Harbor Freight Anvil: Can It Be Hardened?

Will a harbor freight anvil survive the quench? We find out the answer to can you harden a harbor freight anvil.
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[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Can you forge weld on a faceplate to the harbor freight anvil? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qX3domuNiM19jq8 This is the latest video in this series... You don't want to miss it!

[@mountainwolf1]

I wonder if it is possible to weld or bolt a steel plate to the top?

[@jaysanders7472]

Yes I made several fire pokers

[@Halloween111]

Harbor freight does have some good tools and other items, but they have some real klinkers in there too. The anvils are klinkers. But there is something you can do to them. Get a sturdy rope and tie it through the Hardy hole. Row out into the nearest body of salt water until it is far enough to begin getting less polluted. 3/4 mile should do. Next, hang the anvil over the side with the rope. Then, cut the rope, row back to shore, and feel the burn from the workout. Finally, go invest in a decent anvil.

[@rockylong7546]

Yes!! Always go to a unpolluted place to pollute! I love humans!!!

[@Azlehria]

HF anvils: not good for blacksmithing. _Great_ for your typical DIYer's "anvil-shaped object" needs.

[@gpweaver]

@@rockylong7546 Hey, it's just raising the iron content of the water. Helping the local wildlife have healthy hemoglobin levels!

[@rockylong7546]

@@gpweaver don’t say hemoglobin. I am part globin and my mom is full hemo. OFFENSIVE!!

[@wrecksandtech]

@@rockylong7546 good, be offended

[@brysonalden5414]

Trying to turn an HF ASO into a useful anvil by any means reminds me of the famous Robert Heinlein line: "Never attempt to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig."

[@garethbaus5471]

You might be able to melt it down 2 or 3 of them, and cast them directly over a preheated and fluxed rectangular plate of 4140 or 5160 which can be hardened after the fact to give you a simple knife making anvil with a hard face and plenty of mass(assuming the face actually sticks).

[@jadedelite]

Really surprised you didn't take a quick pass with a flap wheel to get that scale off before any testing.

[@genghischuan4886]

why? the scale gives good contrast shows the scratches better. would be the opposite of what you want

[@jadedelite]

@@genghischuan4886 but for the ball bearing bounce test that has to be dampening some of the inertia.

[@silentferret1049]

Yeah the scale is really deadening the rebound potential. Kinda surprised they overlooked that one.

[@jasondavis3244]

@@genghischuan4886 But are you only seeing scratches in the oxide and not the hardened steel? Tough to tell.

[@genghischuan4886]

@@jasondavis3244 Here is the deal, it was all just horse shit anyway. people who work metal know that if you try to water harden a dirty cast not to mention partial water quench. The whole thing was retarded, then all this dont do this at home shit. who cares about the scale. and seriously anyone watching this already knows how to do this anyway. If they really wanter to do a water quench then antifreeze should have been in the water. This was stupid

[@georgeschnakenberg7808]

I have to say. My first anvil was a harbor freight. And honestly it lasted longer than my knowledge surpassed it. The first smiths bashed against a rock or mild steel anvil. Buy what you can, heat it up with what you can an whack it

[@TehButterflyEffect]

Ah, but remember, one of Adam's sons was the originator of metalworking. That means he was probably taught by God Himself, and it's likely there was no "bronze age." The Bible mentions steel and iron long before secular "scientists" believe it existed.

[@kylejohns2288]

So how do you explain the bronze weapons and armor we have found

[@damienweeks8581]

@@kylejohns2288 Satan put those there to fool us, like dinosaur bones and UFOs

[@buttartoast]

Considering Harbor Fright's track record with quality control, it's probably going to either crack or shatter on quenching, but if you luck and grab the golden ticket one, you'll have a pretty decent entry level anvil that isn't just an ASO. I've bought a screw driver where the point chipped turning a stuck screw, took it back and swapped it out and now i use that thing for prying staples and such. Harbor Freight is just a Blue Collar Casino.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

LoL love that blue collar casino 🤣

[@michaelconran5252]

I watch Project Farm, The Harbor Freight car battery jump box, couldn't jump a Ford 4 Cyl Ranger. The Harbor Freight zip-ties, the best. I got an open box small shop vac for about $20, amazing for small, tight area jobs, use the hell out of it. picks up screws and nails Your comment, on track. I have engine hoists and stands. about 3 floor jacks, couple ATV jacks and jack stands, never had an issue. The ATV lifts I use all the time on our Harley's and other motorcycles. One of the floor jacks I use on my F350. I have busted some of their hand tools, but I am fine with it. Need to modify a hand tool, cheap is the way to go. I have a lot of old made in USA Craftsman, not going to grind an open end wrench to fit in a small spot I'll most likely use once. This is where Harbor Freight shines. Sometimes cheap tools are priceless.

[@paulkelly1702]

I've bought things from HF and now, I wouldn't buy a pencil there.

[@deathsicon]

@@michaelconran5252 the rule I was tight growing up, if you need it for one job, go to HF, if you need it to last go to Sears

[@michaelconran5252]

@@deathsicon unfortunately Craftsman is not the same anymore. Most of the Craftsman is have is from 80's early 90's. Now I buy other brands that have lifetime warranties. I got cheap if it something I will only use a few times. I went cheaper on the 72 Torx I may use 2 or 3 more times on my Harleys luckily over the years I have anywhere from 3 to 5 of everything.

[@TehButterflyEffect]

I watch a lot of these types of videos on KZbin, and I'm very happy to see you guys working as safely as possible. Full leathers, gloves, safety glasses at all times, face shield for extra protection... you're the real deal. Thank you for being a good example.

[@TheBorus]

It looked to me like the failure originated at the hardy hole. The sharp 90 degree corners are stress risers and cause brittle fracture during heat treatment. You may have had some grain growth, but I would be willing to bet that it would have survived if you had radiused or chamfered those square edges before taking it up to temp. Neat video, thanks.

[@kireduhai9428]

I honestly wondered about this. Since they use "ductile iron," (not cast iron, which is actually VERY high carbon) which actually has a decent graphite content, it actually stood to reason that it would be hardenable on some level.

[@Vikingwerk]

Something I have found hardening home made tools is that those surface oxides can be a fair bit softer than the hard metal underneath.

[@mikehancho3500]

Wouldn't u want to polish off the surface oxides im no pro

[@Zonkotron]

@@mikehancho3500 Not just those, also decarburization (decarb) - a layer where the inverse of case hardening has happened - air has leached out the carbon. Usually quite thin but some steels and long soak times can cause deeper layers.

[@ericrichardson3332]

Also with hardening metals most metals need to be tempered back as they would be to brittle and shatter if struck or dropped from a distance . It kinda makes me think the casting got hard but because its cast it is easy to break when hard so that's why they leave them soft anvils , my question would be can you weld a solid high carbon steel to the anvil and harden the piece of high carbon steel ?

[@danielthompson6207]

That was interesting for sure. I have a theory about the improved rebound; could it be that having it upside down in the forge melted the Bondo inside the anvil and caused it to settle against the face, thereby increasing the rebound without actually improving the anvil itself?

[@mytech6779]

There is no bondo inside a casting, and any bondo in surface pits would burn out way before those temperatures, its basically plastic.

[@GWIRailroad]

Wow that was interesting Roy, however I think I will keep mine as is for my grandson he still love it!! Thanks for the Great Video Wayne

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Thank you Wayne

[@askquestionstrythings]

I'm not surprised grey cast iron doesn't water Quench well as the cooling rate is too fast. air, oil, molten salt seem more apt. of those Air is safer and considering the limits you mentioned in your shop air is probibly best. Which gives me the thought that plate quenching with a large/thick aluminum "plate" would be better. As brittle as it was it makes me think it needed tempering which would have likely brought the hardness back to those stock conditions... as such even plate quenching maynot wouldn't help it. maybe something like surface hardened by the induction method or Flame hardening method. (of course those would need to be tempered or "Stress Relieving" at 150-200C [302-392F] too)

[@Ray_Morris]

The biggest issue I see is that you can't harden cast iron. Good experiment though.

[@littlejackalo5326]

LOL. Sounds like you need to do more research before making sweeping statements and presenting them as fact.

[@lowellhouser7731]

So, a 12-18 inch piece of 4140 3in round heat treat from Speedy Metals or whatever tilted up vertically would be a better bet for a newbie I'm thinking.

[@baladar1353]

Definately. Someone wrote a comment above that Harbor Freight anvils are only anvil shaped objects. They are good for straightening nails or for paperweights. Cast iron is not hardenable.

[@nerd1000ify]

Cast iron can be flame or induction hardened (common for machine ways, gears, etc).

[@cannotequaltoshould4911]

it seems folks are conflating cast iron with steel. From my understanding you cannot harden cast iron. you need a hardenable steel so the only way to harden this anvil would be to melt it down, add carbon and other elements for the steel alloy of choice and then recast.

[@artsmith100]

Cast iron has MORE carbon than steel, not less. That makes it brittle, which is why it's unsuitable as an anvil.

[@kenny240]

You can hear some of the grain structure cracking during the quench. I’d much rather use a good forged anvil than harbor freight’s cast stuff. I know it’s cheaper, but if I’m gonna invest in an anvil, I’d rather buy something nicer, and buy it once than have to buy a cheap one over and over again. I’ve applied this logic to Allen wrenches (which we use daily in my line of work) and I spent $170 on 3 sets of really nice Japanese allens, and they still look brand new despite using them daily. When I was young and would buy cheap sets, I’d have to replace a cheap $15 set every 3 months or so. Which, over the course of the year would have paid for the 1 nice set that would have replaced. At roughly $50/set plus shipping, my colleagues have been using the same set of the nice ones for 15 years and they still look new to this day. So, when you buy quality the first time, you shouldn’t have to keep buying junk over and over again. Even if it saves in the short term, it’ll save even more in the long term to invest in the good stuff.

[@signolias100]

it would have been better had they used oil instead of water to quench it

[@dennisyoung4631]

@@signolias100 maybe. Would have been better if they’d gotten some railroad rail…. Hope to get some railroad rail myself.

[@elusive7815]

You made your shop into a sauna that's great thinking man 😂

[@KatanaGuy]

Why not clean off the junk on the face before testing? I really thought it would crack and come apart.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Would of but then you wouldn't of been able to see the scratch test results with the glare from the studio lighting...

[@thedazzlingape2006]

"do not do this at home" right you are roy! most blacksmiths do this at rivers! the cold water flow helps harden the anvil as it prevents steam jacketing and boiling water splashes.

[@starhawke380]

Paused at 55secs... My theory is that since H.F. puts out such quality products, the anvil will take a hardness of around 70 rockwell, but still have some spring in it so it doesnt shatter and give good rebound on the strikes.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

LoL I see what you did there 😉🤫

[@thejackofalldans786]

i wasn't surprised by this at all, especially the hardy hole popping off like that, its cast so any amount of hardening will absolutely destroy the entegrity of the crystal structure, forged steel has a much tighter and consolidated structure and so when you harden it, it essentially interlaces the crystals almost like a rope interlaces threads to make a stronger item. Cast iron is like taking those threads and hanging something from them untwisted.

[@DragonHide94]

First, cast does not mean cast iron. Second, forging does not consolidate material or "intertwine" the grain. Third, rope is not stronger because it is twisted. Iron is a crystal. It does not have long or stringy grains, it is more akin to sandstone or quartzite (metamorphic sandstone where to silicate grains grow together from being exposed to high heat). Casting has the potential to create voids or porosity from the process failing or being done improperly, but heat treatment itself can do far more to refine and homogenize the grain structure than "forging" can. Besides, what does it really mean to have a forged anvil? How did they create the billet in the first place? Are the feet, horn, heel, and face all welded onto the waist? Is it arc welded or forge welded? Are those perfect welds, or are they just as susseptible to failure as a cast anvil? A good anvil is a good piece of iron made well, regardless of the method used in it's construction.

[@thejackofalldans786]

@@DragonHide94 ok first, I said Cast, not Cast IRON, I understand the difference, still like you said, hardening cast at all destroys any strength the metal had because of all the voids and the lack of consolidation of the grain of the crystals, you can see it when the hardy breaks off how large the crystal grain is the difference between cast and forged metal is the grain structure of the metal, forging tightens that structure and you get much more grains in a smaller area I used rope as an example because and I quote "The twist of the strands in a twisted or braided rope serves not only to keep a rope together, but enables the rope to more evenly distribute tension among the individual strands. Without any twist in the rope, the shortest strand(s) would always be supporting a much higher proportion of the total load." but i guess i should have used gems as an example, quartz is loose and not consolidated well, while diamond from heat and pressure is far harder. there's a difference here between hardness and strength though, the harder the steel the more brittle it becomes, the stronger the steel the more easily it bends. the best anvils are forged because you tighten up the grain structure, remove any possible voids in the steel and then can heat treat it to harden, cast may be able to be hardened but will not be as strong as forged steel, there's a reason steel swords are never made from castings.

[@DragonHide94]

@@thejackofalldans786 I have neither the time, not the crayons to explain why everything you just said is wrong (except the rope because it was a quote from elsewhere).

[@user-io6ds8gj4p]

I am building my own anvil out of I beam and a 1" thick block of 4140 for the striking face. The 4140 should harden up to about 52 Rockwell. I was wondering how to heat the thing up, but had not considered using a coal forge to heat just the 4140 part. I was planning on building a furnace around the thing! Very helpful.

[@BBCTopgearfan]

Let us know how it turns out!

[@williamfleming3837]

Fantastic work man! My harbor freight anvil is still a good part of my shop, use it when I don’t want to damage my good one haha. Keep doing an amazing job! Happy holidays!

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Thank you William merry Christmas to you and yours 🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎄🎄🌨️🌨️❄️

[@williamfleming3837]

@@ChristCenteredIronworks Thank ya!

[@michaelconran5252]

Exactly what cheap tools are for. Can modify, and use them in a pinch as they were not intended to be used. Break it, who cares? break that old Craftsman (When they were good) or Snap-On, you cry.

[@ArindursForge]

For giggles I wonder if you'd be able to case harden it

[@piousminion7822]

I'd try redoing it and partially case harden the top. i.e. add more carbon/hardness. You'd think cast iron would have TONS of carbon, but it's probably cast steel.

[@Gkitchens1]

I was under the impression most anvils only had the tops hardened or work hardened, not the whole top half. You learn something new every day.

[@slanwar]

I welded a steel plate (stick, nickel and then I just mig welded to look good) on top then drilled holes on top and screwed a few big screws I had around, then just grinded the screw heads and filled any hole with my mig.

[@chrisallen9154]

Screwed or bolted? They are two entirely different fasteners.

[@slanwar]

@@chrisallen9154 bolted

[@markkwasny9650]

The HF anvil makes a great door stop!

[@michaelhayes1678]

Thanks for sharing! Makes sense: More hard makes more brittle. Cast iron is already brittle, but soft. Thanks! It is better for tools to have a little less hardness in exchange for decreasing the chance of easier and more dangerous failure. Great live stream tonight, by the way.

[@jamesyoung7560]

15-20 years ago I bought a 110 lb "made in Russia" anvil from HF and it is a gem; great hammer rebound and it rings like a (high pitched) bell. The only weird thing about it is that the hardy hole is rotated 45 degrees so that end-to-end it looks like a diamond instead of a square.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

I'm honestly amazed that anvil didn't snap in half during the quench.

[@JamesChurchill3]

Ah man I can't believe you said don't do this at home. Now I can't fire up the industrial forge in my living room :(

[@FallenAnvilForge]

You killed it, then again, it was half dead when you bought it. lol

[@JB-ro3sz]

that barn looks like a great summer shop but not so much of a winter shop. 😃

[@TheTac0Six]

we just put a hardened steel plate on top of ours to make it more useable. I also have one and use it for leatherworking. it's perfect for that. lol but yea it's more of a soft Hobbie anvil than a smith one.

[@redbloodedamerican3]

Just my 2 cents, but that was a bad quench. Quenching items with a lot of mass need to be agitated to prevent a steam barrier. Steam barrier gives a very slow quench preventing hardness

[@stevenlarsen1691]

You need carbon to harden. They used to dip it in cyanide. Also, sugar and walnut shells were used. Harbor Freight has some excellent tools if you use them correctly. I have a thirteen-foot fishing boat and the Harbor Freight anvil has worked very well as an anchor for years. I have seen them work great for doorstops. If you don't misuse their tools they will last you for years.

[@christopherweigand7518]

would you do the drop test with mill scale taken off?

[@danbell3827]

My best guess, If you're just using a bucket, It will either shatter, or won't harden much, if any. Most likely it's cast iron, which won't properly harden. Even if it does have the right amount carbon, the anvil will boil off the water and insulate itself, to the point that it cools too slowly to properly harden. I've heard that old anvils were often hardened under a waterfall, so the moving water overcomes the steam jacket and actually quenches it.

[@supersupernova74]

Almost didn’t recognize you with the beard!! Good video! God bless!

[@youtubeSuckssNow]

Never seen your videos before. But I love that wall/building

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Me too And welcome to the channel 🙂

[@MrMikeT89]

Paused the video when you said: Would love to see it explode in the quench but I predict it just wont harden well

[@jaysanders7472]

The best thing I have found is to have an H13 plate welded to the top of it

[@dannyarrowheadstalker3054]

I have one of these weights. I was going to add an inch of Hard face welding rods to improve the rebound. Either that, or weld a chunk of much better steel on top.

[@danielthompson6207]

I'd go with the plate of steel over the welding rods, as you can do it pretty quickly running a single bead along each of the four sides instead of welding several rods in place. That's what I did with my 55lb HF anvil and it has been working like a charm for almost a decade now.

[@dannyarrowheadstalker3054]

@@danielthompson6207 I had the same thought after posting the comment. 4 welding rods would be better than 100 welding rods.

[@frenchcreekvalley]

That's a pretty slow quench, isn't it? You put the anvil's face into a barrel of water and left it there, right? Now, you have protected the face from the cold water with a blanket of steam. In the heat treating business, we pump the water in the quench tanks at very high rates of speed to keep liquid water in contact with the work. Take a guess at the actual content of the metal, then locate a TTT curve and study it.

[@jackofalltradesprepping9611]

Haven't watched your content yet, but I love Christ, so I'm now subscribed!

[@mytech6779]

Something that thick really needs a coolant circulation pump. Your going to get soft spots from steam pockets and generally poor quench in the critical range without a direct impingement from a fast flow [jet] of coolant regardless of base coolant temp or type. I'm curious about getting it hot like that but applying an air hardening, or work hardening, hardfacing layer with a torch with a light quench. Though it may cost more for good hardfacing material and torch gas than the anvil is worth. (Not talking about the common no name stuff used on a half crippled backhoe, there are special formulas for each sort of wear and hardness need.) The better way to do cast iron is to cast it in a mold with a chill block insert to make a white iron layer on the top. I don't know if it is possible [or practical] to form white iron with heat treatment of the solid object after casting. Maybe some sort of process that melts a thin surface layer and lets the bulk self-chill. The down side is that a white iron top would need surface grinding rather than a fast pass machining. White iron was traditionally popular for the tire of train wheels and plow shares meant for sandy soil (high abrasive).

[@skoitch]

You would also want to temper it before hammering on it.

[@stephenbridges2791]

Just about what I thought. Quick tip. If the item being Rockwell tested is something important, start with the low end files. Check in the same place each time. When you finally make a scratch, the Rockwell will be approximately half way between it and the previous one that didn't. The diamond tipped single prick gauges will produce a more accurate result should you need one. I'm guessing this vice was just used for testing, and; not serious use.

[@752brickie]

Tom you broke his anvil!

[@elijahfincher72]

That is crazy I'm going to take your advice and not quench my anvil. Without your videos I would have destroyed my forge THANK YOU!!!

[@spvillano]

I've found a 100% effective solution to the problem. You'll need a refractory vessel to hold the anvil, some flux, a bit of extra steel and an appropriate furnace. Put the pricasaurus rex anvil into the vessel, we'll call it a crucible, add the additional metal and flux. Put the lot of it into the blast furnace and allow all to melt. Form an ingot of the appropriate size and shape, then forge your anvil. More work would be to heat the damnable thing up to when the iron reaches a eutectic state, reforge it properly, then flatten and reshape as needed, then harden. But, that'd be even more work to get it right, as you'd have to forge all around and the core would likely still be crap.

[@colt10mmsecurity68]

It’s cast, you can’t harden it and expect it to be able to take hammer strikes.

[@Adi-kf6bq]

But what would be interesting is would inductionhardening work? Inductionhardening should introduce less heat in to the core of the anvil and change less of the metalstrukture. So i guess a catastophic fail would be less likely?

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

That would be interesting 🤔

[@752brickie]

you answered my question at the end of the video. Thanks

[@jameslefff269]

Harbor freight anvils are a mild cast iron. They are not meant to be surface hardened. They are just meant to be us d as is. For those that are just starting out that don't have a lot of money to put in to a good anvil. An an easy way to get a harder surface is to have a plate of hard-dox steel welded on to the the working face.

[@lucasblizzard7261]

That was a great example of a stress riser tho. Right at the hard corners of the Hardy hole.

[@robertwhitney2232]

Hi Roy, Interesting test on the HF anvil. I am no medelergist, but did you actually change the molecular structure of the iron when you heated and quenched the anvil?🤔 I have heard stories about HF anvils are poor cast-iron to start with. I have large hand tools from HF without problems, just be careful of what you buy. 👍 ⚒

[@TAS1303]

Nice job Roy. That ending surprised me!

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Me too buddy 👍

[@saikawanderer9166]

I've got the 50 pound i think, plenty for what i need it to do. Throws the six pound sledge back up some. Hasnt cracked. Once I've got the money its definitely gonna be a back up though.

[@Neuman357]

I have 2 HF anvils. One Russian 100lb anvil purchased in 2007 that rings like a bell with some rebound and the other is 55lbs of iron slag compressed into a rough anvil shape.

[@artsmith100]

The Russian anvils are solid performers.

[@ericrichardson3332]

Also with hardening metals most metals need to be tempered back as they would be to brittle and shatter if struck or dropped from a distance . It kinda makes me think the casting got hard but because its cast it is easy to break when hard so that's why they leave them soft anvils , my question would be can you weld a solid high carbon steel to the anvil and harden the piece of high carbon steel ? Oh and oil quench or water quench with bigger pieces you would want to warm the quenching liquid before your hot metal goes in for a dip

[@stevenmitchell6347]

My experience is that it is safer and easier to simply use hard facing welding rods for cast iron, build up about 3/8-1/2 surface and grind/machine flat and smooth, and polish to desired finish.

[@gaaranosuna1790]

My guess is as soon as you put it in the oil it does the usual bubble and smoke maybe some flames then it cracks

[@clydedyson2147]

In my opinion, I would steer clear of Harbor Freight anvil. Just for a simple reason that there is too much impurities mixed within the metal that makes it too soft for blacksmithing work. If you compare size for size of anvil a good quality anvil would be heaver than a HF anvil, because of better quality of steel, more dents, and better casting methods. I am sure there is other who has already made the same mention as to what I have just said. If it was me and I need an anvil for some blacksmithing work, I would get me some railroad iron to get me out of a pinch. Just saying.

[@jjforeal2]

Isn’t a harbor freight anvil cast iron? If so I expect it to not only not heat treat well, but crack in pieces from the voids

[@petercoutu4726]

I believe that it would take days of heat in a carbon rich atmosphere and multiple heat treatments to get the most depth of hardness to the casting. Then it would take a controlled annealing process before a final hardening similar to this process. At that point you could order a dozen better anvils from Alibaba

[@vidard9863]

have you had luck with the alibaba anvils?

[@petercoutu4726]

@@vidard9863 I am only using them as an example of another low cost option. I haven't had the opportunity to purchase from them, however some of the manufacturers who list their products are very responsive to their customers needs and could probably provide a better quality item at a better price compared with going through the process of heat treatments for the harbor freight anvil.

[@vidard9863]

@@petercoutu4726 i don't understand this concept. you cannot really heat treat HF anvils. you weld better steel plates on top of them, or ideally just use them to decide if blacksmithing is worth investing in.

[@coreymerrill3257]

I'd say the tester is mislabeled and the one marked 50rc is actually the 45 and the one marked 45rc is the 50rc. 55 cut metal, the marked as "50" did not ,the marked as "45" cut again. Then the 40rc skated like it was on ice . So while it's not important , it's worth knowing for sure uses . ,test your testing equipment before relying on results, when ever possible . If it's a serious test, always make sure new equipment is calibrated and labeled correctly because you will get inaccurate results . Just a tip( and just for a minute ) for anyone who doesn't realize this.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Hope to get in some better testing equipment in the future...

[@coreymerrill3257]

@@ChristCenteredIronworkswhile it's always the best choice, like I said ,do it "whenever possible". One can only get what they can afford , Id bet just re-marking the handles to say the right hardness would be good enough for Rockwell chart scratch testers. If you do want a good and consistent source of tools , while not the cheapest Brownells is a good way to go . They are a gunsmith supply store , but metal smithing tools are mostly the same except for the specialty tools for a given task. They have hardness testers and a great many other things you may find useful . Tempalac a varnish that melts when the metal hits the desired temp.various prepared carbon sources for colored case hardening , air water and oil quenchable high speed steel blanks. Blank high carbon drill rod , taps and dies and on and on. Good luck!

[@lalanbrown5214]

It's cast Iron not cast steel. Cast iron Has a higher carbon content which is an excess and other inclusions which prevent it being hardened because it is too brittle. My suggestion would be to put a metal plate on the flat area of sufficient hardness and hope that the horn will last.

[@maxdangers]

I recommend you get the anvil to watch some Charles Bronson movies and give it some whisky. The same treatment made me think I was a lot harder until I got a hangover the next day.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

😂😂😆

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Wow that's pretty interesting out come Roy. I will keep my anvil pinto. She is working hard and very well. Can't wait to see more videos soon. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend Roy. Forge on. Keep making. God bless.

[@Cortalpsychmajor]

My guess is it cracks at the very least, I'll be legitimately surprised if it survives. I have one of the 15 pound harbor freight anvils, (started out with it, then moved up to a 70lb NC tool anvil) I would not trust that with a quench.

[@heathfrench3335]

Hi Roy and Jess I thought the face would break off and fall apart like your idea but Im surprised the heel fell off, Merry christmas hopefully talk to you in the stream tomorrow

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Looking forward to it 🙂

[@BohumirZamecnik]

Did you temper it after quenching? Maybe it would not fall off after the hammer strike.

[@frenchcreekvalley]

Harbor Freight used to sell a 50 Kg Steel anvil. There are lots of them still around. Your comments should be ONLY directed at their cast iron anvils.

[@MajorButtons]

i hardfaced mine with 7018 SMAW rods

[@silentferret1049]

To be honest this anvil can be something you have machined down and replace the flat with a machined piece of steel and have it epoxied and heavy screwed down either using flat facedscrews or a V shaped bolt like a lug nut into a counter sunk hole and then smooth out to flat. Save some money as you might be able to get cutoffs or even just scrap piece of steel to replace. The rest of the anvil is mostly just dead weight being used then.

[@Kurogane_666]

I have a 11 kg Anvil that is quite soft I was actually thinking about doing this putting into my furnace and then quenching it then tempering it back in my house oven I'm intrigued to see what your videos like I haven't watched it yet I decided to comment first

[@FinallyMe78]

Can you weld a thick chunk of steel on the top surface?

[@paulpipitone8357]

Questions, how thick is the top plate at what temp did you heat it to, how long did you allow the anvil to soak at that temperature.... these will all effect the hardness, including the material type. ASM has good guidelines to follow....

[@SoulDelSol]

Wouldn't anything need to be tempered after quenching so it's not brittle

[@mtn.homeforge351]

I don't believe you put the camera above it during the quench. You're braver than me Lol Have a merry Christmas

[@cyrillevogler4065]

i feel like if you moved the anvil around while quenching it might be harder. do you think it would make a difference?

[@Dannysoutherner]

Physics - you can't do anything with cast iron far as heat treating goes. Best you can do is break it like they did - cast iron is super brittle as it is - heating it glowing hot and drowning it will assure you of a break - just like dumping cold water into a well overheated motor block.

[@danbell3827]

Yes and no. With cast iron, it's a lost cause. In general, though, you are 100% correct. The lydenfrost effect forms a "pocket" of steam around the anvil, preventing it from further cooling it. Historically, anvils were often quenched under running water, often a waterfall or "shower" type rig. Even moving it around helps break up the pocket, but fast moving water is better.

[@Dannysoutherner]

@oddjobbob I expect if someone really wanted to they could have a tool steel plate forge welded to the HF anvil. My old Fisher is made that way, tool steel plate on cast iron body. Nice anvil, no ring so I don't get run out of my neighborhood. Far as quenching goes, just for fun, what about hot water or salted water? May be less shock to the cast iron.

[@vincentpaynecole]

I would be interested to see what might happen if you got the whole anvil in the quench. The face being harder around the edges makes me think the mass kept the centre from cooling quick enough.

[@countryboy_robby]

Merry Christmas to you and your family

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Thank you And merry Christmas to you and your family as well 🎅🏼🎅🏼🎄🎄🌨️🌨️

[@Mad.Man.Marine]

Would never ever buy one of those anvils. But could you braze a plate of tool steel to the top?

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

That's in the video cue 🙂 stay tuned

[@drason69]

Very interesting, to say the least. Thank for taking the time and effort, to demonstrate what has been questioned, for a while now. Well done Sir! 👍🔥⚒️🙏🏼

[@GarysBBQSupplies]

Not to mention how fast that barn would go up in flames when the oil caught on fire.... Just curious though. Is it possible to reduce the grain size by a series of heating and slow cooling cycles In other words I guess, tempering??

[@wayneheitz8390]

Thank you for the fun test. Merry Christmas 🎅

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Thank you Wayne merry Christmas And God bless you Sir 🎅🏼🎄🌨️❄️

[@699hazard]

Can you hard face the anvil surface using a welder? Essentially welding a new surface on it?

[@barongerhardt]

They are still great for dropping on coyotes and getting cows into jars.

[@genghischuan4886]

so tired of people saying dont do this at home. I do what ever I want

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

And those people are tired of getting sued for not saying what should be common sense... I do what I want and you can to. just don't say I told you to do so 😉

[@stephenfaulkner1448]

I’m not experienced at all at hardening metal. But would it not be better to fully submerge the Anville to cool it faster? Seems it cooled very slow just barely being submerged at the top of the oil. Again. Just curious.

[@koreyhughes671]

I know this may be A stupid question but I'm just starting out and yeah.. is that water your quenching the anvil in? do you always use water or do you use a oil quench? Which do you think is better and why?

[@garymcmullin2292]

I dunno??? seems a lot of importance about metal properties. An anvil was originally made as a large chunk upon which to pound things. I seriously doubt the metallurgy back in the day yielded very hard steel? Pounding on the surface over time will work harden it to a degree. If you are in a hurry you could take a bar of high hardness steel alloy and braze it on as a hardened work surface. The cheap anvil is the large mass platform, all ya need is a harder surface. Definitely adequate for most anvil uses, especially just the occasional or entry level needs.

[@kennyledbetter821]

She gon splinter!

[@Oberkaptain]

I have plastics with a higher rockwell score than a HF anvil shaped object.

[@hellzs]

i had a good turn out when i just welded a new face on to it but i was fully aware that it was at best meeh and just wanted something that wasn't terrible with a hard face.

[@nickm6670]

Maybe to continue this series, buy the cheapest set of steel tools HF offers, cut the working surface off of the anvil, forge it together into a harder surface then weld it back on to the avil base to test. I forget how much HF anvils are, but they have a mechanic's set around 40, so maybe see if you can make a usable anvil for under $300 using only materials bought there? Purely for "science" though lol.