welding very heavy plate

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Hey Guys,I re-started my anvil-building project.  A few years back I bought some 4 1/2" steel plate from recycling place, and some 3x4" stuff to make the horn and heel.It took forever to chop out the heel into kind of a square-pyramid shape and torch out the horn.  I can't even imagine how long it's going to take to grind that nice and round.Anyway, I'm wondering how to go about welding the plate together.  I was going to use a big (maybe 1") pin to hold the pieces apart, then fill in the space in between with welds.I have an 220V AC stick welder that I was hoping to use for the job.So a few questions.  I'm pretty sure my "mystery metal" is a regular low-carbon steel (spark tested).  What would be a good welding rod for that? Should I pre-heat the steel before welding on it?Do you let the welds cool down a little bit between passes?  Has anyone tried a project like this?It's better to curse the darkness than to set yourself on fire.
Reply:Preheat on thick material is correct. 7018AC is what I would use if it were me with an AC stick welder. But not for the working surface!! You need wear-facing rod for that. Just make sure that you clean every last bit of slag out after each pass. A hammer and small chisel, assorted wire brushes and wheels, and small picks for the little stubborn stuff will do nicely. I doubt that high interpass temperatures are a big concern...by the time you clean after every pass, it will begin to cool somewhat. But you could run a few passes, then wait fifteen minutes before running a few more.Anvil making threads are few and far between though! Here is a write up on anvil making we have seen before. http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/anvil1/anvil2.htmlCity of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:so are you welding the horn to the body of the anvil?  Thats gonna be a big bevel and a lot of passes.How big is your forge?  I think you should forge weld it togeather.   It will take a real man to pull that stuff out of the forge with a pair of tongs.
Reply:thanks!  I helped a friend re-forge an anvil that had the tip of the horn snapped off--that was fun. It's always safe working with 200# of glowing hot steel.Do you think I need 100% penetration, of could I bevel the members by an inch or so?Also, I've read about using a "cushion layer" between the mild steel body and the hardface.  I was thinking of using a stick with some Mn for the cusion, then a really high Mn (17%?) work hardening alloy for the face.  Otherwise, there are some really fancy alloys out there for impact resistance.Any thoughts on that?  If I'm going to spend this much time and money, I would really like to end up with a professional job.thanks!It's better to curse the darkness than to set yourself on fire.
Reply:This link has really good info about hardfacing:http://www.esabna.com/euweb/awtc/Lesson8_1.htm
Reply:My guess is you'd want to weld full penetration on that. It would definitely ring flat if it's not fully welded. Thats how they check for cracked train wheels. The strike them. If good they ring, if bad/cracked they have a flat sound thats immediately noticeable. Also with heavy pounding, you have a built in crack started..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan