Turning a steel plate into a steel block by forge?

[Tim9]

Koi....I found it. Always feel good when the brain cells aren’t totally burnt.

It’s called Welding the big ring.
The collection at Library of Congress. Part of a very large collection of cool videos

Welding the big ring

A group of men weld one area of a large ring in a fire. They lift the ring, which is hanging horizontally on chains, out of the fire. Four men hammer the hot area on the ring into shape while the remaining men hold the ring. They put the ring into the fire again, take it out, and take it over to...

www.loc.gov

https://www.loc.gov/item/96522219

Here’s a collection of Westinghouse videos
Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904

https://www.loc.gov/collections/films-of-westinghouse-works-1904/

And here’s a cool one. Steam hammer forging.

Steam hammer, Westinghouse works

From what appears to be a furnace, a large, glowing block is lifted with the help of a crane over to a table by a group of men. A hammer comes from above and pounds down on the block repeatedly as the men turn the block several times so that it will acquire a certain shape.

www.loc.gov

https://www.loc.gov/item/96521990

 

[FOMOGO]

Don't think I would want to pick a fight with one of those guys. I've done hard physical work all my life, but that's a whole different level. Mike

 

[Downunder Bob]

Agree to disagree.it isn't really hard to find steel block .scrapyards are available but I'm not sure whether they allow people to buy scrap metals though.But just in case I need one immediately will folding a steel plate be an option

Koi I have seen a video of a guy making an anvil out a piece of railway track, not sure where it was. Basically he cut the anvil shape out with an angle grinder and finished it with the grinder and finally a flap disk looked pretty good.

 

[ericc]

Yes, this is possible, but difficult. The guru of anvilfire.com does not like people stealing from his site, but he has a great piece of advice in situations like this. Start small and work up. First, learn how to forge weld. This is more difficult than it sounds, and it helps to have someone who knows what he is doing. Start with a faggot weld, and move up to rings and chains. Then try steeling a tool face, like a hammer. Then, try a Viking size block anvil of a few pounds. When you are ready for the full sized anvil, assemble a team. These teammates cannot be beginners; they will have to be journeyman level.

Or, take a shortcut and use an arc welder. Stack the plates vertically. You should be able to find 1" or 2" plate in Malaysia. I realize it is a big place, but the last time I was there I ran into a buddy babysitting a platform sailing out the Straits. Oilfield stuff means big steel and big scrap.

 

[pstemari]

Could you make a block by starting with a thickish plate and forging it into a block with strikes on the sides of the plate to make it shorter, narrower, and thicker?

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[Downunder Bob]

Could you make a block by starting with a thickish plate and forging it into a block with strikes on the sides of the plate to make it shorter, narrower, and thicker?

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Yes you can, but it's almost as difficult as forge welding it. You will need a lot of heat, and a lot of hammer swinging, unless you have a commercial size forge and a power hammer

If you really want to make your own anvil there are two ways I can recommend one is to build it by welding good sized blocks of steel together, carve it out of a suitable piece of structural steel or railway track. Railway track is very good if you can get a piece of high load mainline track, rather than the lighter suburban track stuff. numerous videos on you tube and instructables.

For large pieces of structural steel, get to know some of the contractors building high rise buildings and or bridges, they've always got off cuts that are often free or at lest very cheap.

 

[Tim9]

Don't think I would want to pick a fight with one of those guys. I've done hard physical work all my life, but that's a whole different level. Mike

Totally agree. Not just a sign of brute force in the way they swing those sledgehammers.... but also like a symphony watching the choreography of their each swinging in turn. I’m amazed and in awe.

 

[Koi]

Yes, this is possible, but difficult. The guru of anvilfire.com does not like people stealing from his site, but he has a great piece of advice in situations like this. Start small and work up. First, learn how to forge weld. This is more difficult than it sounds, and it helps to have someone who knows what he is doing. Start with a faggot weld, and move up to rings and chains. Then try steeling a tool face, like a hammer. Then, try a Viking size block anvil of a few pounds. When you are ready for the full sized anvil, assemble a team. These teammates cannot be beginners; they will have to be journeyman level.

Or, take a shortcut and use an arc welder. Stack the plates vertically. You should be able to find 1" or 2" plate in Malaysia. I realize it is a big place, but the last time I was there I ran into a buddy babysitting a platform sailing out the Straits. Oilfield stuff means big steel and big scrap.

That must be somewhere in the industrial zone near the sea.I live in place that's near Singapore(a country that was one part of malaysia) a place surrounded by a few skyscrapers.

 

[HarryJM]

I Forge Iron forum may be of some help.
https://www.iforgeiron.com/

 

[Latinrascalrg1]

Agree to disagree.it isn't really hard to find steel block .scrapyards are available but I'm not sure whether they allow people to buy scrap metals though.But just in case I need one immediately will folding a steel plate be an option

We could agree to disagree, that fine but there is a HUGE Difference between Finding and Accessing! You could "Find" ALL the RICHES in the Entire WORLD but if you cannot Access it then what Good would it be To You!!! This is the point i believe the other member was trying to make. Its like that where i live in many cases and im in a Scrap RICH area of the good old US of A Rustbelt! Many of these recyclers just refuse to work with the little guy and choose to sell in bulk when prices are high or sit on it till it is and that can be extremely frustrating.