The Shop > Metal Stuff

Making a baby.

(1/4) > >>

one_rod:
A baby anvil, that is.

For some jobs a small anvil can be even more useful than a full size one, so here’s how I went about making one.

Possibly a  little bit “left field” for the precision machinists and fine-scale workers around here,  but I took few photos while I did it.  So for what it’s worth, here we go…..


Starts with a bit of railway rail.

There is an anvil in there somewhere;




Mr. Rail, meet my friend  Mr. Gas Axe.




The result;



Then grind, and grind, and grind, and grind............




Next stage will be heat treatment.
Don't suppose this is the only way to do it, or even the best way, but it works for me. (Usually)

First job is to anneal.

This little hearth is made from insulating fire brick, I usually use it for brazing and soldering. The heat source is a cheap propane weed burner from Machine Mart. Fairly low flame temperature but an impressive heating output. Excellent for "soaking" jobs like this.



Several noisy, sweaty minutes later. (My favourite photo of this set).




Buried under a pile of coke ash, and then fire bricks on top. Left overnight to cool slowly.




To harden the face;

This steel rod noose is bent around the anvils waist. You'll see why soon.




Enclosed in bricks with just the face showing, this keeps the heat just where you want it. The weed burner does its stuff, again.



A long steel rod with a bent end is hooked through the noose and used to lift the hot anvil and than lower it, face first, into the oil tub.
Not quite quickly enough this time, hence the "flash-up".



Fished out of the oil, this is how she looks.



A few minutes with a powered wire brush, and then a fine flap disk soon gets the shine back, and she’s ready for work.






one_rod.

Baldrocker:
Brilliant :bow:
BR

DMIOM:
great write-up (and great title too!) and after that  :beer:

one query - you've implied you're not (always) working at the fine-scale end of things - how "micro" an anvil will you be annealing with this burner ?  :scratch:

websterz:
Beautiful piece of work!! I have no real need for a baby anvil but seeing how cool yours turned out I now have to make myself one!  :bow:

Bernd:
Nice post one-rod.

I've got a piece of rail that needs that treatment also. But I need to wait till it get's a bit warmer out. Although I could add to the global warming right now. :lol:

Did the railroad company miss the piece of rail?  :lol:

Bernd

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page