Danforth Anchor Repair - Anyone tried to repair a bent fluke?

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Author Topic:   Danforth Anchor Repair - Anyone tried to repair a bent fluke?

Buckda posted 03-31-2011 06:46 PM ET (US)
I have a galvanized Danforth anchor. The flukes are no longer aligned (it won't lay flat) - I want to bend it back in place, but am not sure if I'll damage it. Right now I'm considering putting it sideways in a bench vise and using a crow bar to try to force the "top" fluke into alignment with the one in the vise.
Last summer, I had trouble "hooking up" with this anchor in it's current condition - especially when compared to the Bruce.
Am I wasting my time? These aren't exactly expensive anchors - but I hate to waste it if it's salvageable. My primary anchor will be my 5KG Bruce, but this one will be on the deck in chocks for use if conditions warrant it.
I have a smaller galvanized Danforth that lives in the locker as a lunch hook, but the Bruce and the larger Danforth will do primary anchoring/overnighting duties.

ConB posted 03-31-2011 07:11 PM ET (US)
If you can't straighten the anchor in your vice put it on the ground with blocking in just the right spots then drive over it with your truck. Or you can find some one with a press an have it done. Check the welds carefully afterward.
Danforth High Tensile anchors are expensive and my favorite.
Con
Bobalong posted 03-31-2011 07:58 PM ET (US)
Early last year I was having a heck of a time getting the hook to hold. Discovered that I had bent the main bar of the anchor getting un-stuck earlier in the day. We were able to wedge it into the locker and get it pretty straight. Straight enough that even though I've been meaning to finish the job we've been using it as is and it keeps the 240 in place. The metal seems pretty mallable, you should be able to get it back towhere it will be fine to use.
Buckda posted 03-31-2011 08:45 PM ET (US)
How do you "locate someone with a press"?
I tried bending this sucka with a 30" crow bar and it wouldn't budge.
My parents didn't exactly bless me with a lot of brawn, but I still thought I might have SOME effect. Nada.
Buckda posted 03-31-2011 08:46 PM ET (US)
Makes you wonder what they had it stuck on to bend it like that in the first place!
ConB posted 03-31-2011 09:12 PM ET (US)
An auto or agricultural repair shop would have a press or a metal fabrication shop.
A simple press is a frame work that holds a hydraulic jack that allows you to apply pressure right where you need to.
Con
towboater posted 03-31-2011 11:50 PM ET (US)
Super Dave.
Any chance you have a propane torch? Home Depot has several models from a basic torch for $10 bucks to a shure fire that includes a bottle of propane around $50.
The auto igniting sure fire is handy as hell, worth every dime, especially on the 4th of July.
Anyway, look over your bench, remove flamables. Wear gloves, long sleeve shirts, safety glasses. Some of the galvy might crackle and pop a little and omit some mild toxic gas if you get it red hot. I cut and weld galv all the time, just ventilate and stay upwind. I doubt if that little torch will even get it that hot, but, certainly hot enough to bend easy. The other nice thing, it will bend where you apply the heat.

Put the anchor back in the vise, prep your crowbars then and put direct heat all around the area you are trying to bend. If you can get it red hot, you have it made.
Better yet, make it a two man job...one apply heat, the other apply steady, balanced torque...mild steel shouldnt take long to heat up but be patient, it will bend. Go past square just a little bit, bent steel will try to go back to its original configuration.
mkj

towboater posted 03-31-2011 11:54 PM ET (US)
Benzomatic TS4000
home Aside posted 04-01-2011 12:38 AM ET (US)
Country Boy Fix, How about a flat stump, heat, & a small sledge hammer, heat it up & hammer it flat on the stump...
Chuck Tribolet posted 04-01-2011 07:28 AM ET (US)
I've straightened mine with just a vise. I would not use
heat, I'm sure they have some sort of heat-treat that you
would ruin.

Chuck
cohasett73 posted 04-01-2011 08:02 AM ET (US)
Too bad you are so far away Dave. Between my 30 ton hydraulic press and blacksmith anvil there is not much I cannot straighten.
Tom from Rubicon, WI
Buckda posted 04-01-2011 09:01 AM ET (US)
There is no way on this side of Heaven that I can straighten this puppy without heat of a press. I just don't have the strength. I tried again this morning figuring that perhaps I was just tired last night.
Again, I'm not a big person, but that baby wants to be exactly where it is.
Buckda posted 04-01-2011 09:13 AM ET (US)
..."without heat OR a press"...
lizard posted 04-01-2011 09:36 AM ET (US)
http://vacaero.com/News-Info-From-Industrial-Heating-Magazine/ News-Info-From-Industrial-Heating-Magazine/Tool-Steel-Heat-Treatment. html
Dave- a dear friend lost him home in a fire. He had a vast collection of well made (mostly older Craftsman [made by the old Utica Tool] and Matloc hand tools). In the ashes, we found two things that survived- porcelain and these tools. The heat was quite hot during this fire, other metals turned to liquid and ran and pooled.
After quite a bit of research, he was told that they was no value in keeping these. They lost their "Hardened" properties to the heat and under stress, they would crack. The link above may give you some information.
towboater posted 04-01-2011 10:56 AM ET (US)
Heat treating a anchor can be frivolous because it's strength is relative to the strength of the anchor rope, chain and cleat it is secured to.
Basic recreational anchoring is far more dependant on flukes setting than heat treat factors.
A similar size danforth anchor I borrowed from my 18 ft Guardian (fits inside the bow locker) and 1/2" rope has held a 40 ft Tugboat with 3 heavy 30 ft gill net boats tied alongside salmon fishing in Cowlitz River hog lines, 4 knot current (shallow sandy bottom). That was a fun day...better lies were never spoken.
mkj
Jerry Townsend posted 04-01-2011 11:15 AM ET (US)
The link provided by "Lizard" addresses tool steel - such as drill bits, punches, reamers, easy-outs, lathe bits - et al. - which are heat treated to provide a small grain size to result in an extremely hard and sometimes brittle material.
The anchors we use are not similarily heat treated and therefore there is no concern regarding heating or welding. ----- Jerry/Idaho
n55bz posted 04-05-2011 09:22 AM ET (US)
If you heat the anchor sufficiently hot to cause it to bend easily, you will heat the zinc coating (galvanizing) hot enough to produce toxic fumes. Some of the Danforth anchors are heat treated, heating them hot enough to become malleable will draw their temper and leave them in an annealed state (soft).
Kindest regards,
Bill
Landlocked posted 04-05-2011 10:51 AM ET (US)
A few years ago I bought a boat trailer for 25 bucks for my pond boat. guy sold it cheap because the tounge was badly bent.
I laid it across my fish fryer, cranked it to max and within 5 minutes it was glowing red. Bent the toung back, gave it a spray of water in an attempt to restore temper and It's worked flawlessly ever since. Not a bad deal at 25 bucks.
I'd think you could heat and straighten your anchor in the same manner and then dunk it in water to temper but someone here may know better.
C.
lizard posted 04-05-2011 12:12 PM ET (US)
The tools my friend had were hand wrenches- box wrenches, pipe wrenches (hefty), sockets, etc. He was told that the heat ruined the tempering of the tool.
Landlocked posted 04-05-2011 01:15 PM ET (US)
Ehow.com (granted somewhat dubious of a source) suggests quenching hot steel in motor oil or vegetable oil to temper.
I honestly think you could heat it, bend it, and use it without any concern. Would certainly try it before buying a new one.
And as an aside, I had a shed fire a few years ago. My brand new danforth was on my bench where I'd just finished tying on new chain and rode. fire completely melted all the plastic coating off and left only the bare anchor and chain. I've been using it as a back-up anchor when I want to secure both ends of the boat and I've had no problems. Fire was so hot that it melted a cast iron lodge skillet - All I found was the handle.
C.
Dave Sutton posted 04-05-2011 01:54 PM ET (US)
All you need is two wooden blocks and a cheap hydraulic press. Any auto garage can block it and bend it straight in a few minutes.
But....
A poor mans hydraulic press is a small $12.00 one ton hydraulic jack from Walmart and a pickup truck. Put the anchor on the driveway under the truck, place the jack on what you want to bend, but the other end of the jack on the frame of the truck, and jack away. As long as you need less force than the truck weighs, you have made a hydraulic press out of the thing. Modify the technique to suit what you have at hand.
As for heat treating it: It was bent cold, and it can be re-bent cold, these are not exactly made of tool steel... and are not terribly hard to begin with. The bending will work harden the bent spot slightly, but, really.... who cares? Don't make the simple complex.

Dave
.
Buckda posted 04-05-2011 04:07 PM ET (US)
This was completed today. I had one mechanic refuse, but another shop eagerly took on the "challenge". For $10 and some interesting conversation, we used a 20 ton press to work it back to shape and then re-touch a couple of the welds to ensure they were solid.
Thanks for your help.

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Author	Topic: Danforth Anchor Repair - Anyone tried to repair a bent fluke?
Buckda	posted 03-31-2011 06:46 PM ET (US) I have a galvanized Danforth anchor. The flukes are no longer aligned (it won't lay flat) - I want to bend it back in place, but am not sure if I'll damage it. Right now I'm considering putting it sideways in a bench vise and using a crow bar to try to force the "top" fluke into alignment with the one in the vise. Last summer, I had trouble "hooking up" with this anchor in it's current condition - especially when compared to the Bruce. Am I wasting my time? These aren't exactly expensive anchors - but I hate to waste it if it's salvageable. My primary anchor will be my 5KG Bruce, but this one will be on the deck in chocks for use if conditions warrant it. I have a smaller galvanized Danforth that lives in the locker as a lunch hook, but the Bruce and the larger Danforth will do primary anchoring/overnighting duties.
ConB	posted 03-31-2011 07:11 PM ET (US) If you can't straighten the anchor in your vice put it on the ground with blocking in just the right spots then drive over it with your truck. Or you can find some one with a press an have it done. Check the welds carefully afterward. Danforth High Tensile anchors are expensive and my favorite. Con
Bobalong	posted 03-31-2011 07:58 PM ET (US) Early last year I was having a heck of a time getting the hook to hold. Discovered that I had bent the main bar of the anchor getting un-stuck earlier in the day. We were able to wedge it into the locker and get it pretty straight. Straight enough that even though I've been meaning to finish the job we've been using it as is and it keeps the 240 in place. The metal seems pretty mallable, you should be able to get it back towhere it will be fine to use.
Buckda	posted 03-31-2011 08:45 PM ET (US) How do you "locate someone with a press"? I tried bending this sucka with a 30" crow bar and it wouldn't budge. My parents didn't exactly bless me with a lot of brawn, but I still thought I might have SOME effect. Nada.
Buckda	posted 03-31-2011 08:46 PM ET (US) Makes you wonder what they had it stuck on to bend it like that in the first place!
ConB	posted 03-31-2011 09:12 PM ET (US) An auto or agricultural repair shop would have a press or a metal fabrication shop. A simple press is a frame work that holds a hydraulic jack that allows you to apply pressure right where you need to. Con
towboater	posted 03-31-2011 11:50 PM ET (US) Super Dave. Any chance you have a propane torch? Home Depot has several models from a basic torch for $10 bucks to a shure fire that includes a bottle of propane around $50. The auto igniting sure fire is handy as hell, worth every dime, especially on the 4th of July. Anyway, look over your bench, remove flamables. Wear gloves, long sleeve shirts, safety glasses. Some of the galvy might crackle and pop a little and omit some mild toxic gas if you get it red hot. I cut and weld galv all the time, just ventilate and stay upwind. I doubt if that little torch will even get it that hot, but, certainly hot enough to bend easy. The other nice thing, it will bend where you apply the heat. Put the anchor back in the vise, prep your crowbars then and put direct heat all around the area you are trying to bend. If you can get it red hot, you have it made. Better yet, make it a two man job...one apply heat, the other apply steady, balanced torque...mild steel shouldnt take long to heat up but be patient, it will bend. Go past square just a little bit, bent steel will try to go back to its original configuration. mkj
towboater	posted 03-31-2011 11:54 PM ET (US) Benzomatic TS4000
home Aside	posted 04-01-2011 12:38 AM ET (US) Country Boy Fix, How about a flat stump, heat, & a small sledge hammer, heat it up & hammer it flat on the stump...
Chuck Tribolet	posted 04-01-2011 07:28 AM ET (US) I've straightened mine with just a vise. I would not use heat, I'm sure they have some sort of heat-treat that you would ruin. Chuck
cohasett73	posted 04-01-2011 08:02 AM ET (US) Too bad you are so far away Dave. Between my 30 ton hydraulic press and blacksmith anvil there is not much I cannot straighten. Tom from Rubicon, WI
Buckda	posted 04-01-2011 09:01 AM ET (US) There is no way on this side of Heaven that I can straighten this puppy without heat of a press. I just don't have the strength. I tried again this morning figuring that perhaps I was just tired last night. Again, I'm not a big person, but that baby wants to be exactly where it is.
Buckda	posted 04-01-2011 09:13 AM ET (US) ..."without heat OR a press"...
lizard	posted 04-01-2011 09:36 AM ET (US) http://vacaero.com/News-Info-From-Industrial-Heating-Magazine/ News-Info-From-Industrial-Heating-Magazine/Tool-Steel-Heat-Treatment. html Dave- a dear friend lost him home in a fire. He had a vast collection of well made (mostly older Craftsman [made by the old Utica Tool] and Matloc hand tools). In the ashes, we found two things that survived- porcelain and these tools. The heat was quite hot during this fire, other metals turned to liquid and ran and pooled. After quite a bit of research, he was told that they was no value in keeping these. They lost their "Hardened" properties to the heat and under stress, they would crack. The link above may give you some information.
towboater	posted 04-01-2011 10:56 AM ET (US) Heat treating a anchor can be frivolous because it's strength is relative to the strength of the anchor rope, chain and cleat it is secured to. Basic recreational anchoring is far more dependant on flukes setting than heat treat factors. A similar size danforth anchor I borrowed from my 18 ft Guardian (fits inside the bow locker) and 1/2" rope has held a 40 ft Tugboat with 3 heavy 30 ft gill net boats tied alongside salmon fishing in Cowlitz River hog lines, 4 knot current (shallow sandy bottom). That was a fun day...better lies were never spoken. mkj
Jerry Townsend	posted 04-01-2011 11:15 AM ET (US) The link provided by "Lizard" addresses tool steel - such as drill bits, punches, reamers, easy-outs, lathe bits - et al. - which are heat treated to provide a small grain size to result in an extremely hard and sometimes brittle material. The anchors we use are not similarily heat treated and therefore there is no concern regarding heating or welding. ----- Jerry/Idaho
n55bz	posted 04-05-2011 09:22 AM ET (US) If you heat the anchor sufficiently hot to cause it to bend easily, you will heat the zinc coating (galvanizing) hot enough to produce toxic fumes. Some of the Danforth anchors are heat treated, heating them hot enough to become malleable will draw their temper and leave them in an annealed state (soft). Kindest regards, Bill
Landlocked	posted 04-05-2011 10:51 AM ET (US) A few years ago I bought a boat trailer for 25 bucks for my pond boat. guy sold it cheap because the tounge was badly bent. I laid it across my fish fryer, cranked it to max and within 5 minutes it was glowing red. Bent the toung back, gave it a spray of water in an attempt to restore temper and It's worked flawlessly ever since. Not a bad deal at 25 bucks. I'd think you could heat and straighten your anchor in the same manner and then dunk it in water to temper but someone here may know better. C.
lizard	posted 04-05-2011 12:12 PM ET (US) The tools my friend had were hand wrenches- box wrenches, pipe wrenches (hefty), sockets, etc. He was told that the heat ruined the tempering of the tool.
Landlocked	posted 04-05-2011 01:15 PM ET (US) Ehow.com (granted somewhat dubious of a source) suggests quenching hot steel in motor oil or vegetable oil to temper. I honestly think you could heat it, bend it, and use it without any concern. Would certainly try it before buying a new one. And as an aside, I had a shed fire a few years ago. My brand new danforth was on my bench where I'd just finished tying on new chain and rode. fire completely melted all the plastic coating off and left only the bare anchor and chain. I've been using it as a back-up anchor when I want to secure both ends of the boat and I've had no problems. Fire was so hot that it melted a cast iron lodge skillet - All I found was the handle. C.
Dave Sutton	posted 04-05-2011 01:54 PM ET (US) All you need is two wooden blocks and a cheap hydraulic press. Any auto garage can block it and bend it straight in a few minutes. But.... A poor mans hydraulic press is a small $12.00 one ton hydraulic jack from Walmart and a pickup truck. Put the anchor on the driveway under the truck, place the jack on what you want to bend, but the other end of the jack on the frame of the truck, and jack away. As long as you need less force than the truck weighs, you have made a hydraulic press out of the thing. Modify the technique to suit what you have at hand. As for heat treating it: It was bent cold, and it can be re-bent cold, these are not exactly made of tool steel... and are not terribly hard to begin with. The bending will work harden the bent spot slightly, but, really.... who cares? Don't make the simple complex. Dave .
Buckda	posted 04-05-2011 04:07 PM ET (US) This was completed today. I had one mechanic refuse, but another shop eagerly took on the "challenge". For $10 and some interesting conversation, we used a 20 ton press to work it back to shape and then re-touch a couple of the welds to ensure they were solid. Thanks for your help.