The anvil is made of rails. Why is she? Because cheap and cheerful. Such an anvil will not be a full-fledged replacement for a large blacksmith, but it will quite cope with a small amount of work by a non-professional.
I am sure that you will be able to imagine it well and, if necessary, make it. Everything is trite and simple, but many people often miss one simple one, which, it seems to me, is simply necessary for an anvil - a square rig stop. What I paid attention to in my video!
Materials needed to make an anvil:
- piece of rail length - 250mm;
- profile pipe 30x30 - 100mm;
- stump - its length should be such that it is convenient to work with the anvil while standing;
- smooth fittings for fixing in a stump, with a diameter of 8mm - 1200mm.
Tools needed to make an anvil:
- Bulgarian;
- welding.
Briefly about how it was:
In fact, making an anvil is a simple matter and does not require a ruler, but to make it not a blunder and pleasing to the eye, it’s still worth starting with the markup.
First, we mark our future horn. I chose the side of the rail that was closer to the hole in order to work less grinder.
After marking and cutting out the horn, I replaced the cutting wheel with a grinding wheel and set about leveling the face of the anvil.
And this is where people often stop. Everything! She is ready, you can straighten nails on her. But doing something else would just be inconvenient. So we go ahead and weld our shaped square pipe to the back of the anvil.
Why square and not round? For the convenience of fixing equipment in it. After all, we will knock on the anvil and our devices must hold securely. The square shape of the profile will allow us to achieve this. For the same reason (working with a hammer), we must also fix the anvil well. After all, even this small piece of rail weighs enough to damage our legs when, due to the lack of attachment, it flops right on the leg ...
Here I also chose not a new method - I sawed reinforcements of 300 mm, bent with the letter G and welded from 4 sides. Later, when installing in a stump, we will drive our “letters” into a tree.
It remains only to slightly tint the base of the anvil so that it takes its final form. Set on a stump and hammer our hooks into it. It is not necessary to drive the reinforcement to the end right away. It needs to be hammered in until it seems to you that the anvil is stable enough. The remaining amount of tension can be used later when the anvil starts to dangle.
Tooling.
In the video, I showed a couple of simple and useful options. You will probably come up with more options, or you can wait for mine. I'll be working on them soon and happy to share them with you!
- platform for drilling holes. For example, under rivets.
- ruler. So that your forgings are the same and fit together. For example, for forging tongs, without which the work of a blacksmith is simply impossible.
You can see all the most interesting things about working on the anvil in the video. I tried to make it short, informative and enjoyable to watch.
Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bonnfactory
It is known that the main tool that is needed for arranging a blacksmith's shop is an anvil. It can be useful not only for professional blacksmiths, but also for ordinary blacksmith lovers, people who love to create. The anvil looks simple and rather primitive, but it costs a lot. Not all blacksmithing enthusiasts decide to buy it for occasional use, so in such a situation a homemade anvil can help out.
To obtain a normal width, the rail is turned upside down. The face of the anvil is the sole of the rail. From one end the author made a horn.
At the base of the horn, we drill 2 holes F18 and F29. (F18 was made with carbide drills, F29 - by burning through welding to a square).
In order to attach the rail to the stump, a channel 16 was taken. Almost completely cut off one by one from the shelves, iron is welded onto the plane of the channels to gain a thickness of 25 mm - it is done to compress the neck of the rail.
The structure is tightened with bolts from M22 sleepers. The heads are cut off and new nuts are welded on.
A piece of railing is specially selected with holes. The anvil is tightened with plumbing screws Ф12 mm to the stump. True, according to the author, they are slowly being pulled out of the stump. 
The author also made a certain instrument. He considers the absence of a round horn to be a disadvantage. The edges do not feel very hard, but the face is very hard - the chisel is blunt on it.
The author also made the last forge and vise. Well, I bought a factory anvil. 
Materials.
- Rail Connector
- Steel square
- Steel sheet, bar
- Railway crutch
- Churbak
- Oil, paint.
Tools used by the author.
-
- Cutting and sharpening and cleaning discs
-
- Drilling machine
- Belt sander
-
- Gas Horn
- Vise
- Skobel
- Chisel, clamps, core, chisel, tongs.
Manufacturing process.
The master will use an old rail connector as the material for the slab.
He cleans off the rust with a grinder, and saws the connector in half.
To mark the central hole, he uses a steel square, from which various nozzles will be made.
The master makes multiple cuts, and then cuts the steel at different angles. Then leveled with a grinding disc. But the master considered this method too complicated.
The second half he processes a little differently: he drills several small holes on a drilling machine, makes two side cuts, and then breaks off the material with a chisel. It remains only to grind off the traces of drilling. This method turned out to be much easier and faster than the previous one.
The square is great.
Then he welds both workpieces together, the seam has to be boiled and cleaned several times.
Then the excess material at the ends is cut off, and all surfaces are ground.
It remains to clean the central hole with a file, precisely fitting it to the dimensions of the steel square.
Four segments of the same width are marked on a separate steel plate, the center for the hole is marked in the middle of each. These are future anvil mounts.
Then the blanks are drilled first with a thin and then a thick drill. Low speed and lubrication are important here.
Then the blanks are sawn, and their edges are turned on a grinding machine.
Now the legs are welded to the steel plate of the anvil, one on each side.
Four more plates are cut out of the steel strip.
The author covers them with a square, fixes them with clamps, and welds them together without affecting the square itself.
It remains to weld the seams finally, clean them, and grind all the structural elements. The main part of the anvil is ready.
After the master cuts a block of suitable diameter. Aligns the top and bottom surfaces so that they are parallel and the log does not wobble.
Paints the upper cut, tries on the anvil to the block of wood, and marks the places for the notch.
A hole is drilled in the center of the log, then the remains of the wood are removed with a chisel.
Since the seams protrude a little and interfere with the tight fit of the anvil, you have to slightly bevel the upper edges.
The steel platform is installed in a block of wood and secured with wood bolts. Under each bolt, a hole is pre-drilled in the wood so that it does not break.
The bark is scraped off with an ax, and the edges of the log are somewhat smoothed out with a scraper. How to make this tool, I wrote earlier in this.
The lower cut is also covered with paint.
The author proceeds to the manufacture of auxiliary blacksmith nozzles for the anvil. He cuts off an old railroad crutch and heats it in a furnace.
Then he forges such a detail from it, and hardens it in oil.
It remains to sharpen the cutter, and grind all sides. Sharpening of such a tool is carried out at a rather obtuse angle, about 40-45 degrees.
To work in a forge, you must have an anvil. They come in different sizes, depending on the purpose. For a professional workshop, blacksmiths acquire a large anvil, which is permanently installed near the forge. For a home master, this size is not needed, you can make it much smaller. A purchased anvil is expensive, and it is difficult to deliver it to its destination. If you place an order via the Internet, then delivery will be expensive, since the weight of the goods is significant (minimum - 35 kg). The best option would be to make an anvil with your own hands.
Purpose of the anvil
This type of working tool is used in many areas of production. There are anvils for blacksmiths, plumbing, jewelry, even for medical purposes. Technicians in dentistry use them, but, of course, in a much smaller size. In the forge, all manual operations are performed on it: forging and hardening parts after the forge, giving the workpiece the desired shape.
The locksmith's anvil is needed by craftsmen for straightening work, for bending metal surfaces. In jewelry workshops, small steel anvils are used, on which rings, earrings, bracelets are bent and leveled, holes are beaten off when decorating products, etc. In dentistry, masters also use it in the manufacture of crowns. In general, in every household and in a private house it is necessary to have an anvil, at least a small one, so that you can simply level a nail or bend a corner.
Forge anvil device
A two-horned anvil is considered an ideal and versatile option. On strong metal paws, there is the so-called "face" or the main flat surface on which the blacksmith performs all the flat forging procedures. In order for this part to be perfectly even and smooth, a polished plate made of 35L steel, that is, alloyed, is installed on it.
On one side, a cone-shaped horn is welded. It is used for rolling and bending parts. Sometimes they are installed on both sides, depending on the type of work. On the other hand, a square shank is often welded on. With it, the products are bent at an angle of 90 degrees. For convenience, when working with blanks, craftsmen can give additional functionality to their anvils. For example, weld or cut a square hole for a backing tool or spur. You can also make a round hole for fixing, for example, a metal rod when bent.
The spatula is inserted when it is necessary to have a small working surface (mini-anvil). It consists of an all-metal coinage with tips on both sides and a special inflow. On shperak it is convenient to engage in artistic and decorative forging of products.
Preparatory stage
To make an anvil with your own hands, you need to have a piece of a crane rail, approximately 25 cm, a grinder, a welding machine, pieces of reinforcement of the same length, a piece of a profile pipe (about 10 cm). Also, if the master needs a cone horn, then there are two options for getting out of the situation. In the first case, a grinder is taken, a cone is cut off and machined from a single piece of rail. This is a very time-consuming process, so it is better to use the second option and weld a ready-made cone, machined separately on a lathe. Then start marking up future parts. When everything is thought out and measured, then you can proceed to the main work of making the anvil with your own hands.
Main stage of work
The grinder cuts off the top layer of the rail and creates the most even surface. It is advisable to install an alloy steel plate on it and grind it carefully. Check with a triangle the evenness of the corners of the anvil. This is an important point. Next, a horn is welded on one side and a square shank on the other side.
To check the smoothness and quality of grinding of the working part of the anvil, you need to test it. To do this, you need to hit its surface with a hammer or hammer. If done correctly, the hammer should bounce off her like a ball. At the same time, a characteristic ringing is heard, which lasts for a long time. If the anvil passed the test successfully, then you can proceed to the next stage of work, namely, correctly and securely fasten the anvil from the rail to the base.
Anvil support
There are several options for making a strong foundation.
1. If the support is stationary, then a large massive stump of hardwood is taken and dug into the ground. In order for it to last longer, you need to take it and beat it. In order for the anvil to hold firmly on the stump and not fall on the blacksmith’s leg at the first blow, you need to weld pieces of reinforcement bent at a right angle, with the letter G, to the bottom of the rail. put on a stump and driven into it, but not tightly.
2. The next option for a support is made from a metal barrel dug into the ground. A stump or a metal welded frame is filled with sand, filling the entire volume of the barrel. This is an outdoor option for an anvil base. Blacksmiths set the height of a stump or a metal barrel taking into account their height. At the moment of impact on the workpiece, the hand of the master should be at the level of the horizontal plane.
3. If the anvil is portable, then it needs a welded metal base so that it can withstand impacts of different power. You can ennoble it and upholster it with a wooden box with pockets for various pliers and hammers.
Additional functions
When making an anvil with your own hands, both a blacksmith, a locksmith, and a home craftsman can think over and supplement the finished item with pleasant details. For example, make a platform for flashing holes for rivets. Not a useless element will be drawing a ruler with divisions. Then it will not be necessary to measure forgings every time. They will all be the same length. This is the beauty of a homemade anvil, that it can meet all the requirements of the master.
A self-made anvil will come in handy not only for professional blacksmiths, but also for simple blacksmith lovers who want to show their imagination and skills in decorating a suburban area or cottage.
The anvil is a support forging tool, which produces cold and hot metal processing associated with plastic deformation.
You don't have to buy a small anvil, you can make your own, mostly from an old piece of railroad rail.
It will take
According to GOST, the face of the anvil must be made of steel grade 45L or 35L, and it must be hardened so that the hardness is within HRC 45-50. Therefore, to manufacture this anvil element, you will need a strip of alloyed steel with a thickness of at least 20 mm.We will also need some tools and materials for work:
- grinder with different discs;
- grinder;
- forge forge;
- welding machine;
- drilling machine;
- Baking oven;
- blacksmith's tongs and pliers;
- hammer or sledgehammer;
- marker and square;
- hardening oil and a container made of tin.
Anvil making process
We mark the anvil with a horn and a tail directly on a piece of the old rail that is suitable in length and cross section.
Using a grinder and a cutting disc, we cut out the outer contours of our tool, beat off the extra parts with a heavy hammer.
We get, as a first approximation, the horn, tail and base of the future anvil.
We continue to cut out the transitional part between the top and the base of our tool, at the same time forming the horn and tail more accurately.
We remove rust from all accessible planes of the workpiece using a grinding wheel.
Shape the front transition grinder into a semi-circle to absorb large and constant dynamic impacts.
We sharpen the horn into a round cone, first with a grinder, and then with a grinder. We also grind the base of the anvil on it.
We mark a strip of metal with a thickness of at least 20 mm and preferably from alloy steel 45L or 35L to the size of the top of the anvil from a piece of rail.
We cut out the future face of the anvil from the marked workpiece using a jigsaw and a grinder. From one edge in the plate we drill a round hole.
We grind all sides of the cut strip on the grinder and measure its dimensions with the seat.
Pour the required amount of sunflower oil into a tin can.
We red-hot an unnecessary piece, cut off from the plate, in a forge and with its help we heat the oil in a container. Only after that, with the help of blacksmith tongs, we place it in the forge and heat up the plate prepared for the face of the anvil red-hot.
As soon as it acquires a crimson color, quickly and completely place it in a container with oil and keep it there until the oil stops boiling.
Comparing the hardness of a non-hardened and hardened plate using file processing. An unhardened plate is easy to process, and a file glides over a hardened one without removing a single gram of metal.
Make a vacation: put the plate in the oven and keep it there at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.
We again process the plate from all sides on the grinder and weld it to the top of the rail blank, holding it with clamps on both sides, first pointwise, and then with a continuous seam.
We beat off the slag from the seams with a hammer, clean it with a grinder, weld all the shells and cavities on the face, and finally finish all the planes on the grinder.
The quality must be so high that the weld between the face and the base of the anvil is completely invisible.
We carefully choose the angle between the end of the face and the horn, first with a cutting wheel, and then with a grinding wheel: it should be exactly 90 degrees. Further, we subject all parts of the anvil to the same treatment.
We remove the grinding wheel from the spindle of the grinder and install a polishing wheel (felt or felt) instead of it and continue the circular processing of the anvil to a mirror finish, excluding the transition area and the base.
We put the anvil on the face, mark the centers of the four holes in the corners on the sole of the base, kern and perform them on a drilling machine to attach the anvil to the chair, for which it is better to choose a wooden block of hardwood that is suitable for the cross section and height: oak, ash, maple , birches, etc.
Homemade testing
Checking the quality of our homemade anvil. We put it on a chock with the base down and with a hammer we begin to tap on the face over its entire surface. A ringing blow should be heard everywhere, and the hammer should bounce almost by the magnitude of the swing and then continue to bounce until it fades completely.
