Dear JWR:
In article in the February 9th edition of SurvivalBlog, author JIR wrote: “There is no substitute for a good anvil. The bigger it is, the more stable it is and the more enjoyable it is to work with. But, if you need to, you can get by with using almost any heavy chunk of steel or even a big rock. My first anvil was a 16 pound sledgehammer head and it worked pretty well.”
The following three links offer descriptions and some thoughts regarding the construction of anvils from short sections of former railroad rail. Though not as suitable as a purpose-built anvil, they’ll do as a field-expedient substitute, either until something better can be obtained or arranged, or as a spare or secondary backup anvil to a ‘smith’s real workday unit.
- Homemade anvil from railroad track and 4140 steel
- Railway Line Anvil
- How to Make anvils from Railroad or Crane Rail — and here are photos of the same
I hope this info is of use to other potential anvil beaters! – George S.