Had a scary moment with a cracked anvil last Tuesday
I was working on a big custom gate order in my shop in Boise, doing some heavy forging on the hinge plates. After about 30 minutes of hammering, I heard a sharp ping that sounded wrong. I stopped and checked my 150-pound anvil, and there was a fresh hairline crack running about 4 inches across the face near the hardy hole. My heart just sank. I immediately stopped all work, chained the anvil down so it couldn't shift, and started calling around for a local machinist who could possibly weld it. Has anyone here had to repair a cracked anvil face, and what was the outcome?
Ever notice how that sound always happens when you're in a rush? It's like a universal rule. My phone screen cracked right as I was leaving for a trip, and my car battery died on the busiest morning of my week. Feels like things wait for the worst moment to break.
My old laptop's hard drive made that exact click of death sound the night before a big deadline. It's like @flores.mark said, these things have a terrible sense of timing. I swear the universe adds stress points to objects when it knows you're busy.