Just found out the hard way that old railroad track anvil needs proper prep

Ngl, I grabbed a chunk of rail from a salvage yard near Albany last month and started forging right away. After 3 sessions I noticed hairline cracks forming on the face because I didn't normalize the steel first. Has anyone else messed up a cheap anvil by skipping that step?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_webb2815d ago

I gotta say "takes an afternoon but saves the face" sounds like a lot of work for something that might not even happen that bad. I've used old rail from a scrapyard for years with zero prep and never saw any cracks. Maybe you guys got unlucky with some junky steel.

noah_webb15d ago

You didn't heat cycle it first, right? I did the exact same thing with a chunk of track from a scrap yard near Buffalo. Had to grind down a quarter inch to get past the cracks. Now I always do three normalizing cycles before I even think about forging. Just heat it to non-magnetic, let it air cool in still air. Repeat three times. Takes an afternoon but saves the face.