I finally fixed those hairline cracks in my anvil face with a cheap trick

After 3 months of fighting tiny cracks that kept showing up in my work, I tried heating the anvil to about 400F and rubbing a high-carbon steel rod along the cracks until they filled in, and now they haven't come back has anyone else done this or am I just lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.riley1mo ago

Oh man, that sounds like some sketchy science right there lmao. I'd be half expecting my anvil to turn into a brittle mess or start smoking like a cheap grill the first time I hit it. But hey, if it worked and the cracks haven't come back after three months, maybe you stumbled onto something real. I've seen guys try welding or brazing those things and end up with a bigger mess than they started with. You might just be a lucky fella with a hot rod and a prayer lol.

nancyg141mo agoTop Commenter

Three months is usually the real test, and if it's still holding that's way better than most quick fixes. People overthink repairs but sometimes just enough heat and patience does the trick.

paulw531mo ago

Yeah I've been there, definitely. That whole "heat and patience" thing is real. I had an old cast iron piece I was convinced was toast and I just kept it slow and steady with a torch, giving it time to heat evenly. Been over a year now and no new cracks at all.