Best Anvil for Bladesmithing?

[bobbywett]

Hi Everyone,

Been forging knives for going on 3 years now on my "Railroad Track" Anvil and hoping to use my income tax refund to purchase an anvil. I'm not sure if I'll be getting a new/used one, but am looking for ideas on what to look for in a good blade smithing anvil. For ex: single/double horn, hardy/pritchie hole size, weight, surface hardness....etc.

What new manufactures would you folks recommend. What places should I look for used anvils.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob,

Hershey, PA

 

[godogs57]

I liked Blackmith's Depot's anvils if you are looking for a new one. Their anvils were just fantastic. Peddinghous was the brand. I have a Fisher 130# from 1926 and she is great, but if I ever upgrade, the Peddinghous will be the one.

 

[Troop]

I have an old Fisher from 1913, but I'd go with an Emerson if I'd ever had an opportunity to get a new one.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

One thing you don't really need for bladesmithing is a huge anvil. While many like to boast of their monster blocks of steel, the usable surface most knife forging is about 3X10 inches. An anvil of 100-150 pounds is more than sufficient. Look for a hardy hole, but don't worry about the pritchel hole. The bick (horn) is nice, but not a significant factor on a knife anvil. Many specially made knifemaker's anvils are not much more than an upright block of hardened 4140 with a rectangular top.
In practicality ,and anvil above 70 pounds should be fine for our purposes.
A heavy base mount can add some extra mass, if the anvil is a bit on the small side.

I agree with the above poster that Peddinghaus anvils are good modern anvils. The #5 is fine for knives.

Stacy

 

[frogfish]

For me my Sea Robin Anvil is perfect for knifemaking.

 

[JTknives]

I love the one i made. its just the right size for my blade smithing needs

 

[bobbywett]

Thanks for the great info guys...I appreciate it a lot. I love your anvil set-up JT...I followed your post on it a while back.

Bob

 

[David Stifle]

Hi Bobby,

A good source for anvils are estate/farm auctions. Around here the auctions are advertised in the local Trader newpaper. I suspect you have one in your area as well. The auctions are fun to go to, I picked up all kinds of forging eqipement, as well as my 155# Hayden, all for very reasonable prices. Good Luck,

Dave

 

[M.Griffin]

Another good way to find one is to tell everyone you know, and even people you don't know, that you are looking for an anvil. I did this and ended up with three anvils, plus one I paid for at an antique store. The first one I got was a Peter Wright #190 that was very rough, but perfect for learning. Total cost was $0 and I made the guy a knife to say thanks. You may be suprised at when and where an anvil may pop up. Good luck.

-Mike

 

[stephanfowler]

For me my Sea Robin Anvil is perfect for knifemaking.

+1

I have the 200Lb Sea Robin anvil and use it for most everything

I also had a 200Lb english pattern (I don't know who made it) and a 100 Lb Southern Crescent

GREATLY prefer the Sea Robin

 

[JC in SC]

I love the one i made. its just the right size for my blade smithing needs

JT, that is a sweet anvil. Can you give us some details (dimensions, materials, etc.)? Also, where do you guys get large pieces (>3") of square stock? So far, I've only found them at McMaster-Carr for, what I consider to be, outrageous prices. I've also found some pieces >3" on eBay, but only ~5" or so (~20lbs). I'd also be interested to hear which grades of steel are considered suitable/ideal for anvils.

Another good way to find one is to tell everyone you know, and even people you don't know, that you are looking for an anvil. I did this and ended up with three anvils, plus one I paid for at an antique store. The first one I got was a Peter Wright #190 that was very rough, but perfect for learning. Total cost was $0 and I made the guy a knife to say thanks. You may be suprised at when and where an anvil may pop up. Good luck.

-Mike

I've actually been employing this technique, in addition to trolling craigslist and eBay, but so far having turned up anything but over-priced junk. I guess patience is the key here.

 

[sidecutter]

i got a old high school buddy that owns a scrap/salvage yard. he just told me last week he ocassionally gets anvils and just puts them in the BIG pile to be sold for scrap. i not a maker, but i told him to put aside all anvils for me. maybe i can score one for someboby. we'll see. paul ( north ga. )

 

[JC in SC]

i got a old high school buddy that owns a scrap/salvage yard. he just told me last week he ocassionally gets anvils and just puts them in the BIG pile to be sold for scrap. i not a maker, but i told him to put aside all anvils for me. maybe i can score one for someboby. we'll see. paul ( north ga. )

I'm sure one of us wannabe makers would make it worth your while if you came across a good one. The problem I've had is that all of the "antiques" I have seen are priced close to the cost of a quality new piece, but are in relatively poor condition from being abused and/or neglected.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Perhaps no the most energy efficient... but it works well for me.

1045 steel.... 4X4X14..... burried into a chicken feeder... lol

Rick

 

[JTknives]

JT, that is a sweet anvil. Can you give us some details (dimensions, materials, etc.)? Also, where do you guys get large pieces (>3") of square stock? So far, I've only found them at McMaster-Carr for, what I consider to be, outrageous prices. I've also found some pieces >3" on eBay, but only ~5" or so (~20lbs). I'd also be interested to hear which grades of steel are considered suitable/ideal for anvils.



I've actually been employing this technique, in addition to trolling craigslist and eBay, but so far having turned up anything but over-priced junk. I guess patience is the key here.

I get my scrap from s steel yard that has tons of drop offs in any size. thy have a huge stack of the squares i used for the main post. the main post is 4.5 x 5.5 i think and just mild steel. the face is hardened S7 I believe. i though it was L6 when i bought the scrap but it did not respond to heat treatment like L6 so i think its S7. but what ever it is its dang tuff. the horn is heat treated 4140 and the heel is heat treated 4340. the base plate is just mild steel that was sitting around work that the boss gave to me. it was a milling fixture and was not needed any more. with all that its 400 pounds about. if you look you see two strips under the anvil bass. those are thick rubber strips to keep it from moving around while i pound on it. i was just testing it out to see if the rubber would give it better rebound. its now over in my side of the shop on a lifted plat forum of about 4"-5".

 

[DAMNENG]

Bob

First let me say since you are in PA you should be able to find used anvils at auctions and junk shops.

If you want to know what features are useful on an anvil here is my take.
I've been forging since 1998. I find that about 94% of what I do I do on the face of the anvil or the edge of the face. 5% is split pretty evenly between the horn and the Hardy. The other one percent goes to the pritchel hole, which I use mostly for non knife making tasks. This being said, I would give up the horn before I would give up the Hardy. The use of the hardy is only limited by the imagination of the user of the anvil. I don't have a second horn, but like most tools, I'm sure I could find a use for it if I had one. I have only used the table (step), actually the front edge of the face on occasion when upsetting something. I could have used the fuller in the hardy for the same purpose.
Happy hunting!

Jim Arbuckle

 

[bobbywett]

Great information guys...I'll be following your advice as I look for an anvil!:thumbup:

 

[stephanfowler]

i got a old high school buddy that owns a scrap/salvage yard. he just told me last week he ocassionally gets anvils and just puts them in the BIG pile to be sold for scrap. i not a maker, but i told him to put aside all anvils for me. maybe i can score one for someboby. we'll see. paul ( north ga. )

Where are you at in N Ga Paul

I'd love to see you at a Ga Custom Knifemaker's Guild

There's a hammerin at Trackrock Stables (blairsville) coming up in March.

Stephan

 

[markv]

you can set a chunk of metal in a five gallon bucket packed with sand. Lively has a good tutorial on building an anvil.

google Tim Lively
buzz

 

[willy m]

what is lively?