What steel for Japanese anvil?

Will52100

Will52100

Joined
Dec 4, 2001
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I am sick of working on soft anvils, and tired of trying to find a good old one.

What I am wanting to do is make a Japanese sword style anvil, just a flat block of hardened steel for blade work. For this anvil I wont need a hardy, heal or horn. I'm looking for a 6-8"x10"x8-10" block roughly.

My question is what steel is readly hardnable, and can be found? I plan on wraping with Kaowool, sticking a gas forge burner in and heating to non-magnetic and quenching with a water hose.

Thanks, William
 
Check out 4130 or 4140. I think they are relatively cheap ($2 a pound range) and can be "flame" hardened.
 
Though this doesn't answer the japanese part of your question, I got a cast steel anvil from Harbor Freight for $80 (110lb) and it was real soft so I heated it up on a forge and quenched in ice water. It worked great! Better ring, better rebound and it doesn't dent unless I really try.
 
I'd look for some 1050 or 1060 steel or even 5160 if you could find it in that size.

Have you considered a new anvil, maybe a model from the Czech Republic? As far as new anvils go these are quite inexpensive. Check out this web site, they have several decent looking anvils that are reputed to be as good as Peddinghaus.

http://www.oldworldanvils.com/classicanvilpage/classicanvilpage1.html

Just a thought if you hadn't known about them already, and shipping is reasonable also if you pick up your anvil from a shipping terminal. I know how hard it is to find a decent old anvil of any size. Here in the Deep South it's even harder but they can be found if you have the time to search for them. I'm using my great-grandfather's amazingly beat up 140 lb. anvil but I was spoiled on a friends 350 lb. Working on a big monster like that just doesn't compare to any thing else.
 
Thanks, I just have to find a piece of 1050 or so steel now.

Silent, I've considered buying a new anvil, but for the majority of the work I do the horn and heal just get in the way. I have a cast london pattern anvil for any bending or forming and to hold hardy tools.

I work off shore, and if I could figure out how I would make off with one of the spare leg jack pins we keep in the bow leg. It's about 24"x24"x36" and heat treated and must weigh a ton! Would make a great anvil, wouldn't even need a base!
 
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