blacksmith anvil for beginner

se mo

hello I recently made a forge and was wondering what I could do to make an anvil. For the few times I've been working on the forge i used a sledgehammer that i propped up on the ground to hammer against however this is not heavy enough and does not have a large surface area. I live in Dublin and I was wondering if anyone knew what I could do to make an anvil. I don't have much money and was looking at railway anvils but i was wondering where I could get them in the Dublin area. i was also wondering was there somewhere in Dublin that i could get scrap metal from. i know there are a few recycling plants but was wondering if they sold pieces to the public.

thanks

jonon9

se mo wrote: »

hello I recently made a forge and was wondering what I could do to make one. For the few times I've been working on the forge i used a sledgehammer that i propped up on the ground to hammer against however this is not heavy enough and does not have a large surface area. I live in Dublin and I was wondering if anyone knew what I could do to make an anvil. I don't have much money and was looking at railway anvils but i was wondering where I could get them in the Dublin area. i was also wondering was there somewhere in Dublin that i could get scrap metal from. i know there are a few recycling plants but was wondering if they sold pieces to the public.

thanks

Look around for retired farriers sometimes they can have anvils sitting around doing nothing that would be willing to sell for a decent amount. As for a piece of railway track it doesn't hurt to ask around your local station sometimes they might have a piece thrown to the side when the tracks were updated.

What you can make really depends on skill and type of forge you have. what type of forge do you have? As for metal to work with they are numerous places in Ireland to buy. A good source for quality metals are used farrier rasps and good practice metal are used horse shoes.

Good tip is go to a local horse show and start talking to a farrier, there is usually one there and ask him can you take away used horse shows and used rasps its a good place to start in blacksmithing.

If you have any more questions ask away.

se mo

thank you so much I'll look into farriers and ask the local dart station. by the way i have a propane forge.

thank you

enricoh

Call to a couple of recycling centres n ask the lads have they got one or give u a bell if they get one in. Tell them u ll give them 50 quid

bonzodog2

Maybe a few feet of say 3x2 I-section RSJ and a little work with welder&grinder might work for you?