What Are Railroad Track Anvils Made From?Īccording to the American Society for Testing Materials, railroad tracks are made from steels in which carbon, Manganese, silicon, and phosphorus are primary alloys. Besides that, it is also sufficient for making various knives, so if you are more into bladesmithing, a piece of the railroad track is an ideal choice. You can easily forge hooks, bottle openers, fire pokers, and many others. The rail is ideal for making small and medium-sized projects, representing most beginner work. With enough dressing and proper mounting, that anvil is still in my workshop and serves me well. So, I decided to weld a plate of 1095 steel. Unfortunately, I don’t remember its exact hardness level, but I know it wasn’t enough to use it as an anvil. When I picked the railroad track a few years ago, I first tested its hardness. As you see, for both situations, there are solutions. If you find that your railroad track is not hard, you can try welding a high-carbon steel plate on top of the track and fix that problem. Note that they drastically vary in their composition in different parts of the world. While the railroad track is not composed of the hardest steel, it still has a decent hardness level. But that feature alone is not enough the anvil should also be hard.
The railroad track is usually tough, meaning it can withstand a lot of hammering. You can smooth the edges, so they don’t cut into the material and many other things to support your blacksmithing work. You can cut and shape the horn based on your needs. Multi-PurposeĪnother great thing about the railroad tracks is that they can be dressed and look like a “real “anvil. Contact everybody that you think they have one laying in their garage or around the house. The first great benefit of the railroad track is that it is relatively cheap to acquire, sometimes even free. What Are Railroad Track Anvils Made From?Īs we already said, the railroad track is the most common anvil alternative among blacksmiths, especially beginners.Benefits of Using a Railroad Track Anvil.They even solved the noise problem railroad anvils have because of their shape. I’ve ordered one purely for aesthetics, although I was surprised by how good it is for small to medium-sized projects. Railroad tracks are cheap and oftentimes you can even find them for free.īefore we dive into the main topic, here’s a cheap railroad track anvil on Amazon if you don’t want to spend time looking for a used one. Due to the lower hardness level than typical anvils, railroad tracks are ideal for small and medium-sized projects. The railroad track is an ideal anvil alternative for beginner blacksmiths since they don’t require expensive equipment. So, is a railroad track a good anvil alternative? In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about using a railroad track as an anvil. Some people say that the railroad anvil is not as good as a regular anvil. Depending on the size of the track, it can be used for small projects while others use it for larger projects. Railroad tracks are known as some of the most popular anvil alternatives in Blacksmithing for various reasons.
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