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7418 Branch Point
Houston, TX 77095-2649

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To Preserve and Promote the Art and Craft of Blacksmithing Through Education.

Welcome to HABAIRON.ORG, the website of the Houston Area Blacksmith's Association, the Internet resource of choice for the blacksmith in and around Houston, Texas. We have the technology!

September 18, 2004

Anvil and Vise Repair
with
Harry Harris
and
Frank Walters

Anvils and vises are important tools in our smithy shops. They get used a lot. And many of us collect old anvils after someone else has used them a lot. This meeting will feature how to maintain and repair cracks, and restore deformed surfaces. Frank Walters will host this meeting at his Otero Forge. Frank, as many of us know, can do most anything with metal and will share his expierence with welding repairs.

Harry, as many of us know is also a HABA Memeber, is an expert in welding and weld repairs. He will be assisted by another HABA Member Ed Malmgren, who is also a welding professional expert.

480 Lb Hay-Buddin For Sale So the "Heat It and Beat It" crew will put down their hammers and put on their welding hoods for the day.

If you want your anvil or vise repaired, get there early and we will demonstrate on as many as we can with absolutely no guarantees.

You will want to preview HABA's new "For Sale Anvil" : a 494 lb Hay-Buddin with a clean top and only a few small "character" dings on the edge of the 6 1/4 in. x 24 in. face. We call it the Big Boy. Frank calls it heavy.It will be available at HammerFest on Oct 2!



When & Where :


Saturday, September 18 :

The schedule looks like this:

  • 8:00 am : Sign in and setup
  • 8:30 am : HABA Meeting and Announcements
  • 9:00 am : Begin Anvil Repairs
  • 1 pm : Conclude when it gets too hot


Where :

Otero Forge/Stafford Cabinets
5930-G Hwy 6 North
Houston, Texas, 77084
(one block south of West Little York)

More information may be found at these sites :


What to Bring

Bring your welding hoods!

Bring safety glasses with side shields. This is a requirement!

Bring a chair to sit in.

HABA Members are invited to bring their anvil and vise for repair.

You do not have to be a member to attend our meetings! Bring a Guest!

Bring your Membership Dues if you want to work at a forge and are not a current Member !

Minors are welcome but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Meeting Notes and Photos

Harry Harris demonstrated weld repair on a locally well known Peter Wright anvil which Dave Koenig had that was beautifully painted by Francis Trahan, and was sold to Ed Malmgren last year. There were several cracks in the heel associated with the square cornered Hardy hole and the nearby Pritchell hole. These may have developed over the years from bending stock inserted in the holes, or incomplete welding of the face on the body. Grinding the cracks out was done prior to our meeting and the depth required was significant.

The procedures from the article Anvil Repair by Robb Gunter were followed. First, the anvil was preheated with a propane dragon torch. The root of the grind was welded with 6010 stick rod and allowed to cool a bit to hold the pieces in position during the rest of the welding. The cavity was filed with 6010 rod. The final passes were with with a harder Stoody rod. The surfaces were ground flush and square. Lastly, the face of the anvil was rebuilt with the hard Stoody rod in several iterations of welding and grinding. These beads were all done in the long direction to be compatible with pre-exisiting grain patterns. All welds were air cooled. Due to time constraints other anvils were not repaired but Harry offered suggestions to all and is available for further consultations.

The meeting concluded with a good discussion from Frank Walters on how to repair leg vises and the problems likely to be found.

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Notes about this Website

This website is Under Development and will continue to evolve for HABA Members.

The use any of the material from this site is at your own risk. All persons associated with this material disclaim any responsibility or liability for damages or injuries resulting from the use or application of this information. They assume no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, fitness, proper design, safety or safe use of any information presented here.

Please send all feedback/correction/omission/suggestions to your webmaster, Richard Boswell .
Enjoy!

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Last updates were on September 19, 2004

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