Anyone proud of their Anvel?

[Al Smith]

you'll love this ------In a recent letter to the museum a Pakistani told of a sword held in his family for many generations, quenched by its Afghan makers in donkey urine. Some medieval smiths recommended the urine of redheaded boys or that from a ''three-year-old goat fed only ferns for three days.''

 

[Al Smith]

They claim salt water works better than fresh water or oil on some steels .I only use oil because I have an idea of what carbon the tool steel has before hand .One time ,just to prove a point I cut a lathe tool from a piece of mild steel,heated it up to cherry and tossed it a tin can full of sugar .After the sugar stopped burning I water quenched from about 1400 degrees .Sharpened it and cut another piece of mild steel with it .
It's not a trick but goes back in time .not used these days .Sugar is c6 H12 o6 .The hot steel sucks the carbon out of the sugar and the oxygen and hydrogen are burned off .Rather crude though and not too scientific or precise .

 

[longleaf]

I have a little experience peeing on campfires. So I’m purty sure I don’t want my shop smelling like burnt piss.

 

[longleaf]

I m going to try the sugar trick though never heard of doing that

 

[blacksmith]

They claim salt water works better than fresh water or oil on some steels .I only use oil because I have an idea of what carbon the tool steel has before hand .One time ,just to prove a point I cut a lathe tool from a piece of mild steel,heated it up to cherry and tossed it a tin can full of sugar .After the sugar stopped burning I water quenched from about 1400 degrees .Sharpened it and cut another piece of mild steel with it .
It's not a trick but goes back in time .not used these days .Sugar is c6 H12 o6 .The hot steel sucks the carbon out of the sugar and the oxygen and hydrogen are burned off .Rather crude though and not too scientific or precise .

Almost sounds to me like some sort of case hardening. Very interesting never hear of that one before

 

[blacksmith]

I have been using a southern crescent which has served me well. I upgraded to a hay budded yesterday. I had been wanting one figured I better bite the bullet before they get any higher. Anvils are going for rediculous prices these days.View attachment 135605View attachment 135606

That is one nice looking Hay Budden. What's the weight ?

 

[longleaf]

That is one nice looking Hay Budden. What's the weight ?

Thanks 150. It is one of the cleanest I have found

 

[Al Smith]

Believe it or not I found the sugar deal on Popular Mechanics when I was a teenager which was over 50 years ago .The subject matter was making an emergency chase nut die to touch up the threads of a wheel stud .The old timey blacksmiths case hardened steel with charcoal,powdered bone etc in a makeshift oven .To get it hard it has to have some carbon in it .I know some of the old tricks but I certainly don't know all of them .

 

[Al Smith]

Story time .There was an artisan blacksmith about 2 miles from me who moved to Phoenix for his wifes' health .In his conglomeration of stuff at the auction were a couple of nice anvils which or course brought top dollar .However one was listed as a 500 pounder but it was a 300--with the horn broke off .How in the world could you break a horn off an anvil ? The only way I could think was a giant with a 20 pound hammer when it was 20 below which it hasn't been in decades .

 

[longleaf]

Story time .There was an artisan blacksmith about 2 miles from me who moved to Phoenix for his wifes' health .In his conglomeration of stuff at the auction were a couple of nice anvils which or course brought top dollar .However one was listed as a 500 pounder but it was a 300--with the horn broke off .How in the world could you break a horn off an anvil ? The only way I could think was a giant with a 20 pound hammer when it was 20 below which it hasn't been in decades .

I could see a 20 pound hammer breaking a 75 pound anvil but 300. Somebody had a swing.

 

[blacksmith]

Story time .There was an artisan blacksmith about 2 miles from me who moved to Phoenix for his wifes' health .In his conglomeration of stuff at the auction were a couple of nice anvils which or course brought top dollar .However one was listed as a 500 pounder but it was a 300--with the horn broke off .How in the world could you break a horn off an anvil ? The only way I could think was a giant with a 20 pound hammer when it was 20 below which it hasn't been in decades .

Another story. I heard that during the civil war that when the north was going through the south they would break the horn and the tail section of every anvil that they came across. Which would render it useless for making certain things to help the war effort. It would basically turn it into a sawyer's anvil.

 

[J. Dirt]

A friend of mine on the firewood hoarders club site J. Dirt which I believed he is now on the OPE as well just made a brake drum forge. It turned out really well. You could try to send him a PM and get in touch with him if you're interested! I believe he posted his progress on the "Backyard Blacksmithing" thread on the firewood hoarders club if you want to take a look.

You rang?! Here’s my baby anvil! That’s maybe a 10” piece of locust it’s on. It was my great grampa’s and I pretty sure he used it for riveting mower sections. It’s torch cut from one slab of steel. As for the drum forge... not sure if this is legal on here, but check out this thread from FHC https://firewoodhoardersclub.com/fo...-iron-on-the-forge-this-evening.21901/page-14

 

[Al Smith]

Speaking of mower sections .My dad had a section of rail about 8" long we used for that plus the grinder with an angled wheel to sharped them .My dad could pull that old pull type old Mc Cormick-Deering with the old B model Allis and never plug it up,I always had a problem myself .He was raised around horses I wasn't .

 

[J. Dirt]

We’ve got an old McCormick big 6 horse drawn mower that I pull with the same great gramps (as mentioned above) tractor I inherited. Usually put down an acre of oats every year just for fun. I drive and my brother rides and works the levers. Wish I knew anything about horses. It’d be awesome to have a team of Percherons

 

[Junior Samples]

you'll love this ------In a recent letter to the museum a Pakistani told of a sword held in his family for many generations, quenched by its Afghan makers in donkey urine. Some medieval smiths recommended the urine of redheaded boys or that from a ''three-year-old goat fed only ferns for three days.''

Yea. I heard three year old goat fed ferns for four days. That would be alot easier getting urine from. One man job. lol

 

[longleaf]

The hay budden is mounted up. I wanted a 225-300 but one in this condition is way out of my price range these days. The post oak stump weighs more than the anvil so I don’t think it going any where.

 

[blacksmith]

View attachment 136050 The hay budden is mounted up. I wanted a 225-300 but one in this condition is way out of my price range these days. The post oak stump weighs more than the anvil so I don’t think it going any where.

Nice looking anvil, and I like your setup with places to put your hammers.

 

[J. Dirt]

New to me today! 154 pound Peter Wright just got to clean her up and find a spot for it.

 

[blacksmith]

View attachment 137243 View attachment 137244 New to me today! 154 pound Peter Wright just got to clean her up and find a spot for it.

You're gonna have some fun with that! That's a fine anvil you have there! I'll bet that old gal could tell some stories.

 

[longleaf]

View attachment 137243 View attachment 137244 New to me today! 154 pound Peter Wright just got to clean her up and find a spot for it.

Nice score. Don’t see a lot of Wright’s still in that condition.