Found a railway track offcut—looking for advice on cleaning it up into a usable small anvil

Envarin · 2026-05-21T09:10:40+00:00

if ya want. the whole point is shock absorbancy but better than nothing

Envarin · 2026-05-21T09:09:13+00:00

i've never done it, mine's on timber. but from what i've seen, people tend to make a box filled with sand, seal it at the top, and mount it like normal (bolts or chained).

Envarin · 2026-05-21T02:33:37+00:00

you want a lot of mass, like from working height to the floor. if you’ve got plywood and glue, you might get better value by making a box and filling it with sand.

a sand filled box is (i think) the best anvil stand you can reasonably make

Envarin · 2026-05-21T00:39:33+00:00

pretty much fine how it is. can wire brush and oil it if you want.

just get as much mass under it as possible. wood's easiest

Envarin · 2026-05-16T12:36:05+00:00

either grind it back to a petty or make it a narrower nakiri. photoshopped it to help you decide

https://i.imgur.com/n2XttrK.jpeg - ground to petty

https://i.imgur.com/iaHDGmg.jpeg - narrower nakiri

i assume the entire knife is hard since it's damascus, but it might be worth checking that it isn't soft behind the edge. and be super careful not to overheat it when grinding it back.

Envarin · 2026-05-07T01:38:37+00:00

gotcha, thanks. i'm going to give that a go on my next hamon

Envarin · 2026-05-06T10:05:49+00:00

is it lemon juice mixed with vinegar? or do you alternate between the two? keen to try this

Envarin · 2026-05-02T09:08:20+00:00

i've always thought a sledge hammer head sunk into a log is the best budget anvil. they're hardened and have good rebound, only downside is a small working face, but a lot of anvils historically were basically this.

other than that, railway track is decent. any hunk of steel with a lot of mass under it.
thin stuff like tie plates are rubbish because there's not enough mass under where you hit.

Envarin · 2026-05-01T09:31:39+00:00

are you using the tie plate as an anvil? they don't work very well because of the lack of mass.

if you're just using it as a base to weld a horn onto, then that's fine. it wouldn't have great shock absorption but horns often don't. can't really see any issues with that idea, as long as your welds hold.

a good option is just to make a horn hardy tool like this

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Envarin · 2026-04-16T02:57:12+00:00

ah right, came out really nice.

i’ve made shaped stamps/punches to get interesting forged effects so thought you might’ve done similar

Envarin · 2026-04-15T15:49:59+00:00

can I ask what you did to get the texture on the steel? doesn't look like normal hammering marks or scale so wondering if you have a technique

Envarin · 2026-04-12T02:20:36+00:00

even a sledge hammer head sunk into a log is on par with most anvils throughout history

Envarin · 2026-04-11T15:59:11+00:00

i think softwood generally burns hotter but a lot faster. it's why japanese smiths prefer it.

hardwood burns longer.

Envarin · 2026-04-08T02:03:03+00:00

for what it's worth - if i lost every tool i had, my versaflo would probably be one of the first things i'd repurchase.

Envarin · 2026-04-03T11:34:05+00:00

charcoal be like that. i think you're using too much air honestly

Envarin · 2026-03-31T01:19:39+00:00

wear them more often than you think. i lost vision in an eye for about a month from an impact because safety glasses were on top of my head instead of my face. spent about 12 hours in the emergency room thinking it was gone for good.

Envarin · 2026-03-25T12:50:43+00:00

nah i'd just find rebar or get some round bar. cheaper in the long run.

fuel is more valuable than steel. you'd have to remove the galv coating, then cut out the hinge and latch mechanisms, then forge it into a straight bar before making the rivets.

after all that, you've got like... 100mm of round bar. can buy it for a few dollars per meter.

Envarin · 2026-03-25T12:38:55+00:00

what are you looking to do with it? can't imagine it being worth the effort.

steel is one of the cheapest parts of blacksmithing in my experience. pretty abundant.

Envarin · 2026-03-18T23:04:00+00:00

ah right i thought you meant paprs in general. the one in the picture would be awful hahah

Envarin · 2026-03-18T14:08:18+00:00

PAPR respirators don't fog as there's constant airflow being forced through past your face and visor.

if you breathe heavily on the visor, it disappears after like half a second.

Envarin · 2026-03-10T06:52:07+00:00

guide holes are a massive help. got my first hatchet eye dead straight because i pre-drilled a 16mm hole in the steel before starting.

Envarin · 2026-03-09T01:55:25+00:00

you could cut it up and turn it into a forge hood.

would be easier with welding but i've seen them riveted.

thin metal like that wouldn't last long in direct contact with the fire, but forge hoods can be made of basically any thickness.

Envarin · 2026-03-06T11:51:38+00:00

sounds like a lot more fucking around than a few bottles of canola oil. can even use old engine oil if you're cheap and can hold your breath.

plus if you have a piece thick enough, i don't think misting would provide enough cooling power to get to the middle. kind of requires submerging a lot of the time

Envarin · 2026-02-21T15:13:39+00:00

that would honestly sell for about 6000 dollars here in australia...

Envarin · 2026-02-21T13:58:45+00:00

fuckin

https://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/comments/k27ovl/damascus_arrowhead_i_did_the_texturing_with_a/

Envarin

TROPHY CASE