Made an anvil...
Rob Brophy Niagara Falls ON
>Hey! I built a tool that isn't a plane!
I know it's not a woodworking tool but it was a pretty cool thing to build. We needed a stake anvil for a production of "Tinker's Wedding" this summer and didn't have much luck finding one that suited the set designer's taste. The SD supplied some reference photos & some rough measurements of anvils he liked in lieu of a scale drawing.
According to the designer's reference this style of anvil ( I think it's called a teeste) was used by travelling tinsmiths (or tinkers) and was driven into the ground or a log wherever he set up shop. I copied design features from several anvils, so I don't know if an identical anvil ever existed. Any further details would be appreciated. Guess I'd better order a copy of Anvils in America...I seem to be on yet another slippery slope.
The anvil body is 1 1/2" square thick wall tube, split on the bottom with patches welded in to create the flare. The horn was a length of 1-1/2" tube with a triangle section cut out and hammered into a cone on that nasty little anvil in the photo. The spoon was hammered out of some mild steel plate heated with a touch of oxy/acetylene.
When the anvil had cooled after welding, the beads were ground and the body was dimpled and textured with a ball pein hammer. The finish was achieved by heating with OA and brushing on a few coats of oil.
I'm sorta hoping that the actor is going to find it a little heavy to lug around in the production and will request one made from aluminum, and this one can come back to us. Once you get over it's odd shape, it's a very handy thing to have in the shop.