Help with an anvil please...

R

R.C.Reichert

Joined
Jul 26, 2008
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Hello there.:D
I am wanting to start trying to forge my own blades. Got myself a nice propane forge coming within the week, but I'm having a hard time finding any decent sized anvils around where I live though. I was wondering if an anvil such as the one in the link I posted would be alright as a starter anvil. It is 75lbs (the biggest one I've seen around here so far) and say's it's made of cast steel. Would that make it better than cast iron then? :confused: At the very least, do you think it would make a better anvil than a chunk of railway tie? Also, what would you recommend I use as a base for such an anvil? Thanks for sharing your opinions. Hope to get forging soon....

http://www.princessauto.com/shop-garage/fabrication-equipment/vises-anvils/3430061-75-lb-anvil

Somehow the the one I seen in the store the other day looked nicer than the one in the picture. Still, I wish they didn't paint them like that. Anvils look so much nicer all rusty.
 
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Might work if cast steel,borrow one of their hammers and check for good rebound,only sure way---Regards Butch
 
I took a look and my guess is that is a cheap cast anvil.....the price is pretty much a dead give away. A "good" anvil isn't cheap, you can generally expect to pay $2+ per pound for a quality used one, and $4+ per pound for a quality new anvil.

Where the difference will show is when you use it. A cheap anvil will work you to death, have little rebound, and will usually become "swaybacked" withing a short while.

The folks at Emerson offer some of the best bang for the buck with their 150lb and 200lb anvils. I've used both of these anvils, and would recommend them for anyone looking for a new anvil.

The other option is to start a quest for a good used anvil. It takes time, effort, and a willingness to look all over the country, and pay for the shipping, or travel to get it......but I have purchased several anvils that way, and have never been disappointed yet. I think its worth the time and effort, considering that if you can locate/purchase a good quality used anvil, its a tool that will last beyond your lifetime.
 
I have a 200 lb. Emerson and I really like it,good rebound.
I would stay away from that small cast anvil, a piece of RR track 18" long would be better.
Stan
 
I guess I'll keep hunting for a better anvil. As for now, I do have an 18"" or so piece of crane-rail that I could use I suppose to make a rail anvil. Thanks for the advice guys!
 
Check all the local and regional trader papers, and things like Craig's list. Anvils pop up often. It is worth a four or five hour drive to pick one up.
Stacy
 
Get and carry a 1" ball bearing. It is handy for checking rebound, easier to carry than a hammer and people don't mind you dropping a ball bearing on the anvil when they might have a problem knowing how hard you plan on hitting one with a hammer. My Brooks anvil will give about 90% rebound when dropped from 20 inches. My brothers Peddinghaus will put the ball back in your hand and that anvil is a pleasure to use. I tested some while I was looking for an anvil that the bearing almost stuck to the surface rather than bounce. It can make a lot of difference when you start working on it. To me, it is also worth a four to five hour drive to test one before buying it.
 
The Princess Auto one is not worth it, get a piece of scrounged steel or rail and make one. For you maybe a farm might have one laying around for a good price. Cheers Ron
 
For you guys looking for an anvil, my son brought this up the other day. He said that they had a huge one in the school shop. I asked what they were doing with it and he said nothing. They weren't allowed to have a forge anymore because it was too dangerous. This might be a whole untapped resource for anvils. No telling how many are out there holding up dust. Slip the shop teacher a knife or two and maybe he'll let it go.
 
Hmathews said:
For you guys looking for an anvil, my son brought this up the other day. He said that they had a huge one in the school shop. I asked what they were doing with it and he said nothing. They weren't allowed to have a forge anymore because it was too dangerous. This might be a whole untapped resource for anvils. No telling how many are out there holding up dust. Slip the shop teacher a knife or two and maybe he'll let it go.
Click to expand...

yep this is a good way to get good hardly used anvils i got a as new 70kg anvil that way it was in the basement of a school.

and also try old farms they often has a old one standing some where and just sometimes they are not beyond reasons to repair.

DC
 
At Honolulu community college where I went to some apprentice classes, there were several anvils in the welding shop, all of them "real" old anvils. They had been abused by the welders, some torch scarring and all, but the faces were still mostly flat and I would have taken them home in a heartbeat. One was a Trenton, another could have been a Hey-Budden, but what dropped my jaw was the easily 350# and probably 400# Peter Wright sitting in the corner. Totally neglected. It broke my heart because I knew there was no way I could talk those guys out of it, and no way I could ever ship it back to Washington if I did. When I asked, they told me it had been there forever and I'm sure it's sitting there right now. Unless some jackass cut the horn off or something.
Sorry to slightly hijack here, I just love anvils and had to vent about that.
 
Yes, anvil abuse is a serious problem in the USA. Many old anvils are set out in the yard, ignored in corners, and abused by their former owners in ways too horrible to post in this public space. It is up to us to educate the world and liberate those sad and lonely anvils. Fellow bladesmiths, unite together to stomp out anvil abuse ! Write your congressperson now! Joint the SPCA ( Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anvils) today.


A few years back I was traveling through a part of rural Virginia and spotted a huge anvil sitting out in a front garden. It was covered in rust, and had an old iron pot full of flowers sitting on it. I went up to the house and asked if they would sell me the anvil. They said no, that they liked the way it looked there. They said that it had been there since their mother had planted the garden in the 50's, and wouldn't part with it. I said I would pay well for it, but they still said no.I guess it was too sentimental. I thanked them for their time and left. I was going by about two months later and there was a yard sale at the same place. I can't resist rummaging through old farm stuff, so I stopped. First thing I noticed was the anvil was gone. I asked about the anvil, pointing out that I had tried to buy it a few months earlier. They said a fellow had stopped by earlier that morning and offered them $100 for it. It took the back hoe to lift it into his truck. I told them that when I said that I would pay well for it I was talking about $300-400. They just looked at me like I was talking crazy talk. I did find some other neat farm things there, though.

Stacy
 
definitely post a wanted ad on craigslist.

I contacted somebody about 6 months ago regarding something else and he said he had 125 or 150 pound anvil for sale as well. He also made mention of some sort of Alberta Blacksmith Association.

I found a possible lead.

North Alberta Blacksmiths Guild
Kent Dyer, President
RR3 - Site 302, Box 44
Onoway AB T0E 1V0
CANADA
Phone: 780/967-4780
E-mail: kdyer - at - agt.net

S. Alberta Chap-W. Canadian Blacksmiths
Mike Nieckar, President
Box 21, Site 2, RR 6
Calgary AB T2M 4L5
Phone: 403/650-7133
E-mail: nieckarm - at - cadvision.com

I don't know how old that info is so it may or may not be current.
 
The maintenance manager at the plant where I work said he'd let me have a chunk of steel for free. It is a 4" diameter shaft from an 800hp motor, made from 4140 steel, about a foot long. A real solid piece of steel. I hear 4140 is very high-tensile and has very good impact resistance. I was thinking of setting it in some concrete. How would that be for an anvil?

Anyways, I would love to have a very nice peter wright....wait...what's this feeling...I think I'm having an anvilism!!:eek::D
 
I've no experience with a cement/steel anvil so I can't attest to how well they work but people do use them. A bucket, cement and a hunk of mild steel is what Tim Lively uses as an anvil.
 
RC the piece of 4140 will make a good anvil, that is what Emerson anvils are made of.I don't know if the concrete will work but give it a try.
Stan
 
I just got a chunk of the 800hp shaft cut today and some of the millwrights were not entirely convinced it was actually 4140. Anyways, I decided to test the piece for rebound (it weighing in at 80lbs) ....the hammer bounced on the steel shaft like it was a rubber ball. Question...Will only hardened steel cause that kind of rebound, or will even a block of mild steel have rebound to it? Just thinking that if it were just a type of mild steel, I wouldn't expect it to have that much rebound to it. Is that correct?

Was talking to the millwrights about how much good anvils go for in price. They did not believe me when I told them they could fetch 2-3 dollars a pound for an old used one and 5-6 dollars a pound new. They were like "Oh, I could probably find a big anvil for 20 bucks easily". Guess they never shopped around for the real deal.

Thanks for all your good advice guys.
 
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That looks like a cast iron anvil to me. Just because it says cast steel doesn't mean it's actually steel. I've found that people don't understand the difference between different steels, so everything is steel, or if a blacksmith made it, "wrought iron".

Best to test it in person.

Good luck.
 
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