Powering up you anvil

I watched an entire show on shooting anvils. Pretty cool, and some guys are pretty good at it. If I had an anvil, I'd rather use it for forging though, myself.
 
I only have one 50 LB Anvil, and don't want to mess it up, and if I did that in my back yard they would put me in Jail LOL
 
There's an amazing amount of energy in black powder. I only use 1/2 ounce in my cannon, I can't imagine touching off an entire pound. :yikes:
 
I've seen the 'ringing of the anvils', but they stand close enough to touch it off with a punk on the end of a 10' pole. It only jumps a couple of feet. Sending it a hundred feet into the air is just plain crazy. I love it. :biggrin:
 
Okay so I'm necro'in an old thread you admins can yell at me later. I have always wanted to do this. First couple of problems are, where and the liquidity to buy a whole cow should the need arise. Both of those issues now met. Well the farmer did scratch his head and ask, " you want to do what?" more on that later. Now I need anvils. I bought 1 little 80# just to see as I know very little about them. The bottom is pretty irregular looks like they just machined a couple of high spots to parallel the striking surface. Seems I would need 2 identical anvils say 100# and machine the bottoms flat and parallel. I just have an old round column drill/mill seems like that would work a few fly cutters to death. Then mill out a reveal of as yet undetermined dimensions to hold a charge, drill a flash hole. I hear peanut butter makes a reliable gasket (delicious too) a length of cannon fuse and run like hell. My first concern is the flange created by milling out the reveal could weaken and fracture as well as other safety concerns. Yes I am familiar with black-powder (well substitutes now) in firearms and small cannon what it can and will do. Thoughts you guys?
 
Vegemite,I am having trouble understanding much of your post!!!!:) The part about cows and farmers. And peanut butter.

I think that shooting anvils very high up is a dangerous stunt!!!! Let alone something going wrong,and the anvil shot off at an angle where it could land on someone or something(house,car,PERSON ?),it could come straight back down and hit the other anvil,damaging itself of both. No,I don't care for the idea.

MY anvil is too highly polished(for use in silver smithing as well as blacksmith work),I don't want it dented,or to get corrosive black powder,OR Pyrodex (which is citric acid,IIRC) on it.

BTW: I made the beak iron to fit into the anvil. Made of 01 steel,hardened and tempered. My anvil is a rare model with the hardie hole next to the horn. A "Soho engine forger's anvil" is what it is called. WHY anyone would want the hole near the horn I have no idea.

Chaining the anvil down tight like this is seen in 18th. C. pictures. It keeps the anvil from ringing,and making you go deaf. This does not work on ALL models of anvils. My anvil is solid tool steel,hardened,and with no separate top plate welded on. (or to chip loose or fracture). I love it!!!

IMG_0707.JPG
 
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Vegemite...
I'm with you on this. Neater 'n owl ****. I can find a wheat field with no cows easy enough in Kansas and I like the peanut butter idea. Now, I just need to find a couple of anvils and ... BOOM!
 
Groundhog,
Don't forget to take a log chain with you to the field so you can pull the Anvil out of the whole it makes when it lands. :D
 
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