Anvils Part Four: Order of Preference and What Not to Do!
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- Опубліковано 13 сер 2017
- Now that you have some knowledge under your belt, what path is right for you? Understanding the options let you make the best and most expeditious choice for your budding career!
I'm 65 years old and just decided to get into blacksmithing as a hobby. And, yes I'm that guy that bought the HF anvil. After two months of beating myself and the anvil up I ordered a new TFS anvil from Centaur Forge. You are correct, everyone selling old anvils think they are worth their weight in gold. I paid a little over $500.00 For a 100 lb. anvil delivered to my door. I believe I made the right choice. Thanks for your video.
I'm 50 years old in November and I'm just getting started in this. It's something that I have always wanted to do. I think you have given me some excellent tools to help me avoid some serious mistakes and you've kept me from wasting money, which is a big issue for me. This is something I will be doing with my son so that I can pass on a skill to him as well. Again, thank you for your very clear, practical (and entertaining) advice. Love your videos.
I picked up a 75 pound cresent anvil, old canedy otto blower, and post vice, all in damn good condition for 100.00. I think i did pretty good.
For those of us in Canada, our version of HF is princess auto. Often, their shop tools are of similar quality, mostly suited for very light use, but are better than nothing. However, they have started carrying cast steel anvils in 30, 60, and 110lb weights. The 110 goes for $330 (canadian) normally, and came on sale for 260 not long ago. While the casting and machining are a bit rough, they can be cleaned up and are decent anvils for the price. That said, online reviews have stated that some have issues, so always open the box and inspect your exact one closely. Considering how hard/expensive it can be to find anything blacksmith related up here, It's a fairly cost efficient way to get a brand new, proper anvil if you want to go that route. I tried asking around scrapyards, but none nearby had much of anything useful. Ironically, one had an actual anvil, but it had already been claimed
On a side note, why do american hardware stores get so much cool stuff, and we only get the basics? Any time i need something odd, I can find it at the US home depot site, but not the canadian one :(
Hey that little old lady is my friend now. She was having a garage sale. She had a really nice english made anvil for 10 bucks. So I got it but I was talking to her more an found out her husband was a blacksmith. I went home with a coal forge, the hood over it, more hammers,Hardy tools and a few different swage blocks. Oh forgot the tongs too. I walked away that day with everything for 10 bucks. She insisted that I take it all. She wanted to see it used. I'm still looking for a mandrel yet.
Aubrey Maxam that's insane great find!
I still feel bad about it. To me that theft but I couldn't get her to take nothing. But have helped her out a few times now. So I guess what comes around goes around.
you won the lottery
You should find a bucket pin of something in that area of steel and have one machined this is what I am doing for both my Anvil build and a mandrel. My pins are around 5in round and 10 or 12in long.
oh bucket pins are hard as nails by the way.
Great info. Thanks for the series.
Hi I am a 67 year old woman and I bought a Harbor freight anvil and just used it about 6 or eight hrs over a 4 day period making Horseshoe hooks and a few s hooks and killed the top of the anvil and had to take it back. Thanks Nancy
Thanks for the series and the info!
Excellent info. I was able to pick up a "post" anvil for $50. It was a hydrolic ram off an oil drill rig. It is about 5 inches across about 20 inches high, solid steel, they even threw in a piece of rail road track for free.
Really great I'm heading to the scrap yard...thanks Rev.
New smith here, great little crash course on anvils. Subbed!
Excellent advice. My additional:
I have only been blacksmithing for about 5 years, so my experience is limited, but coming from doing nothing with my hands I will attest to the value of having a piece of crap to work on as a beginner. I was fortunate enough to have purchased a ductile iron ASO from a friend who gave me matching tooling for the hardie and a stand for $100. Not being able to aim, I put many... many... many... many dings in the poor thing before I was able to work a piece of hot steel moving it where I wanted without a lot of errant anvil strikes.
I now have a nice anvil that is harder than woodpecker lips and it moves metal at three times the speed of my old anvil. Because I learned on my iron one... I now have both the aim and the lack of tears when mis-striking a good anvil.
For beginners... get a piece of crap that can take the abuse... you'll be happy you did.
Don't get any cast anything (there are a few good ones, but you're not going to know the difference and they are 99.99% crack and shatter... no good for learning or anything else).
Would you be able to do a video on how to prepare an anvil shaped object into something very useful for the beginner I've been looking for a block of steel but I'm not sure what to do with it when I get it
I'd like to see more on that too.
..All Hail the High Priest and Illustrious Potentate of Metal Mashing and bask in the illumination that is his Wisdom !! Thanks Trent, you have given some Good and Sound advice...!!
We use a 4x12x12" chunk of a36 on a square tube frame as a striking anvil and I would say it works very well. It doesn't have a hardened face but that's why we use it with the big hammers. When we get an arrant blow from a striker missing a cue from the smith we just grind it out and keep going. Also good to train new smiths on it for the same reason.
I have to trust a guy that likes cats and big hunks of iron! Great videos and very informative also!
Lmao. I was wondering what NO.TO.HF was. Awesome info -subscribed.
I've had so many anvils in the last several years, from a small block, to a railroad track, to an antique Columbian 100lb, a new 80lb Colonial style anvil from Fort Vause Outfitters.com ($360), to a new 100lb emerson ($660), and now a 112lb new Austrian Church window anvil from Old World Anvils.com ($910). The one anvil I find myself using a lot is a block anvil I made from a cut off of forklift tine (4140) welded to a 5"x5"x13" block of steel. I spent $50 on that bad boy and I use it for teaching bladesmithing classes. I'm a huge advocate of homemade anvils because they work and they're affordable. I normally point people to Fort Vause Outfitters.com for new anvils that are very affordable and made in classic styles. But if you can get yourself a block of 4140 (Works for my buddy Tobin Nieto) or big big block of mild steel it'll work (Works for Brian Brazeal, the guy who taught Alec Steele).
Excellant information !
Thanks for coming by!
woo hoo im first. my anvil is an aso about 3/8/3 i got for free from work .it works great but no hardy or prichal holes so i drilled a hole in my welding table.
Good info thanks. Could you show us how you make rivets please. I am struggling with them at the moment.?
Hey there my friend, I took your advice about an anvil shaped object(ASO) I purchased a piece of railroad rail from Ebay for $30.00 and I am in the process of shaping it into an anvil. Am looking forward to starting up some blacksmithing stuff as soon as I get it shaped.
i found a 125 kilo peddinghaus in the ground. in my backyard. i was pretty happy with that (little rusted tho)
Thanks Trenton! You just kept me from wasting my money. Was gonna get one from HF to tinker on. Now, how bout you unass one of the one's you're hoarding and send it my way? LOL.
So I should throw out my Mouse Hole and find a piece of railroad track ?:} LOL Just kidding loved the series very informative have Postman's book and several others you did a very good job in condensing the information to only what is needed so as not to overwhelm people.
Hey Trent, Love the videos. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to weld a 1-1/2" piece of 4140 plate to the top of my A105 cs base. it is 280lbs, 6" x 16-1/2" x 12". I want to harden and temper the top just need some good CS
could you go over anvil treatment? such as how to protect it from rust or prevent cracks? ive heard of preheating anvils before heavy use. if so, how do you use an anvil in winter without doing serious damage to it?
I have some fork lift forks i plan on cutting and welding (hopefully. But even the one piece of fork is working great rigjt now. And it is some tough stuff.
can you show how to make the rebar axe that you made on Forged in fire? and also, that's an awesome hat man
I am so glad I went with my homemade ASO
Question for anyone: If I go looking for a block of steel to replace my little RR anvil what is my quality minimums? Is 1018 better or worse than A36. Hot rolled vs. Cold rolled? Maybe something is out completely but everything else is good to go?
And leave out the super awesome steel plate welded to the top of whatever, if I had that then I wouldn't be looking :)
I don’t mean to ask a “gotcha” question, but based on your videos about ASOs, I haven’t seen mention of bench vises as an ASO. I see some with anvil shapes on the body, and for that matter, I wonder if even the tail of the vise jaw, on vises without the anvil appearance on the body, would work as one?
Vises are still reasonable, used, and can be found in a good mass size.
Sorry for asking a maybe too obvious question.🤷🏼♂️
What about the 66lb Accilio anvils that you can get on amazon? They are solid steel.
Yep, I took my harbor freight back. 2-3 hits, it was done.
there is a reputable tool company selling a 300 lb anvil for $300. It is cast iron. question if one was to weld a one-inch plate of steel to the face what would be your opinion? (Grizzly tools ) . ps I'm not a newbie I have two steel anvils that I have used for years 120lb and 145lb but I need a bigger work face,
I went out in search of a Anvil shaped object and stumbled upon two Old anvils that a friend of mine had from when her father passed I ended up buying one for bucks and was straight up honest with her about how much you get for one or both them if you told him on Craigslist I was very lucky
Great series...appreciate the time you've put into it. Any chance of getting a short vid on track anvils? Is it worth flattening them out...grinding a horn...adding hardie hole? or just pound on it until you can create a heavier ASO?
Sure, Ill see what I can get out
purgatoryironworks ...🖒 thank you very much
upgraded my steel block from a 30kg unit, to a 60kg piece today, that should keep me busy. I do have a 20kg london pattern anvil with a hardened face, but I never use it, always go to the 30kg block.
purgatoryironworks No kidding about used anvil prices. I went to look at getting a old used anvil after beating on ASOs for years and almost choked on the price per pound. I eventually just bought a new 75 lb. ridgid peddinghaus. And thoughts on the brand? I heard so much conjecture both ways. I picked that one mostly because of the tapered heel which I use a lot.
that is so true i did that i got a anvil from harbor frate anvil and broke it in one day of use
Did the same thing. Even went and returned it. But they would only exchange it. Second one hasn't broken yet but is pretty much just crumbling bit by bit. Still looking for that a.s.o. the local scrap place stays pretty picked over it seems
Are the NC Anvils anygood
My ASO is some kind of large ingot or weight it had a serial number and had a 3/4 inch hole on each end. I haven't weighed it but just from picking it up I easily say it weighs around 100 pounds.
probably a tractor weight.
The way the holes are positioned it seems like it should be a weight. But my neighbor has an old milling machine that we used to put a flat face on one side. It took a couple days to mill the face because the material was so tough. But afterwards he said that the metal must have been an ingot of some kind cause of the grain structure of the metal.
+Haze33E Yeah, a tractor weight would be a big, poured ingot.
In Canada, $10/# is the going rate for new or used.
You could drill a hole in a ASO and then drift the hole to be a square, it's a good Hardie hole
I know someone who puchased a Harbour Freight anvil it split the second time he used it. He know uses a piece of railroad track that hasn't broken yet that he picked up for 5 dollars.
wraithsrath I made the same mistake & put a deep dent in the face by simply dropping my ball pein hammer on it from about 3’. That damn thing is barely worth using as a doorstop.
Now its only about 1 cent here in california for scrap so in 2019 its even cheaper for an aso
At the price of anvils today .
I think I am building a small power hammer to work .I got plenty of steel only needs to get pullys and I have motor .
I built my low rebound anvil on steel stand 110 lbs.
Would it help to face it with toolsteel .Thanks
No, worry more about having more mass under the hammmr as opposed to a plate
@purgatoryironworks Mr Trent first I would like to thank you for all your knowledge you've been sharing here for all of us new to smithing. I have a question about an anvil. Are the NC tool company anvils worth buying? I refuse to pay the prices people want for broken or damaged anvils. Thanks in advance. ,Vinny
There will be a supplemental anvil video on that very thing tomorrow. And thank you for the kind words!
purgatoryironworks thank you very much have a great day.
I went with an nc tool anvil and I've been beating on it for over a week now, I've completely missed my work piece a couple times and it didn't dent and i hit it hard, the one i chose was the big face anvil which is more of a farriers anvil and it has been great, BUT the face on the big face anvil is not flush with the rest of the body of the anvil so doing 90 degree bends over the side is pretty much a no go. I'm a newb so take it with a grain of salt.
Mike lewellen ok thanks alot Mike. I've been thinking either the short sugar or the regular 70lb..
Vinny Heid I'd wait to see what trent has to say about it but in my opinion mine is a quality tool. I went new because i didn't want to search forever for an old anvil or a source of anvil shaped objects since I'm like 50 miles from civilization. Good luck and be careful with that hot metal.
I was given a 123# Soderfors. Mostly in good shape except the hardy hole. Someone used it for a cutting table and the hardy was gouged out along 2 sides. I have the welding skills to fill this. In your opinion would it be better to sleeve the hole or weld fill it ? The anvil is stamped "solid steel".
Sleeve it, its the easiest and most dependable way.
Use 1/4 thick material.
purgatoryironworks thanks and thank you for taking time to make these videos.
Before I watched your video or did much research i went and wasted $50 on a Harbor Freight Anvil. Now I'm looking at what the seller says is a 229lb Peter Wright, asking $900. I can also buy a new 150lb Emerson for a little more(the shipping brings it over). What are your thoughts? I probably don't need either now but the more I look the more crazy the prices seem and this seemed like a decent price from everything else I saw.
Get the Emerson or better yet, get and ASO!
I made that mistake with a HF anvil. It's not that great. It's super soft and the Hardy hole rounded eventually. Super cheap cast iron.
Attention the Honorable Rev. TyFantstic video. I am currently building an ASO from fork lift forks the dimentions in the end without the horn will be 15in. long x 5in wide x 8to10in.high I also am making one from a large hunk of steel that already has a Rockwell of 50 the pled I got it fom makes very large Clam buckets and very large machinery. So I have to agree with this info on your video. In the end if you find a large enough piece of steel it can and will make a great Anvil on the other hand IMO I do not recommend a section of RR track due to the fact that RR track is ment to act as a spring and even if you tipped it up o end it would work better except you would only have a face of only inches... Thanks for the video I am sure it will help many people. On an off topic question. 1 did you have a chanceto check out the video I sent you reguarding depth of fire pots or bon fire pots as you said. 2 Can you do a video on the correct dimentions of fire pots if there really is a perfect dimention. Thank you very much in advance.. Martin M&S Blades and Blacksmithing
Ill be filming a series about forges this week!
As far as the video, could I get you to shoot me the link to my email? info@purgatoryironworks.com
sure, I'm on it......
martin and shan Moldovan I'm making a fork lift tyne anvil as well, would love to hear how you are putting yours together... My tynes are smaller (4" or 100mm wide). I can to cut into sections, and stack so that each section is vertical, weld the row together to get a total size of about 270mm long, 100mm wide, and about 220mm deep. I should have enough left over to weld onto each end for a rudimentary horn and an improvised hardy hole.
Would love to compare designs before I start cutting :)
Ok, lets start by saying thank you for the interest. Well my face is 15in. long 3in. thick. I cut several sections of fork at 6in long. These I will stand on end and weld them together. The reason for welding them in this fashion it gave me enough material . I did not have enough material to lay them horizontal. This will be the body of the Anvil it will span the entire length of the face leaving around 4 or 5 in. at one end were my hardy hole will set flush with the last section of the body. I figured this would give the hardy the most strength. I had a friend mill out my hardy at 11/8 and a pictril hole at 5/8. The other end were the horn will be will be flush with the end of the table. So my horn will have no cut table or step down. For the horn I am going to use a 5in x 10 in Catipilar bucket pin I will get this machined into a horn. I have 2 Pins so the other I will also have machined into a mandrel to fit my hardy hole. Of course I will need to weld a sold section of 11/8 square stock so it sets in the Anvil. I am unsure of the type of steel the fork is made from I believe it is one of three types 4140, 1050, or 5160 all of which are oil quenching so if I choose to harden the face I will do so prior to welding it to the body keeping it cool when welding by using a cake pan of water and some plumbing parts hooked up to a water pump to circulate the water keeping the face cool so it don't loose its hardness. But I am not sure if I am over thinking that part of the process. As far as the feet I have another fork that is smaller in width I think it is 4in. I will ad as much as I need to get my desired weight. I am hoping to get her to weigh around 200 plus lbs. I will be using 7018 welding rod and my 2017 Hobart stickmate 210i welder. Hope you can understand my rambling I have read threw it a few times now and I think I covered everthing I will be doing for this build. What is your plan?
It would be nice to get a new anvil for 3-6€ /lb in germany but you have too pay more then 9€/lb
tschned Australia is a problem to. If only we could access these things for US prices!
I honestly don’t know how Harbor Freight is still in business. Everything, and I do mean everything, they sell is of the utmost piss poor quality. I made the mistake of buying an anvil from them & that damn thing is hardly worth using as a doorstop. That being said, what are your thoughts on using old stainless steel sinks as solid fuel forges? My current setup consists of an ammo can cut and converted into a small gas forge & a double bowl sink that is partially converted into a solid fuel forge/tool holder.
I'm in georgia. Any suggestions as to where to go looking for a big hunk of steel?
mkultraification what city in Georgia you in?
Try any large machine shop
+purgatoryironworks We don't have any of those down here, and the junkyards here don't resell anything.
+Nick Chaney The lost city stuck in 1960.
How do u read the anvil number on the side of the anvil?
Lets say it reads 143
Will be Covered in a video soon!
I assume you're asking about hundredweights. Just remember 112,28,1
Travis Rau - If it is a Peter Wright anvil, multiply the first number by 112. Multiply the second number by 28. And the third number stays the same. Now... add all three totals together. You now have the total weight of your anvil. This is using an old English standard of measurement called "hundredweights". I'm sure he'll go over the logistics in the upcoming video...
Watch this with auto-generated closed captions... hilarious. Anvil=Animal
Do you teach blacksmithing classes?
james sherwood he kind-a does he also has a internships.
We hope to have a class schedule for this winter, currently renovating the student housing.
Thanks for the reply. I am very interested in taking a class!
oh well
ooopps
If my right shoulder was at 100% I'd be all over that internship.
harber freight 55 lb 58 $ on sale
At 30 cents/pound, you can get almost 200 pounds of steel for $58. And that's good steel. You can buy a 100 pound chunk of steel for half of the HF anvil's price.
Did a horse teach you to do math? Foot stomping? Used to do that myself but have graduated to counting on my fingers but I keep them under the table;o) I kinda don't like the ASO term. Anything ANYTHING that fits your needs is an anvil whether it's shaped like one or not. There's a fella in Taiwan that does blacksmithing on his porch and just has what looks like a swege block. But that's life. Can't win them all. Just not going to sweat the petty things. Got some other things to pet. Pet?
Robert Palmore sounds like you are talking about Glen from GS Tongs. He is an accomplished blacksmith who owns a number of "real" anvils. The ones he uses are his own design and he had them machined out of tool steel and hardened. They are the equivalent of a brand new, solid steel anvil but have more versatility.
I have seen a few people who have sourced huge chunks of tool steel for the scrap from injection molding companies. They use hardened steel dies that can weigh over 200 pounds each and they scrap them when they are no longer needed. Those are gems!
There is another way to get a cheap anvil, do like the SOB who has my grandpa's did steal it
Please don't talk about an anvil that "can't be beat". Who needs one of those?
Joe Kahno
Guess that would be the one from Harbour Freight, worthless because you can't beat on it ! 😊
Harbour Freight sells anvils???
Joe Kahno
I wouldn't really call them an anvil, more like a paperweight ! 😒
@@joekahno
HF sells bass boat anchors. They deceptively market them as anvils.
Sam S. sntiffs buttholes?
Bryan Morgan -I am pretty sure that the Sam S. that he is referring to is another smith that circulates around on the Internet and smith's forums. Makes some really nice tongs
I was just joking, I don't care what he wrote.