Welding Tips and Tricks

I went to start on my gas forge and realized that I don't have enough parts to really start so I thought I would start on a anvil. In reality it might be cheaper to just purchase one, but being a fabricator I couldn't resist. I have a bunch of 3/4" x 12" HRFL left over from another project so I thought why not. Warning this is very much overkill and it is heavier than needed. I say go big or go home
First the flaws so far. Some might point out that this is A36 and very soft for hammering on. I will agree and say that since it was free, I can't complain. Second I had one of those retard moments when I realized that I need the sides to be a 90 to allow for bending material into 90's. Duh. So I will fix both problems. I will just put some 1/2" or 3/4" x 10" cold rolled plate on top. Problem solved.
Third problem, Don't use a 00 tip to torch 3/4" plate, not the best.
The measurements are as follows
The Face; 8" x 24"
The Body/Waist; 12" x 18"
The Base; 12" x 24"
Weight; Way to much!
So what do you think so far?

For the welding I decided to use self-shielded flux core for two reasons. First, if the average beginner were to be doing this project they might already have self shield in their machine and I wanted to show something like this can in fact be built with it. Second, it was already in the machine. When I did that "hillbilly thread" as AKweldshop put it, I never took the wire out, so I thought why not. Wire/Settings; Harris Ten Gauge mild steel self shielding .035. Wire speed 400, 23.5 volts.

Are you going to put in a hardy or pritchel hole?

Interesting - seems like a bunch of work for something that will never be as solid or wear resistant as an anvil - but fair play for the build & sharing the experience - a guy I know who is short of money & will always find the hardest way to approach something made a quite solid top for something similar by slashing the top part of some railway line off & welding them into a sort of laminated high manganese sheet - probably about 2" thick - it actually has held up quite well - but then railway track is the usual choice for anvils in 3rd world countries !

Arizona SA200- Yes I will be adding the Hardy and Pritchel hole, this is just as far as I got so far.
noddybrian- Yes it is a lot more work than it is probably worth but as you said it is something to share with others. If nothing else it is a example of what not to do When I showed it to my wife she just rolled her eyes. Honestly I just wanted to burn up this material and get it up off of my floor. I have some C12 laying around I need to use up hmmmm....

Perhaps when the basic shape is welded up you could clad the top surface with a harder material & plug weld it from the underside ? maybe if you have any left over " Hardox " or similar that would work - ( or whatever you clad rock truck bodies / earth moving wear parts with where you are )

I am not sure which direction I will go. I could get the cold rolled, but I also have some 1/4" AR400 plate laying around, but not sure if it would be big enough.
What is the most common Hardy hold size? I was thinking about 1", as this is what I found online.
What about the Pritchel size?
I will probably be making all or most of my tooling. Has anyone make a set of tongs or know of a good place to purchase them from?
As you can see, I have a lot of questions!
-Jonathan

Even if you put a 2" thick face on this "anvil" it will be a bad anvil.
1. There is not enough concentrated\solid mass behind the impact area.
2. It will ring like hell. Loud and not very clear.
3. The face (as is) will last you 10-15 minutes before sagging.
4. It will have no rebound( the good one will bunce your hammer like a spring)

Better off get a 10-12" round of 4041 or 1050 that is at least 6" tall. Or 4-5" round 24" tall. Put it vertically and hammer ot it's top.

I have a 150 lb and 65 lb anvils. The small one is good only for a very small stuff. Big one is a workhorse.

Oh, and by the way...
Good anvils have a hardened face...

Finish it and let us see.

I must confess I look for more mass in anvils, and agree with most of Cricket's comments. Mine is some 72 kg, and a very middle size specimen. (Oh, and anvil's are expensive, very expensive, new or used.)

But, you might be on to something. Come back with progress.

Cheers.

I do agree with Cricket as the mass is key to a good anvil. My 146# is small in the anvil world and is actually a farriers style anvil meant for portability. Big in the anvil world is 500+ pounds. What you have may be a good starting point to play on for a while. For the tools i have some old hand made ones and some new ones i bought from Pieh tool company. They have some very nice stuff. Look in to the blacksmith clubs in your area and someone may have a good anvil they may let go of(i say MAY as most of these guys hoard them). I found mine on Craigslist for $400 and thats not really a bad deal for its size. And remember this my anvil is 116 years old and not even close to being considered an antique. Good anvils will cost good money.

Taking all the posts into consideration, I have came to several conclusions. I know this "anvil" may not last like the real thing, but it is still fun building it. Just about everyone I have shared this idea with has given me the look like I am crazy. Well I guess I might have to agree with that, but I guess every once in a while I go against the grain. I did think about the fact that there is not the mass that a real anvil has and also considered the noise this beast will make. So I came up with another hair brain idea, what if I filled the inside tight with sand? I am thinking this will help with the noise, not necessarily with the mass. I do have more plate left over I can keep welding inside it as well. I have to go to my local steel supply tomorrow and will see what they have laying around so I can keep moving with this.

I figure if nothing else, now I have a very good weight for the back of my truck in the winter
-Jonathan

For the sand idea i would say not good. I'm sure you have heard the saying that has a nice ring to it, that saying goes back to the old old old blacksmith days when talking about an anvil. It should ring and a hammer when dropped with no force behind it should bounce off of it. This test is done off of the face of the anvil and you wont see this in the bick. I say keep building what you have started to see if your interest goes further. If it does reserve that piece for hammering on cold parts which should not be done on a proper anvil.

Man I have to many irons in the fire. I haven't been able to get out and work on my "anvil". I do have a question though. I found a 3" square 1018 CR that would make a good horn. What do you think. Will this work keeping in mind I am just doing this for fun.
-Jonathan

You don't need it for forgewelding.

The bick or horn on an anvil isn't a hardened material but wrought just like the waist and base of the anvil. 1018 may be overkill but if you have it,I'm sure it'll work.

Can't hurt to try. Perhaps there will be some 'sweet' spots on it that end up working out well enough.