Taking the "ring" out of the anvil???

[Phillip Jones]

Any ideas on how to take the ring out of an anvil? Just toneing it down will suffice.

Just got a stand built yesterday for my small anvil. It's not bolted down yet and it has a terrible ring to it. Sounds like Quasimodo swinging on the ropes at Notre Dame.

I tried placeing a large magnet on it...didn't work.

Wrapped a 1 inch diameter copper cable around the base and got no results. I used the cable because I don't have any chain lying around the shop.

Could the fact that the anvil hasn't been bolted down be causing such a terrible ring?:confused:

[Bob Warner]

You either need to reduce the vibration or redirect it. Reduce it by placing the anvil on wood. A tree stump work best.

Place several small neodyme (?) magnets next to the underside of the hardy hole.

Take a coffee can and fill it with concrete and place an eye bolt in it. Hang the bucket over the point of the horn using leather strap over the horn and through the eye bolt.

[fitzo]

This is gonna be hard to believe but it really works: credit goes to the chief smith at Centur forge:

Get a small round refrigerator magnet. Place it at various places on the anvil and notice that there is a small reduction in sound. Now, place it on the very tip of the horn and listen to the HUGE reduction in noise level. I have a Peter Wright that wants to be a church bell, and have a biga$$ chain wrapped around it on a screwed-and-glued stack of 2x12"s. I messed with big magnets all over the anvil until this guy showed me the trick.. just amazed me.

Only thing I found is that one should tape the magnet to the horn if ya can... it'll get on yer tongs and one trip thru the fire and the little puppy is now just a hunk of steel...

Hope this helps.

[Phillip Jones]

Thanks for all the good tips.

[jdlange]

I have mine bolted to a big maple tree stump and have a big chain wrapped around it and it makes very little noise.

[Larry Harley]

try putting a big magnet on it somewhere
worked for me
harley

This is probably going to sound a bit superstitious, but I'm not so sure putting magnets on the anvil is a good idea. The magnets may interfere with the natural alingment of the crystals. I forge/quench north, going with the natural polarities of the earth.

The real problem with anvils ringing, is the design of the anvils. The London style or any other type that has a
"T" shape is going to ring. The vibrations travels out through the horn and heal, instead of straight down. Most traditional bladesmiths used "Block" anvils, without a horn or heal. This type does not ring. I use an upright round bar anvil, set in a bucket of concrete for hogging, sledging or any hard forging. I use the London style for light work, finishing, holding hardies, and the horn as a mandrel.

The ringing is a sign of inefficiency. The only sure fire way to get rid of it completely is by cutting off the horn and heal.

One other point that shouldn't be taken for granted is that the block/bar anvil needs to be securely anchored to, or in the earth, for it not to ring. Idealy the shock/vibrations should travel straight down into the earth and be absorbed by it. With my "hogging anvil" there is no ring, just a "click" noise in the anvil itself, but the whole earth shakes underneath it. It sort of rumbles. If the anvil is ringing or vibrating with itself, the vibrations fight against the hammer blows. It needs to be "solid" to move the metal efficiently.

[Sweany]

Just read this last night from the Practical Blacksmithing.

in the square hole in the bottom of the anvil (porter bar hole)

fit a square iron bar tight in the hole, cut a receiving square hole in the anvil block, this will reduce the ring and make a mounting method that is completely out of the way.

obviously this will only work on forged anvils.


Philip, that anint one of those HF russian anvils is it.

Those things are indeed like a bell, some kinda dampening on the horn was the only thing we found would work for them strap or rope with a weight hanging on the horn.

The earth is the anvil.

[Larry Harley]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Misternatural?
[B]This is probably going to sound a bit superstitious, but I'm not so sure putting magnets on the anvil is a good idea. The magnets may interfere with the natural alingment of the crystals
( what crystals??
in the anvil or the work
wouldnt a hot piece of steel draw the anvil
would a hammer work harden it
would a mag stuck on an anvil
disrupt the alignement of the crystals all the way over on the other side of the shop where my quench tank is??
would a hammer w/out an anvil still smell ike a rose
do u use true north or magnetic north??
u use red headed vigins urine or blonds
r the crystals in my hammer misaligned now???
is this real
tune in tomorrow for the next real reel
harley
north pole possum
www.lonesomepineknives.com

It's all real.

I take vibrations and natural forces seriously. It certainly can't hurt anything.

Why tempt fate?

[Phillip Jones]

The anvil in question is a farrier's (horse shoer's) anvil made by the North Carolina Tool Co. It has the "T" shape.

Don't really want to cut off the horn or the heel Since I plan on using the anvil for more than just knife blades, I want to leave those parts for other purposes.

I am going to try anchoring it down better and see what happens. If everything else fails I will just go back to that old piece of rail track that I have been using for some time. It makes no noise at all.

[Sweany]

A trick a couple guys have used over on the junkyard with good results was to bed the anvil with a good bead of silicon sealant.

farrier like the ring anyhow

My "ringless anvil" is just a 5 inch round by 2 foot long bar of steel, set upright in a bucket of concrete. It's super solid. I use it when ever I need to move some serious metal. It came in handy on that last bush, that I started with 1 and 1/2 inch by 3/8 inch stock.