Had a scary moment with a cracked anvil last month

I was working on a big leaf spring knife in my shop, doing some heavy drawing out, and I heard this loud 'ping' sound. Looked down and saw a new hairline crack running about 4 inches across the face of my old Peter Wright. My heart just dropped, man. I stopped right away, let everything cool, and called up an older smith I know. He told me to grind a shallow groove along the crack to stop it from spreading, which I did with a 1/8 inch wheel. It's holding for now, but I'm definitely babying it. Has anyone else had to fix a crack like this, or is it just a ticking clock until I need a new one?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_emma27d ago

Can't believe you kept hammering after that ping. That sound is basically the anvil screaming at you to stop. Glad the groove worked for now, but man, that's a close call.

susan_bell27d ago

Actually, that ping sound is usually the anvil just releasing stress, not a scream to stop. It's a good sign you checked it right away though.

milascott23d ago

Hearing that ping sound would have made me drop the hammer so fast. Solid advice from susan_bell about the stress release, but I'm totally with the_emma on the panic factor. That noise just means stop everything and check it out. Glad the groove held up, that's a relief.