KGeiser Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 well i was reading in Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop that he had actually got his hands on a big slab of granite and had used it for a anvil, and i remembered that as a boy at my dads work there was a tombstone carver so i ran over there the other day and talked my way into getting this huge peice of granite about 7 inches thick 14 long and 11 or 12 wide it cost me nothing and i figured it could work for a while until i find funds for something better, but i just wanted to know if i am the only one that has actually done this i know its strange and out there but the slab is in excess of 120 lbs so i figure it should work fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPratt Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I got a feeling some of the Neo-Tribal smiths are gonna love this. as long as the heat from the piece doesn't make it spal and shoot granite shrapnel all over i would think it would work fine. but hey thats just a guess you might want to hold off till you get some advice form someone that knows what they are talking about, or at the very least be extra safe. ~~DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGentile Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 first: I've never tried this myself - so it's only a bit of basic knowledge here I can offer... Stone anvils have been used for various types of cold and hot work throughout the early days or when nothing else was available... Also I don't think that the heat of the workpiece (blade-sized) would offer problems - it might be different if you try larger billets of steel... BUT - what will BE PROBLEMATIC is if you happen to strike the surface of the stone with the edge of a hammer - it will splinter... Absolutely wear GOOD safety goggles and a sturdy leather apron - that should help to prevent the worst. be carefull not to hit the stone with an edge of the hammer, a chisle or anything alike and you should be fine. if a stone anvil gives you a good perfomance (rebounce, stability, ...) I simply don't know - but I guess it wouldn't be wrong to assume that it performes less "optimal" than a good forged anvil. maybe others have some experience with this... FERRUM - Daniel Gentile custom knives & forging classes http://www.ferrum-d.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan pfanenstiel Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Or e-mail Wayne and see what he thought of it. Dan Dan Pfanenstiel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bower Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) Of course you're not the only one that has actually done this. Wayne Goddard has actually done it! It should work fine, though I suggest you take all the safety advice these fine gents have given you. And I wouldn't expect it to perform as well as steel. If the edges of this slab of yours are square, you'll want to radius (round off) them off on the working face. If you leave them square they'll be a real shrapnel hazard. Edited March 16, 2008 by Matt Bower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mire Blades & Tools Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 i was gonna go for a stone anvil like yourself. the best type is white granite with black flecks in it. I had one for years as a kid trying to break it in half and never broke just flaked. it was about the size of a football. I have read that black granite is good too but is prone to chipping because it is so hard. All the viking age hammer stones that i have seen online are of the white granite type. My first stop would be a headstone shop and watch out for the reconstituted rock. Mire Blades & Tools Http://mireblades.bravehost.com indiglosk8@hotmail.com ----------------------------------------------------- "Wow that's an awesome looking sword!" "Thanks..." "How much is it?" "$5,000" "Geeez, no wonder it looks awesome " ----------------------------------------------------- Now Afiliated with Sabersmith.com! ----------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Chenault Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 i was gonna go for a stone anvil like yourself. the best type is white granite with black flecks in it. I had one for years as a kid trying to break it in half and never broke just flaked. it was about the size of a football. I have read that black granite is good too but is prone to chipping because it is so hard. All the viking age hammer stones that i have seen online are of the white granite type. My first stop would be a headstone shop and watch out for the reconstituted rock. I work for a granite countertop fabrication shop and some of the stones we use called Black Galaxy and Absolute Black are the hardest/densest stones I have ever seen and are almost unbreakable. I have a section 1 3/16 thick 12x6 at work I use for fixing voids/chips and I crush up chunks of granite with a sledge hammer on it and it shows no signs of any damage I have also dropped it countless times and nothing. The stuff is considerably strong what you should look for is stone with little to no veining and very small particulate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGeiser Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 thank you all for all of the advice and comments, the grantite is sierra white and seems to be very strong im going to starte leveling off one side tomorrow and ill make sure to bevel the edges so there rounded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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