Anvil shopping

C

Caden_Vekk

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
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184
I've found a supplier of all things holy, Grizzly, and they have a fairly good selection of anvils that, as far as I can see, is very inexpensive. For example

24#----$21.95
55#----$59.95
100#---$129.95+Freight=$206.45
200#---$239.95+Freight= $316.45
300#---$369.95+Freight= $466.45

They only have hardy holes, but I've never actually used the pritchel on my "teacher's" anvil. I'm just wondering though if this is a good deal. Are these anvils of any quality?
 
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They are usable and certianly better than a rock. But,you get what you pay for! [kinda like Walmart screwdriver vs Snap-on screwdriver]
 
At the moment I have a 55# "USA" anvil which works but the face isn't flat at all. I'm looking at around 200#. Any companies you would suggest?
 
which anvil do you think would be better? The 100# Future Anvil which is the size of a 150# or the 200# Grizzly anvil?
 
All those grizzly anvils are cast iron. Don't waste your time with them.
 
Hmm, they seem alright but, Would the Titan be large enough for knife/sword making? I Like the 260# Centurian but at $1650 it's a good ways out of my reach. The Titan is pushing it alot.
 
An anvil needs to be twenty to thirty times the hammer weight. So, an 80# anvil will work with a 4# hammer, and a 120# would be better. Over that you get a larger face, and more mass, but the excess is not needed...just nice to have. The main thing you want is a good steel face. I personally think a 125# anvil makes a great starter, and you may never need another one.
Stacy
 
I'm a big fan of the older traditional style anvils. Hay Budden, Peter Wright, Mousehole, Kohlswa, are some of the better names to look for. I can really appreciate the lure of a pristine flat face on a new anvil though. I just don't have the bucks for it. My one comment about the future and the Nimba is that a factor that I really like is an anvil with a bit of a drop between the face and the cutting surface/horn. The Nimbas didn't seem to have this and on the future anvilo the horn actually seemed to rise up above the level of the face (though that may just be a trick of the camera angle or something.
The point of this ramble is that if you are forging as I do on the horn end with it pointing to your left, its nice to have some knuckle room when you're holding a bar of steel along the horn to forge a blade on that left edge of the face. Just a personal taste thing. I'm sure there are many ways around it, but think of how you forge and where your hands are in relation to the horn.
I agree with the others Re: the Grizzly anvils. Better than a rock. I have a 50 lb one I got to get me started. It served its prupose and got me forging. I wouldn't spend real money on one though. Get a cheapo to hold you while you scour the classifieds, creigs list,evilbay, antique shops etc for a real anvil that you can afford. Just my two cents
Good luck, happy hunting
Ed
 
I am inheriting an old anvil that belonged to my great-great grandfather, who was a blacksmith. To give you an idea of how old this thing may be, my grandfather was born in 1893 and he was the 4th of 5 children. This thing has some age on it. Obviously, it has great sentimental value, but do you guys think that it will be usable or it it most likely going to be made from iron?
 
Joe, A steel faced iron anvil may be a great anvil. You can check for rebound with
a ball bearing. It should easily be worth the price if it's in good shape.

Caden-vekk....Add farm sales, and estate sales to your list of places to look.

Grocery stores, feed stores, and hardware stores often have wall space available for
sale/auction bills...sometimes listing Blacksmithing tools...

BTW...new anvils...$4-$9/lb.
Old anvils...alot less.
 
Happycat: The traditional anvils are what I would like. I'm not a big fan of a double horn, as it just doesn't seem practical to have all that extra weight right there if I'm never going to use it. Over all I really don't like the shape of the Nimba. That's why I was leaning towards the Future Anvil, but, like you said, the horn's tip actually goes up above the face. And yes i do smith with horn to the left.

This one looks pretty good, new 125# for $470 http://www.centaurforge.com/prodinfo.asp?number=18CC-125

This is more of what I'm looking for, but its 50 more lbs for twice the monies, and I don't konw what the stuff on the horn is. http://www.centaurforge.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EMERSON150

This JHM is 250# for $981.25 http://www.centaurforge.com/prodinfo.asp?number=259011

I've got somewhere around 9mo before I can head out and even start looking for an anvil, unless I can figure out somewhere here in Germany that may have some. The only thing about that is shipping the bastard over seas. UGH.
 
Caden, you may have the disposable income to drop 900.00 on an anvil, but you may want to consider looking for an old anvil for much less and put some of the money you save into a good grinder, forge, etc. Good deals are still out there if you persevere. In the last 5 years I've managed to snag an old English made 145 lb from the 1800's for 70.00, a 96 lb Mousehole for 100.00, a 185 lb Hay Budden for 100.00, and a 300 lb Kohlswa for 250.00. Of course I was a bit obsessed with anvils for a couple years......I think its in remission now (unless I see a really good deal of course:D ). Anyway, just some food for thought. Bottom line is find something reasonably flat to pound on and start swinging. Work on the dream shop as you go.....
Good luck and happy hunting,
(the hunt is part of the fun!)
Ed
 
An avil is the heart of the Bladesmith's shop. Taking your time, and finding a "good" anvil will pay benefits for the rest of your career. As has been mentioned, stay away from the cast iron "el-cheapo" anvils. They will become swaybacked in short order. The anvils with aluminum bases were designed specifically for light duty, and are built that way to be portable for farriers.
My personal favorites are the anvil that have a wrought iron base, with hardened face plate (Trenton brand is the one I like the most) (NOT CAST IRON BASE)...there is a huge difference. For new anvils, I have worked on Nimba, Old World, and Emerson anvils. These are all cast steel anvils, and all a very servicable.

Testing an anvil with a hardened ball bearing is a very reliable test to determine the "working ability" of an anvil. Hold the ball bearing approx. 1 foot above the face and drop it. The ball bearing should return to the level it was dropped from, or higher. This indicates that the anvil will return the energy from a hammer blow to your work piece, effectivley reducing the force required on your behalf to achieve a given amount of work.

The general rule on anvil size is no less than 10 lbs of anvil for every 1 pound of hammer weight. That being said, I consider 125lb to the the minimum necessary for a Bladesmithing anvil.

I recently had a student here who found an anvil locally, and purchased it. He took it back to Texas with him, and is having the face surface ground (had some slight roughness to on the face) but was otherwise an outstanding anvil. Even with the machining being done, the cost was around $2 per pound....buy the way, it was 176 pound anvil.

Take your time, look around, and make an informed decision when purchasing an anvil. With minimial care, a good anvil will not only last your lifetime, but will be there well past your grandchildren's lifetime.
 
Another thing to consider that has'nt been mentioned is your base. You need something heavy, solid and secure. Your anvil needs to be attached tight to the base. A good base can enhance the performance of your anvil greatly, while a poor base will leave you quite disapointed!
 
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