/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Check the archive and read the sticky - that's why it's there.

Quick answer: chunk of railroad steel

Long answer: check the sticky. There have been some pretty detailed threads on the topic, so you should find everything you need there.

a big square rock?

Read the sticky. Sticky sticky sticky.

>>188985
>Anyone have any experience with blacksmithing?
Yep.
>What could I use as an anvil if I don't have access to a real anvil?
Anything hard enough to not deform, tough enough to not shatter, and large enough to hold the piece you're working on.

>>188989
>Quick answer: chunk of railroad steel
To be specific, a chunk of railroad steel standing on its end, the top roughly the height of your knuckles when your hand is by your side.

>>188991
>a big square rock?
Yep.

Concrete's bad because it has water trapped inside that will explode if you heat it enough by leaving hot steel on it. Wood can be used in very specific circumstances but isn't that useful to you at the moment. Your primary concerns are mass, a flat surface, and height.

>>189067
>To be specific, a chunk of railroad steel standing on its end, the top roughly the height of your knuckles when your hand is by your side.

Oh god, shut up you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about. Rail road tracks are shaped like I-beams. You use them the normal way up because the top face you want to do work on is what has been polished smooth and work hardened by trains.

If you stood it on its end you wouldn't even have a flat place to hammer anything.

>>189068
umad? 1/10 for trolling, but I'll correct some of your statements so that the innocent aren't misled.
>If you stood it on its end you wouldn't even have a flat place to hammer anything.
Spoken like someone who's never seen railroad rail. The piece I've got in my driveway provides a 2"X3" area, which is plenty large enough for hobbyist smithing. The _curved_ top of the rail isn't any harder than the rest of it, and that shape changes how hot steel moves when struck on it. It's like using a pein hammer instead of a flat face. I mean, if that's all you've got, then okay, but upending it is better.

OP, check the sticky for the blacksmithing links. There's a guide there for how to assemble railroad anvils, with some illustrations and explanations of how and why.

>>189077
So you're saying the area marked in red in this pic is the best striking surface of this product?

Also, how are you recommending a flat rock as an anvil? Ever heard of rebound? Practically anything flat and made out of metal would be better than using a rock.

>>189092
Yep.

Because it's not about striking surface, it's about mass. See, if you've got an _anvil_, you've got 80-200 pounds of steel, right? If you're using a rail, you don't have the mass you'd have with a real anvil. Upending it puts as much of the mass of the anvil as possible under your hammer. Once you've got an upended rail, you can weld another chunk on top if you really feel the need- but step 1 is a vertical rail, and that's enough for a beginner.

Note, in this picture, that the rail's not ground down or tapered or whatever the hell happened in yours.

The link I mentioned earlier; http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/anvils/making/RR-rail_anvils.php

Now, if you want to explain why *anvilfire* is getting it wrong, I'd be greatly amused to hear your explanation.

>>189097
Not recommending it, but the question was "What could I use as an anvil if I don't have access to a real anvil?" and I've seen a flat rock used to good effect. If OP can't get rail, if all OP can get is a big rock, then OP should use the rock without shame to try stuff out, and look for better solutions later.

Son, your jimmies seem awfully rustled by all this. Take a step back, go pound some iron, reread what I've posted. I'm not trying to step on your dick, you just mad.

>>189098
They cap theirs with some of the rail though... so you're still not properly right, neither of you are.

So, this dick waving was a waste of time.

>>189102
>So, this dick waving was a waste of time.
Not if it gives OP enough information to start smithing! :D

For an anvil I find that taking a barbell that has flat ends and cutting it in half and drilling a hole into a log and wedging it in there works pretty well.

>>190515
I have heard of old (cheap from a secondhand store or flea market, especially cheap if the handle is shot) sledgehammer heads being used in this manner.

They are already a better steel instead of cast iron (in most cases, or at least on the face) and have a flat face and gently rounded edges. Get the biggest you want to work with and remove the handle. Drop the head into a log-hole and make sure it is penned down well.

Tada, in theory you now have a smallish anvil. Maybe it is just what you need for some project, or nailmaking or general pre-anvil screwing around.

>>189102
You just use the face, but a long section of rail, or put some all-thread in a bucket on concrete and attach it to that. Faggot who says standing it on end is definitely wrong if you need a general purpose anvil. It would be better to just lay it the normal way and bolt it to a stump.

call the acme corporation, they'll send you an anvil for free

>>189098
>Note, in this picture, that the rail's not ground down or tapered or whatever the hell happened in yours.

In other words you lack reading comprehension.

>>189098
There is exactly no advantage to using rails as opposed to any other giant piece of steel you can find.

You might as well just find some large round or square stock from the scrap yard.

>>190517
Hm, haven't tried that yet. Sounds like a sturdier metal than the barbell halve I've been using.

You know, it _just_ occurred to me that Anon might have thought I was suggesting the upended rail was much superior to other methods. I didn't mean to say that, only that it was perfectly adequate for OP's needs and imnsho has an edge over striking on the face. A superior solution is an honest-to-god anvil. I don't think the sideways rail is superior either, but if OP's got a chunk of rail he's good to go no matter how he uses it. Sorry if anybody got their knickers twisted 'cause I wasn't clear on that.

>>190532
Correct. I will note, however, that I got 3' of rail for free by walking into the local rail yard and asking. I don't know what a scrapyard would cost, though I presume not much.

OP didn't mention any other tools he'd need, btw. Perhaps we should mention easy/cheapish ways to heat the steel? Pic related; fire a tiger torch into a 10" stovepipe with a hole cut in the side. Line with kaowool and a firebrick. Gets up around 1000C, faster and hotter if you plug one end of the stovepipe with more kaowool.

>>188991
dose NOT work

>>190810
Yes it does. It's not ideal, but if it's all you have you can use it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVZNmP7qR3k

I saw atalented /diy/eron youtube, trying to find the link.
1) But he took a sledehammer head and set it in concrete and used that for an anvil. i drew a pic, u could put a pc of rebar thru the eye to secure it better in the concrete. u can figure out the rest
2) i think i forge iron forum has schematics for turning a length of railroad track into a fully functional horned anvil.
3) a lot of vices have an anvil spot on them. Its small and constricting but it works. U just need something to hit the steel on, to hit the steel with, to heat the steel with and to hold the steel with. its really not that complicated. as your skill increases, you can and will invest more for tools.
4) buy a cheaper smaller anvil. I have a 200 lbs anvil but honestly, for my needs, i only use the length of it for straightening. The biggest gain you get from a large anvil is the counter strike, or the rebound, that comes from the anvil when u strike. the bigger the anvil, the more of your strike is counterstruck by the anvil.

Hey OP, do you actually mean blacksmithing, or do you mean one of the many other types of smithing? Blacksmithing is actually pretty difficult to get into, all things considered, since you're going to want a forge.

Also, despite being the iconic tool of metalsmithing, an anvil is likely one of the least important tools for most of the projects you'd want to do.

>>188985
>>190810
http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/23500-what-do-you-need-to-get-started-in-blacksmithing/