Making My Anvil: Railroad Track to Frankanvil! 

I have to say you have the most entertaining videos concerning anvils that I have watched in quite a while. I think it is the fact that you are not taking yourself more seriously than some channels do. I think you have an excellent project going there, and remember even if your welds are not the prettiest, use your grinder-fu to make them perfect. Thanks for posting.

Making My Anvil, as narrated by a young Steve Buscemi.

Good Job, well presented can't wait to see what projects you make on that anvil

The "don't lean over your work" thing is great advice. I have been afraid of hitting my face with my hammer for a while now that I have an actual steel faced anvil that has rebound, and it wasn't until I asked online and someone brought this up recently that I realized that was the issue. Thanks!

You have a ton of time in that project and you are to be comended... Nice functional anvil and an entertaining video... Good job!

That's quite the anvil you got there. Glad I don't have to carry it around :p

I love your attitude and sense of humor.

Let's take a moment to appreciate that you use your anvil to work on pieces that will get added to...your anvil. It's very meta :)

Looks good! I also need to force plate on my rail, so thanks for idea how to do this!)

I like your anvil and I enjoyed watching you make it. Your entertaining and funny. Even if its not the greatest anvil ever built you built it yourself and should be really proud. I know I would be. Good Job!

A project like that is always a great teacher! I am sure you learned a lot making it!

1) I reeaaaally enjoyed this video. So many things happening! 2) So much dust on that floor, gracious. 3) Patreon account? Yes. 4) (whispers) what's the really cool new project?

thank you for the idea of the chain wrap for large objects

Good job, nice video, thanks for sharing.

Tenacious... I like it! 👍

Loved the build on this video Bennett, very ingenuitive. One of my first anvils was a forklift tine I cut into 4 parts and welded together. The fact you managed to heat treat it like you did was pretty immence. I find it hard to believe you haven't got twice as many subscribers.

great job! I am sure it will serve you for many years! with all that weld I doubt the horn will fall off :) Liked !!

At my job, there's like 10 forklift bits just laying around as well as tons of anvil shaped objects, if my boss ever sells em I'm definitely going to make a anvil out of one

If it keeps you out of trouble im happy for you my friend i need a good peice of that forklift tine 😊

I'm in the process of building my own anvil. Started with a chunk of forklift tine and just ran with it lol Somehow I convinced myself I would be saving money to build one. Definitely not the case for me! Lol Looks cool though man and I cant believe you actually heat treated the anvil, that's like the stuff of legend right there. Again nice job and I'm sure it will outlive us all!

nice video. I watched the whole thing without skipping anything.

Nice anvil and stand. The track may have wanted oil hardening whilst the forklift tine looked like water did great. Good video.

That’s a cool one, wouldn’t want be moving it much though haha

Preheating and wrapping in welding blankets and then maybe even fiberglass insulation would help with the cracking. Also perfect place for SMAW.

That was interesting to whatch and I actually learned a lot. You were committed to it and I understand completely, I’m the same way when I start a project. Still turned out pretty good. 👍

You’re crazy, bro, but in a good way! Awesome video!!

You need a stick welder bo

Thanks for the video, gives me some pointers for when I put my anvil together. I stick weld, but other than that it'll be somewhat similar to your project. The only things I'll do differently is I'm going to harden the top plate before welding it on top of the anvil, and I'm going to try to forge weld the top on using Iron Mountain flux powder. I'm going to try some smaller forge welding projects first to get a better handle on the process and I'm also going to look on RU-vid to see if anyone else has done this yet. Thanks again for the video. Keep them coming. 🖖😎⚒

You did a great job.

Wow nice work. Making a steak anvil at the moment, I have a couple of anvils but not very flat or square edge anymore. Made heaps of cool hardy tools though work ausome

Once I ended up with the balmpien in the forehead ... Though have seen another Smith do it several times on one day 😂

I enjoyed that video. I enjoy fabricating mods on my tools more that I do working as well. Best of luck.

Great video!

Very cool. I bet that you have learned a lot during this process.

this is basically my anvil big brother haha

Deu trabalho, hein! Parabéns!

I like it!

Fantastic. I will take some license here :) Forget the downvoters. This is good work.

Muy bueno , yo hice lo mismo, aunque vos la mejoraste mucho con el templando !

The only thing I wished you had is a stick welder.

Good video and I would have burried the anvil in sand if it was a different alloy than mild steel. I also like the comedy in this video. 😁

🤔Sorry to say it, I knew as soon as I watched you put it in water that it should start cracking. But I like what you done to safe money by making your own anvil. 🤗

I see people giving away free wood sometimes. You can probably find a decent sized tree trunk for an anvil table.

I was waiting for the loud *tink* sound when I saw the trash can full of water.

GREAT JOB.

I got my anvil back in early November. It was 165lb + a stand for $650. The guy was cleaning out his shop and had never used the anvil. After doing some detective work I figured out that it’s a hay budden. I got a pretty damn good deal.

Build a tool to make the pieces to build up the tool to make it stronger and work better. Dang shame the center web cracked in the quench. Great fix welding and beefing it up. It may not be pretty, but it should work while you save and hunt for a professionally made "proper" anvil. Great job. Gotta love those little tinks and clunks while working steel, makes you jump every time. Then panic mode sets in until you find what broke loose.

It's possible that you may have already paid the price for an excellent blacksmithing anvil just in the costs you have in the "Railroad Track Anvil" that would last 10 years without the horn following off. I enjoyed your video and subscribed, Thanx

Holy Frankenstein

I too use a Frankenvil. Mine is done differently. I have the Steel from switch track stuff and cut them into plates and made a big sandwich. with a 2inch thick piece from a Gym Bleacher on the top. it's being modified but, I can move steel. FYI the best way to use track is to go vertical. it's difficult to transcribe techniques to when you're learning but it can get you stared. I moved to a frankenvil because when you're still learning and everything you consume is taking into account techniques on an actual anvil face, it's best to have a similar tool to learn the techniques. If I was to remake my anvil from scratch, I would cut the plates into strips and weld them in like bricks. I would have the maximum weld penetration so it wouldn't crack or anything. the only thing I'm really missing on the Anvil is a Hardened Steel face. I have some leaf springs but they're not wide enough to make a single plate, and I would need to special order the Welding rods that's hardenable steel rods.

I feel your pain with blowing breakers. I've got the same problem.

I copped a 7lb sledge to the forehead off a cast iron striking anvil (video's on my channel haha) nice build mate!

🎥 GREAT JOB ⚙️🔩🔧⚒️ ! _ Congratulations! 👍 🇧🇷

I mean, it's cool, but for the same price and less work you can get an anvil that is heavier, bigger, harder, and doesn't have a void between the face and the body. But hey, making that kind of stuff is always amazing.

Lumpy welds . The driving force behind the invention of the abrasive disc .

Damn Ben, you built a battle tank! That puppy must be gaining weight too.

Forklift s fork and train track seal make avinl cool

Okay best advice for welds dont hold the trigger for so long its pulling too much power Weld like youre stacking dimes (tack welds over and over and over) so you are welding by pull trigger Release Pull trigger Release Pull trigger Release It works

Very nice.. you did well...

Nice vid Dude))

Pretty interesting video

Right on man. That thing sure is ugly. But who cares? You made and reinforced a freaking anvil. Nice work. Better than anything O could have done.

Railroad Rail Anvil = $50 Fork Lift Tine = Free! Friend Slave Labor = Free! SUPER MULLET = PRICELESS! And is absolutely, unequivocally, worth EVERY penny...(in my opinion) Nice homemade anvil brother.

I like your demeanor. I hope you achieve ..yours wants.

You earn a like for proper pronunciation of the word "cavalry" at 4:17

Just a suggestion but maybe you should have pushed the welds instead of pulling them. If you were using stick pull it. You did a great job and the anvil looks great

When you square your edges get some hard surface rod/wire. See if it holds the edge better. Cool anvil.

yeah brother you really need stick welder ,you can pickup a good used one for a hundred bucks , penetration is the key good man

Why did you harden the anvil in the end? would that not be a brittle and potentially deadly anvil if you miss a strike?

Just run a heavyweight 10 or 8 gauge drop line directly to a double 40 amp breaker, and plug your welder into that drop line, your power problems have been solved!!!!

Good idea, the through weld you speak of is a full penetrative weld and I never heard of walking a cup. It's called a weave where I come from and going backwards is not a technique often used for welding that kind of material. (Your welding needs more practice in general) Shame it cracked.

Never Surrender!

Nice work you should call this the terminator anvil

I am hoping to put together my own little anvil 😊 but I don't have a welder or help or a lot of resources.wish me luck.🤞

While pitching propellers for sewage treatment I have taken a 20 lb maul handle to the forehead. Knocked me clean out.

to properly harden the face of the anvil, according to Joey Vanderseege, you need running water, just dunking it in a tub doesn't cool it fast enough.

Why is Ben Wyatt cosplaying as Legolas cracking anvils in this video? Fun watch though understanding how much work goes into modifying or "improving" something instead of just getting exactly what you need.

My question, why did u temper it Before u finished all the fab and welding ? Nice job , lots of work. 😁

That anvil will be a bear to take camping.

Use SS wire next time it has a higher nickel content and you won't hear your tracks, or welds breaking

Your circuit breaker method starts fires every day.

First of all only the striking surface needs to be hardened, in other words only the forklift tine. Second you should have quenched in oil which would have reduced the chance of cracking. All anvils have a hardened striking surface but you will find that the foot of the anvil is mostly cast.

It's good to see Martin Shkreli doing something constructive, instead of ripping off people that need medicine.

Thanks for mentioning $ that it took 2 spools and 2 tanks of gas.. I've done that too many times.. where after i spent more money "building it myself" and time trying to work out all the bugs.. I get some friend of mine tell me he bought one far better off Craigslist.. for a fraction of the time and money I sunk into it..

110v breakers commonly blow when welding. Nice job btw.

Looks like you would have been better off using a big block of steel, thanks for teaching me that. Keep building and enjoying the art

Invest in a gas powered stick welder

You my friend, have enough equipment and Just enough experience to be dangerous. Although it was entertaining to watch. Can you remind me of somebody I just can’t put my finger on it

For a second when they were lifting that red hot anvil in the water I thought the other person that grabbed this from the girl was just a other stronger girl lol

Is there any reason to temper the face after hardening?

Breaking drill bits off in the hole your drilling is a bitch, lol

Your welder is flipping the breaker likely because of the short duty cycle on the 110v machine. If you push the machine too far it will not last.

You are a complete nutter.... I love it

Im new to your videos but i was curious why mig it and not stick it? Do you not own a stick welder? Enjoyed the video btw

Do you "Stick" weld?

Push mig pull stick

Maybe a new anvil would be nice

I know it’s been awhile but is track hard to weld?

I hit myself in the face with a wooden hammer when I hit a ball with it and it bounced up and hit me in the face

Good! No Ring!!!