The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-11-15
Anvils.


Anvils for heavy work are generally
square blocks of iron with steel faces,
although many in use are nothing more
than cast-iron blocks with chilled faces.
The quality of an anvil is of great i'm
portance to the mechanic who makes
use of it, because it determines in some
measure the quality of the work he
produces. Anvils of the best character
are made almost entirely by hand, and,
as may be supposed, the operations is one
quite laborious. 1t is, indeed, heavy
work.
Anyils vary in weight from 100 to
500 pounds. For their manufacture
two large fires are required. The
principal portion or core of the anvil,
consisting of square block of iron, is
heated to welding heat at certain
point or corner in one fire, and the
piece of iron which is to form pro-
jecting end is heated in another fire.
When both of the pieces have reached
the proper Welding heat they are
brought together on an anvil and
are joined by heavy swinging hammers.
In this way the four corners of the base
are welded to the body in four heats.
After this the projection from the shank
hole aud lastly the horn or beak are
welded to the core. When the anvile
has reached this stage the whole is
brought into proper shape by pairing
and trimming for the reception of the
face. The steel used for this purpose
is, or at least ought to be, the best
kind of sheet metal. Instead of this,
however, blister steel and other grades
of inferior quality are very frequently
employed.
The anvil and steel are heated until
they attain the proper temperature.
The two sides which are to be welded
are then sprinkled with calcined borax,
and are joined by quickly repeated
blows of the hand hammer.
The steel coating used to form the
faces IN the best grades of anvils is a
half-inch thick. At the same time it
may be remarked that if the steel is
only quarter of an inch in thickness
the difference is unimportant, provided
the steel be of good quality The next
operation in the manufacture of the
anvil is hardening, which is accom-
pfished by heating it to redness and
bringing it under falling water. The
fall Of water employed must be at
least the size of the face of the anvil,
and shoult be of not less than three
feet head. After the process of hard
ening it is smoothed upon grindstone
and finally polished with emery.
Small anvils, such as are used by sill
ver-smiths, goldbeaters, etc., are pol
ished very finely, some of them until
they present mirror-like face. On &C
count of the expensiveness of the oper-
ations attending the manufacture of an
anvil. as above described, various ex-
periments have been made in the way
of producing this useful tool in cast
iron.
The common anvils of the shops,
however, can not be made of cast-iron
for the reason that the beak would not
be strong enough. None but anvils
with full square faces have been sue
cessfully made of cast-iron. Anvils OF
this kind are either simply chilled by
casting the face in iron molds, or the
face is plated with cast-steel.
Chilled cast-iron anvils are objection
able, for the reason that they are quite
brittle and the corners of the faces will
not stand. Cast-iron anvils, made with
steel faces. however, are superior
article, and in some respects preferable
to wrought-iron anvils. The face is
harder and stronger, although the
beaks will not last as long.-Black-
smith and WheelWright.