Can You Forge Weld a Face Plate on to a Harbor Freight Anvil?
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2022
- If Harbor Freight 55 lb anvil is the worst anvil, can it be improved by welding a face plate on it? On its own I don't think it really is a "55 lb rugged cast iron anvil". Let's try forge welding a top plate on this cheap Harbor Freight anvil!
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Хобби
Whether it works or not at least the blue paint is gone 🤣
Yes indeed LoL cough 😏
That was good.
I was going to say "You ruined the anvil! It's nothing without its pretty blue paint." I won't say that. 😅
Yes I think you need a part two
Holy cow, im eating my words. I'd LOVE to see a take two!!!!
Let's share this video around And see if we can get it done 👍👍✅
I have that anvil, was a gift from my kids. I siliconed a chunk of 4140 forklift fork to the top. Been working great for me so far. The fork is only slightly wider than the face of the anvil & is about 1-1/2" thick. Might be a good candidate for take 2.
Yeah please do a take two. Have you considered sand casting your own steel anvil from recycled tools, wrenches, hammers, etc?
Thank you for your channel. Definitely interested in the redo of this video. It's worth another shot
Your welcome And congratulations on being first 🥇
I think using an electric forge where you can know the exact temp more accurately might be an option. This is a fun experiment. It can be done. My wife's farriers anvil has a cast iron basd with a hardened face welded on and its very solid. My father in law made it for her. I wish youtube would allow attachments.
Most anvils that have a cast iron base and a steel face actually were welded by casting the base with the steel face in the bottom of the mold.
Love the video. If anybody could do it...you can. Your tenacity is admirable!!
Thanks Roger!
Went better than I thought it would.
This was a cool experiment to watch. I hope to see part 2.
I was gonna say, "Roy can do it!!" But I read Troys comment. Dang it!
I'd love to see take 2! Please!
My first thought was no, highly unlikely, but now I would like to see you and Thomas give a more controlled second go! I now think its possible! Nice try Roy!👍
We welded a 1” thick steel plate to the face of our HF anvil and it’s worked great!
What a hoot! Cracked me up. Love the treadle hammer kit, by the way. Good luck, and be careful.
that was awesome!!! I started forging with that anvil. I'd love to see another go!
I was so curious about this... I hope you try it again
Fun experiment.
Don’t know much about smithing. But having a oxy acetylene torch nearby should help it glowing hot while hammering the plate on.
Do it!!!! We need results. The internet needs to know!
I found this video very entertaining - something I couldn't and likely wouldn't attempt even if I had the setup. From the standpoint of holding my attention I'd say it was a complete success. Keep experimenting Roy.
I would definitely like to see you give it another go.
I don't know if you'll personally get it done, but I do know it's possible to forge weld the two materials together, as the Fisher Norris ones were tool steel forge welded onto cast iron (or specifically cast iron cast onto the forge weld temperature tool steel I believe)
Now that I've seen the whole thing, I think that maybe running a bead around the entire edge may help here as well. There would be less chance of the failure of the "tack" but also would help seal out air. You could flat-grind both and then do it with just a regular pre-heat rather than doing that in the forge, and then after the welds are on, into the forge for the forge weld. Cast iron is a tricky mistress, but I think you can get it done!
@@solarhawk77 have to agree with you on this one, gotta see attempt #2
Yes take 2 please!
I didn't expect any of it to weld, to be frank. Nice work!
Roy, Please try Iron Mountain Flux on the next attempt. I love this concept, great video even if it didn’t work as intended.
Thanks brother
Long time no see, great video. I was really hoping for your success. Can't win them all. Look forward to you retrying in the future
Boy I lost it when you did the reveal 🤣🤣🤣
it will be good to see take two. Take what you learned and run with it.
I'd love to see a "take 2"!
Valiant effort. I can't imagine doing anything useful with welding and cast iron!
Thanks for watching
Try it again Roy! Half a weld worked. Perhaps if you tack it in more places. I think it will work for you.
I'm hoping for a take two
Give it a shot!
Good “Maybe” indeed! Better by far than I was expecting.
Definitely worth a 2nd go at it! Q: what if y’all barb the steel face plate prior to welding like what’s done for facing wrought iron hammers? With a preheated/fluxed cast iron anvil face, the barbs should sink in.
Have you ever heard of J B Weld? It's like a liquid metal that comes in 2 tubes and you mix it together and it welds anything to anything.
Years ago I had an anvil that my dad had built Ye f welding 2 pieces of narrow gauge RR rail together I found a piece or 1 1/2" carbon and wanted him to put it on the top,he was a very good welder and had a hard time getting a bond..
you added those tack welds... Thanks for the bit of metallurgy. perhaps next one? btw like^1000. that should add enough likes to get over the crest.
You got this
I think it will weld by getting both white hot, pressed, and clamped. Allow to cool then slowly bring to white hot.
If you rewind, that's the only section that Roy put flux. ON CAMERA
I don't know. Cast iron is a tricky beast. It always wants to fall apart on me when I mess with it.
I'm gonna say that "anvil" is gonna turn back into the recycled sewer pipe it was made from as soon as you hear it up.
we live to learn and learn to live. Forge on. god bless.
Go for it !
I think the back end failed because it got too hot. The horn probably worked as a thermal sink to keep the front half from melting.
I would not have used a sledge to set the forge weld, but I'm impressed that you got any of the steel to stick. I bet the second attempt will be successful.
Awesome video. I think heating separately seemed to work better, maybe could be the way to go for take 2?
I think it will work
If you have an arc welder for electrodes you can try welding hard facing rod on one of those anvils it may work. Not sure haven’t tried using hard facing rod on cast iron. That worked great on the huge chunk of mild steel I have. I use it as a secondary anvil like block to move it around easier than the anvil I have mounted.
I know that some things are difficult to see on video. So the temps are hard to judge, from my point of view. Having said that, the anvil didn't look like it was up to full welding temperature on the first heat. Whereas, due to the faceplate coming off, it looked much hotter on the second heat. But again, that's from my perspective. I'm sure it looked much different irf. I've been watching you for years now. So I'm well aware of your skills. If there's anyone who could pull this off, it'd be you Sir.
Thank You for your time and efforts!!
I think if you can get it hot enough it will work. At least temporarily. Then maybe delaminate due to the different thermal expansion of the two materials. Or, not weld at all. Idk.
Took me awhile to figure out you were doing it in 2 stages. Thought you were going to try it in one go; anvil to just below melting and steel to about 1950. I was freaking because the anvil top wasn't a uniform temp.
I'm sad for the wasted faceplate lol. The anvil not so much. Go for it Roy.
It will work.
The second test might be easier to manage with the 15 pound variant which should mean less time fishing it out of the forge and getting it to the anvil.
maybe if the whole anvil is heated uniformly in giant propane forge it will be easier. Coal forge is hard mode. Thanks for the great video!
So I say yes try it again. While you're at it, could/would it be worth trying on a different brand or something like a forged anvil? Would it do the same or would it be different? I enjoy blacksmithing but I am not a smithy myself, your channel was interesting and I joined because of that and you channels title.
Thanks for subbing And yes I think it would be worth it in the right circumstances...
A very cool attempt!!!
What about a lower temperature "silver brazing" it instead? - with a sheet of silver between the two layers - Silver would be bloody expensive, maybe copper or brass/bronze will do?
I think a brazing would be much easier and then you could just grind and clean (not polish) both faces flat (the tool steel and anvil), lay a sheet of copper or brass between (thin sheet, that is), weld them solid around (so it won't pour out the side as you heat it up) and then at low temperature and using small hammers - force the steels to lay flat on each other. This will make sure they are sitting one on top of the other flat - and the copper/brass will fill the voids and create a solid bond....
Tyrell knives does something really lovely and similar with blades - I wonder if it would work with an anvil (to be honest, I've been thinking of treating my own home-made anvil this way, addying a layer of tool steel on top.)
Just my oddball 2cents
I would think machining the hard steel for taper head bolts, then drill and tap the anvil might make for better results. I've got some pieces of heavy truck frame I was thinking about doing this to. I could also get some AR400 and do the same thing.
Good try Amigo! Could I recommend for the 2nd take, to weld all the way around the plate and anvil with "special cast iron welding rods" just to make sure the plate doesn't fall off.
Ehh, problems with continuous welding it, you gotta flux it/clean off the scale, or you’d have nothing but huge amounts of slag inbetween the plate and the face. And the special rod, that would probably work best/be available and not hideously expensive is just plain ol 309L stainless rod. Plea, to even get what could be called a decent weld with carbon to cast, or stainless to cast, the cast has to be very clean, like shiny clean, and preheated, for the best chance. Along with the steel very clean. But I definitely agree that some more stitch welds around it would be better, like a couple spaces apart, and an inch long or so at most in the front and back, and like 3 or 4 on each side would definitely help keep it stuck in place, for the heat. I commented further up, and said, running over the whole face with 309L first, would probably give them the best chance. As that changes the cast iron into a more high alloy steel right at the surface. Makes it easier to stick carbon steel to it. But that’s a ton of time and welding rod for an experiment. Would be cool to see though, haha.
Have you thought about brazing it on. You can get it hot enough looks like, just about as good as forge weld.
Possibly it depends a lot on how both the carbon steel plate and the cast iron behave while heated and under the pressure if the forge welding process if it will be successful
I would have started getting it to as close to a welding heat as possible with the feet in the anvil first, after tacking the surface. Then flipping it around, bringing the steel to a welding temp.
Oh! And i would do it with charcoal too, build up a ridge around the firepot with bricks to be able to build the fire higher!
Forgot to add the most important part, hecking cool idea! Would love a part two!!
My gut feeling is that the two different metals have 2 different welding temps… large (realitively) working surface area… it could work but I’d be skeptical about a full forge welding. Maybe the edges. Hope it works!
I hope so 😬. Take 2plz!
Great try!
I'd like to think it can be done.
Couple of ares I think about.
1 add iron powder in te Flux er majic Pixie Dust
2 don't burn it ( ducks the flying hammers)
3 start hammering in the middle then work out to the edges in multiple heats w Majic Pixie Dust n iron powder
4 have you thought of simple wire welding a quasi face then forge weld the tool steel on that ?
lets see a take 2
Awesome video as always, I have a question for you. How has the HF anvil you hard faced held up?
Got a new video coming out on that this next week
@@ChristCenteredIronworks Very excited to hear that, thanks for the response
I would say that it is probably possible. A little crazy maybe, but possible
I have one that I bought 2 years ago just sitting around in my apartment. It’s pretty to look at but i wanna try to weld it with some nickel rod lol
if they are too different to weld well, perhaps a sheet of intermediate metal in between might help?
As far as this. I'm wondering if, since you noted that iron melts at a lower temperature, bring the anvil up to about a thousand to twelve hundred degrees and the plate to welding temp. That should be enough to melt the iron. Or use dynamite.
Also, a question from a very inexperienced guy in this field. Would it also have been better to to start in the middle and work your way out? For the striking. And I mean at this point, you gotta have quite a few wrecked blue anvils…do you have a blast furnace? If so. Can just turn to them wrought…and make something worthwhile, haha.
From what I see, it's a possibility
Take 2 please
Yeah, this way works, but I’ve tried it. The center doesn’t weld very well. The tacks can break off. Back then, it took several guys. One or two to hold the plate on, and the others to whale on it a few times, and hopefully, it welded. But not every time. Sometimes they had to try it several times before they got a usable anvil.
You can do it just trust your self
I would love to see someone make something useful out of those harbor freight anvils lol
I’d say give it another shot with one of their 15 pound anvils, heck you could try different faces and heat cycles. If you got a good result with that, maybe it could be replicated on one of the larger ones.
I say YES it will work....
I don't think it would weld personally.. we'll see haha
You have to heat the entire anvil before you tack the grader blade to it I think to get a better weld.
At the start of the video I said no way. Halfway through I was like maybe, then the top plate fell off. But at the end I was surprised to see that something stuck. So let's doi it again.
I think you would have more success brazing one on
I would give it a nother go at it it does look like there's a good chance it will work
Anything can be done. May not be perfect but if you dream it you can do it.
It took me a whole 5 minutes to figure out they they were using a grader blade IE blade from a grader; and not a ‘greater plate’ which I guess is as opposed to a lesser plate?
Take 2, practice is learning
I was wondering what would happen if you took a steel Acchio anvil and hardened it.
Hmm, what about heating and maintaining it at the temperature for the conversion to nodular iron? Is that doable?
If only I had a $2,000+ anvil (probably way more) so I could make a $100 anvil 🤣😂🤣. Seriously though, loved the attempt. I want to see a 2nd try at it.
I think it would work if you heat the anvil long enough to decarburize it in a big enough propane forge, closed from the air. I don't know how slow it would decarburize, but I'm certain that I can get it down to 0.30 to 0.60% Carbon. It would require an optical emmision spectroscope or one of those - EXPENSIVE MACHINES($60,000 to $500,000!).
If the heat is correct it will I would think
I've got to say no, as the anvil is cast iron. Keeping my fingers crossed though and watching the rest of the video now 👍
Thanks brother!
I do not believe it will work. I’m curious to see the process though
Nothing ventured nothing learned. Give it another go. In the spirit of experimentation how about you run the forged welded portion of the anvil through a bandsaw and cut out a few profiles. That way you will get an idea as to how uniform (or not) was the.weld.
Braze the top on. Get some flux and braising foil. Grind both surfaces flat, flux em, foil them then heat on your fire until the braze melts.
How about brazing the plate on there ? That seems like it might go smoother.
I don't think the steel will forge to cast iron. However, I've never tried it before. I am interested in finding out.
Think it need to be brought up to temp separate the anvil and the plate the brought out for forge welding