This is what is known as an anvil shaped object. More accurately a door stop.
Seller: "shop-and-ship" name on shipping account it "Kathy Piscopo"
I've wanted a proper anvil to beat on metal for a while. I really wanted a
200-300 pounder, but with Forged in Fire making every back yard metal beater think he is a blade smith anvils have gotten hard to come by at a reasonable price. I was willing to settle for a 75 pounder once I had it properly tied down to a decent anvil block (stump).The seller listed this as forged steel in the title. It was a little cheaper than I expected for forged steel, but a lot more expensive than a cast iron ASO (anvil shaped object). They claim it has a RC of 52. When struck it makes a dull thud, and the very light blow of a 12 oz hammer falling by gravity alone from 12 inches leaves a dent.
Well, I went ballistic. I could buy an ASO from Harbor Freight for less and go pick it up at the store to save shipping. They immediately refunded my money including shipping and told me to keep it for the trouble. Now, on the surface that might sound ok, but think about it. If they can do that without a second's thought they had to know (in my opinion - lol) what they were selling and they probably get them so cheap they can just eat one whenever they get called out for it.
I've got a little piece of 1 inch steel plate that weighs about 20 pounds sitting on my heavy work bench I've been using for metal beating for years. Its not hardened (that I know of) but its pretty hard compared to the ASO I just got for free. I guess I'll prop the back door open with the ASO and go back to using my piece of plate steel until I figure out what to do with the ASO. I just looked at my metal plate. Its got hardly any dents except for a turned corner where I dropped it once.
*******You know when I first started this post I had a-whole-nuther direction in mind... and then explaining how I got here turned into a rant.
I know one of our members here hard faced a piece of metal to make an anvil a few years back. I think he was using railroad track which is a low to medium carbon work hardening steel. I'm not sure if hardfacing would be a good idea with a base of soft cast iron. I suppose I could forge weld on a tool steel plate and then quench it, but that's a whole lot more effort than its worth to me. I'm not going to be the next Master Ginsu knife maker. I just want to beat on some metal. Sometimes hot metal. How about welding on an air hardening tool steel plate? I could easily mill off the top of the ASO and leave a weld penetratable ridge down the middle to start from, then stick a rod down between the plate and the ASO and build it up until I reach the outside. The thing is I have never done anything like that before. I don't know if that's worth it either. I expect it would only take half a day as opposed to a whole day and then some to forge weld, normalize, and heat treat something else.
Bah. At the end of the day I have an anvil shaped object I didn't have at the beginning of the day.