Learned the hard way not to quench a hot anvil

Last week I got impatient and dunked my anvil in the water trough to cool it off faster after a long day of forging. Cracked the face right down the middle - now I'm stuck using a railroad tie until I can afford a replacement. Anybody else ever do something dumb like this to their gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

valsullivan1d ago

Ive seen an anvil crack from quenching before but it was like a little hairline thing near the edge. Yours split right down the middle? That sounds rough man. Your anvil must have been hotter than all get out or maybe it just had a weak spot already in it from years of use. Either way that is a bummer of a loss. I hope the railroad tie holds up okay for you until you can find a replacement.

the_jenny1d ago

Dropped a heavy hammer right on the tip of my favorite cross peen once, chipped it so bad it looked like a shark bit it. Spent the whole next weekend grinding it back into shape on a bench grinder, took forever and the temper went all weird in that spot. Still works for rough stuff but it's never quite the same, you know? Makes me wonder how many old anvils out there got ruined by some impatient apprentice back in the day doing the exact same thing you did.