To work in the forge, it is necessary to have an anvil. They come in different sizes, depending on the destination. 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. Purchased anvil is expensive, and it is difficult to deliver it to its destination. If you make an order on 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.
Anvil purpose
This type of working tool is used in many areas of production. There are blacksmiths, locksmiths, jewelry, even for medical purposes. Technicians in dentistry use them, but, naturally, of a much smaller size. In the forge, all manual operations are performed on it: forging and hardening of parts after the hearth, giving the workpiece the desired shape.
Craftsman’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 when decorating products, etc. In dentistry, craftsmen 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 of a small size, so that you can elementarily align the nail or bend the corner.
Blacksmith anvil device
An ideal and universal option is considered a two-horned anvil. On strong metal paws is located the so-called “face” or the main flat surface on which the blacksmith performs all the procedures of flat forging. To make this part perfectly smooth and smooth, a polished plate made of 35L steel, that is, alloyed, is installed on it.
A cone-shaped horn is welded on one side. It serves 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. With its help, 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 bed tool or spatula. You can also make a round hole for fixing, for example, a metal rod during bending.
A shperk is inserted if necessary to have a small work surface (mini-anvil). It consists of an all-metal coinage with tips on both sides and a special inflow. It is convenient to engage in artistic and decorative forging of products on a sliver.
Preparatory stage
To make the anvil with your own hands, you need to have a piece of crane rail, about 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 turned out from a solid piece of rail. This is a very time-consuming process, so it is better to use the second option, and weld the finished cone, machined separately on a lathe. Then start marking up future parts. When everything is thought out and measured, then you can begin the basic work of making the anvil with your own hands.
The 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 carefully grind it. Check the triangle for evenness of the anvil angles. This is an important point. Then a horn is welded on one side and a square shank on the other.
To check the smoothness and grinding quality of the working part of the anvil, you need to test it. To do this, hit on its surface with a hammer or hammer. If everything is done correctly, then the hammer should bounce off it like a ball. At the same time, a characteristic ringing is heard, which lasts a long time. If the anvil passes the test successfully, then you can proceed to the next stage of work, namely, correctly and reliably fix the anvil from the rail to the base.
Anvil Support
There are several options for implementing a strong base.
1. If the support is stationary, then a large massive stump of solid wood is taken and digged into the ground. To serve him longer, you need to take and beat him with metal hoops. In order for the anvil to hold firmly on the stump, and not to fall on the blacksmith’s foot at the first hit, you need to weld reinforcement pieces bent at right angles to the bottom of the rail with the letter G. The resulting paws are put on a stump and driven into it, but do not tight.
2. The next option for support is made of a metal barrel dug into the ground. A stump or a welded metal frame is filled with sand, filling the entire volume of the barrel. This is a street option for the base of the anvil. The height of a stump or a metal barrel is given to blacksmiths according to their height. At the time of impact on the workpiece, the hand of the master should be at the level of a horizontal plane.
3. If the anvil is portable, then it needs a welded metal base with stiffeners so that it can withstand impacts of different powers. You can refine it and beat it with a wooden box with pockets for various pincers and hammers.
Additional functions
When making the anvil with their own hands, both the blacksmith, the locksmith, and the home craftsman can think over and complement the manufactured item with pleasant details. For example, make a platform for flashing holes for rivets. Not a useless element will be the drawing of a ruler with divisions. Then it will not be necessary to measure the 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 a master.
A self-made anvil will be useful not only to professional blacksmiths, but also to simple blacksmithing lovers who want to show their imagination and skills in decorating a suburban area or cottage.