/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>338797
Buy a big sledge hammer and use the head as an anvil until you get something better. I found an old massive sledge at an antique store that was all rusted up without a handle. I bought it for $3.

Most decent bench vices have an small flat anvil on the back of them. They aren't very large, but are good for getting started and working with small stuff. Odds are you're going to need a decent vice anyway...

If you're really hard up, you can try to use the side of a sledge hammer. Again, good for small stuff in a pinch.

I'd suggest starting with one of the above 2 options, and if it's something you're seriously getting into, then keep your eye out on craigslist, ebay, etc., for a reasonably priced proper anvil.

>>338804
>>338801

I never thought of these. So basically anything with a flat surface that's thick steel?

Thanks for the advice. That'll definitely help me out getting started.

Would an Oxy-Acet torch be a good investment too if I decide to really get into it? I'd imagine being able to melt specific areas of metal could come in handy, but I can't really think of where it would, exactly.

>>338810

Hardened steel or tool steel is best, regular steel might get deformed/dented if you're hammering on it a lot. Things like sledge hammers and bench vices are generally made from tool steel.

An oxy-acet torch is very handy for metal working. Forging, welding, cutting, melting, or just heating up something so you can get a stubborn bolt out without having to drill it out.

BTW, I've tried using both a bench vice anvil and a sledge for an anvil, and I much prefer the vice. It just seemed much more stable and easier to work on than the sledge.

>>338810
>So basically anything with a flat surface that's thick steel?

For small projects, yeah they are "good enough". Don't try to make knives on them. You can do some cold peening and some general small work like what is done on this bench vice's striking plate. The problem is if you start smacking it really hard over time the plate will deform or even crack because they are not very thick.

A sledge hammer head would take more abuse obviously since it is more solid. Just sit it half way into a hole in a stump or piece of tree trunk like what you'd split for fire wood.

>>338810
A chunk of railway track works well as do railway tie plates and blind pipe flanges.
The oxy acetylene torch is handy for heating, heat treating and genereal cuting as well. Even better if you learn to braze and weld with it.

>>338824
I've already learned to weld with one. I never much liked it though. I assume a MIG welder would work good enough for replacing that unless it comes down to really thick steel.

Thanks for the help, /diy/.

>>338824
People always say this. Fuck where do you people live where you can find random shit like that?

>>338839
I live in the railroad hub of the midwest, and have buddies in the pipe fitters' union, automotive industry, and carpentry industries.

The amount of scrap I have access to is unbelievable. I also happen to live in the woods.

Illinois is great for so many things. Just not guns. I wish I could have more guns.

>>338841
I live a few states away without such scrap, mostly because scrappers have scoured the landscape and taken or stolen everything of any remote value. Although, we can have pretty much any gun/suppressor we want with the right tax stamp or license. Though, I'm considering selling mine.

>>338839
Scrapyards are a good place to start.
Can find tie plates just by walking the tracks and short chunks of rail anyplace where track is being replaced.
Blind flanges are harder to find but I used to grab them from the scrap bins at work anyhow.

I dunno how many times I've posted this,but if you are in the US,look up your local ABANA chapter.

They can help you out a LOT. Buying a used anvil is a lot cheaper than anything new by a LOT. I got a 110lb'er for about $80.

Don't go and buy railroad for making an anvil. Just don't. It's fucking abysmal to work on. Way too light(bounces around,most of the hammer "blow" is wasted),surface is curved,and it's LOUD. Most anvils ring....railroad will cause permanent hearing damage within a few blows.

>>338797

a blacksmith once told me to find some abandoned railroad tracks and steal a railroad tie

i met a black black smith whose name was Roger Smith, he was cool except I found out he raped his cousin

short sections of railroad track are a good solution for your first anvil.

I actually took a chance, and instead of stealing a scrap, I wrote to the national railway company, saying I was a craftsman making stuff, and was wanting a short offcut of scrap rail, and could they help me.

a few weeks later, I got a phone call from them, saying there was a 2-foot section of track with my name on it in the local rail depot, for £5. given that was about 21kg (40lbs) of carbon steel, its value in scrap was way higher than that, the cost was simply as a formality that meant It was legally transferred over to me, so I have a receipt. that way, if I was ever accused of stealing from railways, I had a paper saying that I'd paid for it.

cant get better than that for a first-time anvil, I'd say.

>>338898
I hate it when shit like that happens.

When you are looking to buy an anvil,take a hammer and test it for bounce. A decent anvil will bounce a hammer - a shit teir one will absorb the impact.

>>338824
>>338839
I've seen a few chunks of railroad track in peoples workshops. Usually bolted to a stump, or welded to some sort of stand. They're always really old, so whenever they got them it was ages ago.

Keep an eye out for farm auctions.

>>339087
One of my buddies knows that if you have any trains coming through anywhere close by, you can just walk up and down the tracks with a 5 gal bucket and fill it every 100 ft or so - the stakes etc come up all the time and are just laying on the tracks most of em like new. Also my same buddy has found tons of older piles buried slightly around the tracks in areas that probably used to be service stations, even found an entire segment of rail once. Of course this is borderline illegal especially collecting right off the tracks and can draw a lot of attention, the conductors will call the cops and report you if they see you anywhere near them (with good intention, I'm sure).

Can you get hold of an offcut of RSJ, OP?

>>338824
I have one of these my dad found somewhere and its good for small things. I also have a real anvil like the OP pic I inherited.

>>338839
If you live near railroad tracks you can go look for scraps near the tracks. I take the train every week, and I always see scrap heaps out the windows. I'm sure the railroad won't mind if they don't catch you.

>>339647
>I'm sure the railroad won't mind if they don't catch you.

That's stealing and it is illegal. If you get caught they can press charges and you can be fined and serve jail time.

>>339669
>if you get caught they can press charges
I wasn't talking about what would would happen if you get caught, I was talking about what would happen if you did not get caught.
If you don't get caught it's perfectly legal.

>>339706
It's technically still illegal, you just won't be punished for it. Things that are against the law are illegal whether you're caught or not.

>>339706
>If you don't get caught it's perfectly legal.

You're an idiot. It is still illegal.

>>339733
Anything's legal if you don't get caught for it, man. Point is, if OP wants to bend the law a little he'll have his anvil that way.
Of course, there's little that the railroad company needs with pieces of track a foot long or less. I'm sure if you talk to the right people, explain you're a hobbyist looking for an anvil, you could get your hands on a little piece.

>>339774
>Anything's legal if you don't get caught for it, man

No, it isn't you moron. It is still illegal when you break laws. It does not matter if you get caught or not. Are you 12?

>>339774
It is HIGHLY illegal.

I've actually had a cop roll up on me after a conductor called in saying we were collecting this stuff, and if I hadn't of been collecting tires as well (it rubbed off well on him) he would've certainly taken me in. It helped that the rail we were taking (which was 600lb+) was rusty as fuck and we had a huge hole to point to where it had come from, but we were sure we'd get charged if not taken in as soon as he rolled up. He gave us a pass, but he did let us know it was illegal.

tl;dr - Legal: don't care if anyone witnesses the process. Illegal: have to watch for law enforcement, rail road officials and general witnesses. There IS a difference under the system you live under, no matter how far you stick your head up your ass.

I scanned this in for the people who have saved the mobile forge plans I've posted before.

With a bit of tweaking it would make a good hood for any forge,if it doesn't have one.

>>338839
That's what i always thought, then one day i drove past a construction site where they were ripping old rails out of the street. I asked the foreman if i could have a piece and he said he'd cut a me 3 foot beam if i got his mechanic a diet coke.
as for the tie plates, those get tossed to the side of the railroad when they do maintenance. grab a backpack and go for a walk. you can also find a shit load of spikes to work with

>>341744
note in many countries its illegal to walk along the tracksides, and you can get fined or charged with tresspass.

as well as being rather dangerous in itself. if you''re going to do this, get a spotter always looking around you, and high-vis jackets.
and getting permission is a big advantage. after all, saving $300 on a good anvil is'nt such a bargain if you get hit with $500 fine instead.

>>338797
my friend used a sledge hammer head and set it in concrete in a bucket

>>338910
Bravo good annon. People under estimate what they can get just by asking. I've gotten an almost fully functional solar panel the same way that would have coast something in the hundreds.

Polite sage for off topic.

op got to a railroad company and ask for a piece of rail, works just as good and you might get it for free, i did

Hey, UP conductor here, working in central Cali. Anyhow, most of us won't bother calling ya in, especially if you don't look like tweeker! The discarded tie plates are free game, if ya keep it small, ie. don't load your pick up. Dislodged spikes also. Look for track gangs, roll up with a case of soda or gatorade, talk to the Foreman and ask if ya can get a few feet of rail. If ya love near yard, ask to speak to the terminal manager, and see if ya can get some free, offer to make him or the yard office something nice. It might even drum you up some business, as they might go to you for retirement gifts, and or home decor. Lil known fact, you can ask the terminal manager for a permit to take used ties...just ask.

http://www.centaurforge.com/Cliff-Carroll-35-lb-Anvil/productinfo/18CC-035/

I know its relatively expensive, but its not nearly as expensive as a full blown anvil would be, and depending on what type of work you would be doing it could be just fine. Whatever you do, do NOT go for one of the cheaper cast iron anvils. even if youre only doing light work, they'll get banged up and crack in no time. I originally got this for making some costume armor and other bullshit like that but since then ive used it for just about everything else. It may be a bit small but it gets the job done and since its all steel, its very high quality.

Stupid question, but is it possible to make a living doing bladesmithing? I have an anvil, hammer, and everything I need basically, but I don't know. I would like to do it for an actual job since it's something I liked, but I got discouraged for a stupid reason when I realized I needed to get my shit together and get a job. Cue a year later and still can't get work.

>>343711
It is possible to make a living doing just about anything. Check out Angle Sword's stuff for the high end blade smithing. You can do it, but it'll take a lot of hard work, good skills you need to develop, and all the normal business strategies to be successful. I would just start it as a hobby in which you can sell an item here and there for profit. Once you attain a good level of expertise and have felt out the market then go full time.