Quenching an anvil in a river, with an excavator - GIF

**Jon** · Nov 22, 2018, 11:23 AM

Quenching an anvil in a river, with an excavator. The explanation is that this was necessary because the anvil was softened by a shop fire.

Previously:

Quenching an enormous gear - GIF
Panzer tank hull being quenched
Giant gearshaft being quenched - GIF

**will52100** · Nov 22, 2018, 07:52 PM

Now that is an awesome way to make sure you've got enough water to cool the mass of steel.

**Frank S** · Nov 22, 2018, 08:51 PM

Took a big chance that the chain they welded to the bottom of the anvil would still have enough tensile strength in those red hot links to hold together once the anvil was heated

**will52100** · Nov 22, 2018, 09:26 PM

That would have been my concern. Leads me to think they may not have been at critical temp. It's also possible that they added the chain once the anvil was up to temp. At 1500+ deg. F. steel is very very plastic. It's hard to tell from the vid, and colors never do come through right, but I suspect they were not quite to critical temp with the anvil. Also didn't see any air blower to feed the fire, but that might have been off to the side of the vid.

I believe I'd have made a chain lasso and looped it around the waist right before pulling the anvil from the fire and quenching. In any event, using the river and an excavator to quench with is a very good idea.

**Shopmate** · Nov 22, 2018, 11:45 PM

For what it’s worth and not wishing to upset anyone. - Anvils should have a case hardened surface only. The rest of the anvil is generally soft or mild steel. If you see an old anvil used by yesteryear Blacksmith invariably you would notice on its winged base chisel gouges. Often this is where the Blacksmith would test a hardened and tempered tool ( chisel ) to see if it cuts well without any noticeable dulling of the sharpened end.

**Frank S** · Nov 23, 2018, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Shopmate

For what it’s worth and not wishing to upset anyone. - Anvils should have a case hardened surface only. The rest of the anvil is generally soft or mild steel. If you see an old anvil used by yesteryear Blacksmith invariably you would notice on its winged base chisel gouges. Often this is where the Blacksmith would test a hardened and tempered tool ( chisel ) to see if it cuts well without any noticeable dulling of the sharpened end.

You're absolutely right and if that is an old iron anvil I bet I could knock the horn off it now with a 1 handed 4 lb hammer

**Shopmate** · Nov 23, 2018, 05:50 AM

Not the one I did my 5year indentured apprenticeship as a Blacksmith at an OZ Naval Dockyard.

**will52100** · Nov 23, 2018, 08:13 AM

Old anvils were generally wrought iron, some welded up from two or three pieces, with a 1/2" or so thick high carbon steel face forge welded on. That's where the "step" comes from on London pattern anvils and the face is fully hardened.

Others, like my Reffinghause anvil are hardened to a depth of about an inch. It's good to have a soft core, but that's more from the fact that it's nearly impossible to cool that large a chunk of steel fast enough than from design, it just works out that it's a good thing.