Subject: Re: Rolling yer own anvils???

From: "David C. Hufford" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 14:46:59 -0400 (EDT)

Andy:

It is interesting how most anvils seem to have roughly the same 
relative proportions to their various parts; I wonder if it's more a 
matter of "tradition" than design or structural considerations.

One personal, and slightly related, observation regarding anvil size:  I 
have a 350-pound PW which has enough bulk and an ample-sized face for 
heavy hammering.  However, I find for some operations it is actually too 
large; and I turn to my 140-pounder, which seems to permit more 
"finesse" in forging.  It should be noted I'm an amateur and also don't 
do many large forgings, and these sorts of factors impact one's tool and 
anvil requirements; but I tend to believe a 150-200 pound anvil is 
probably ideal, or at least more than adequate, for most artist-smiths.  
Of course, the American mindset traditionally has been that "bigger is 
better", but I feel one can get too large an anvil.  I came close to 
purchasing a 640-pounder once, but finally decided it simply was not 
practical (in retrospect, I think I just wanted it as a show piece).

David C. Hufford

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 22:44:23 -0400

1.  MPD Welding's phone # is 1-800-266-WELD, FAX 810-340-0533.
2.  A36 is plain old, hot rolled or what passes nowadays for most structural
steel.  It is what 1020 has evolved into - I think it's about 35 points
carbon and some increase in manganese.  Most old anvils have a soft horn - I
don't know if this was by design or necessity - maybe they couldn't figure
out a cost efficient way to harden the horn.
3.  I don't know how much beam welding is - maybe MPD can offer some
guidelines on process.
4.  If CC#1 is too expensive, maybe you could use 1065, 1085, 5160, etc, for
the top plate.  These are all standard steels used for leaf springs and may
be more readily available.  The thing to do might be to ask around and find
out what industry is using and then adapt your design to use those materials.
5.  I don't think there are any rules on maintaining relative proportions -
I've seen German anvils which are tall, wide and stubby in length (Otto
Schmirler's books show these types).  Some farrier's anvils are wide faced,
too.  I still think two horned anvils are more versatile, especially if one
is conical in section and the other is an extension of the face running to a
point.  I tend to prefer a face of 4 to 5 inches -  others will have their
own opinion.  You might also entertain two pritchels and/or two hardies -
they may not be necessary but it would offer more versatility.
                       hollis