My forge and anvil are setup outdoors under an open carport. As we are getting closer to winter here in Arkansas, it means my anvil will be much colder as well. In the past, to try to combat the coldness of the anvil I have heated several scrap pieces and laid them on the anvil face till most of the heat was sucked out. My thought was to try to warm the anvil as much as I could so it wouldn't draw the heat so quickly out of the steel I was working. Is there any validity to this or was I just wasting my time?
Cheyenne Walker
Apprentice Smith
Hey Cheyenne!
A cold anvil will definitely suck the heat out of your work fast. I will often warm my anvil first, depending on the type of work I'm doing... especially forge welding. I don't think your wasting your time. A warm anvil should mean longer working time between heats, which means less heats needed, less scale, & less waiting.
I too keep my anvil outside and just scrape the snow off of it <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//laugh.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> . Between a hot day and a cold day is maybe 50 or 60deg. The steel is at around 14-1500deg I figure 50deg cooler on the part of the anvil isn't that big a deal. I tend to slightly lift the work off the face, that helps a little.
I am curious as to others opinions though, maybe I have been mis-thinking this.
I have been thinking about getting a magnetic engine block heater like this: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/KAT0/1160/N0653.oap?ck=Search_N0653_-1_2052&pt=N0653&ppt=C0076
Only about $45 and if I plug it in about an hour before I start forging the anvil should be up to a good temp giving me more time. What do you guys think?
Sounds like a good idea to me. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
Cheyenne Walker
Apprentice Smith
