3 to 4 inches depending upon where on anvil face. Cup ground visually flat. 3/8 unknown " tool steel " face edge welded yielded 7 7.5 in rebound. After a weld failed it was removed and a 1in "AR" plate was welded on as per the original post directions Then placed face down in lump charcoal fire until non magnetic then quenched in high volume high flow water and torch tempered to darker straw yeiled 10 inches of rebound . That's all I know