anvil

[buckwilk]

Thinking about pounding some iron, then checked the cost of new anvils! Holy Cow! Been looking used, non-existent. Ideas? Railroad rail won't work, need the pritchell hole and the point

 

[pichou]

They show up at farm auctions. So do small forges, tongs, and more hammers than you can shake a handle at.

If you see one in a antique store that has never been used, is painted black, and costs $50, it is cast iron made in China.

You are more likely to get your money's worth if you use the $50 bill to light cigars with.

 

[longrifle78]

Dont wast your money on a cheap cast iron anvil,save up and get a good one.You can get one off ebay cheaper than the auctions iv been to,and ups will ship up to 150 lb . the last one i seen at auction was a 135 lb peter wright that was rough as a cobb, it sold for 375.00.just look around theres lots of good ones stil out there.

 

[ameling]

Also check with the local Blacksmithing groups in your area. There are usually several members in any group who have extra anvils for sale/trade. And sometimes they will even give a new person a break on price - to help get them started.

The big national group to start with is ABANA - Artist Blacksmith Association of North America.
UMBA - Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association
BAM - Blacksmith Association of Missouri
AFC - Alabama Forge Council
GOM - Guilde of Metalsmiths

All of these have web sites, and have lists of their chapters, plus sources for tools/supplies.

And then check out Centaur Forge over in Burlington Wisconsin. They are one of the largest horse shoeing supply companies in the US. But also one of the larger blacksmithing suppliers. And BOOKS! and VIDEO's!!!! www.centaurforge.com is their web site if I remember correctly. And they will send you a free catalog if you ask. Truely a "candy store" for blacksmiths ... oh, yeah, and farriers also.

There are some pretty good new anvils coming out of the old Czech republic. I can't remember the specifics, but they should be listed on the Rescources lists of any of the organizations listed above.

A "substitute" for a hardy hole is your vise. Just clamp your hardy tool in your vise. It's not quite so convenient, but it works. I sometimes do it to have two different hardy tools available without having to swap them out all the time.

Anvil substitute? A section from a BIG I beam works wonders. They have a lot of the mass you would like, and a big flat face. A little creative cutting torch work and grinding can get you a horn on one end. Plus drill a hole and do a little filing and you have a hardy hole.

One guy I know cuts sections from the tines/forks of an old forklift to use as anvils for the blacksmithing classes he holds. And his students then have a working "anvil" to take home. He cuts them to length, torch cuts one end to a point, grinds it rounded to form the horn, then welds on some metal "tabs" to use to bolt/spike it to a base. A fairly quick simple working anvil.

I have cut up several large "tool bars" from farm plows and cultivators to form into square and T shaped "stump" anvils. I just work around not having a hardy hole.

And then there is that large pie-wedge shaped granite rock I use for some Viking era blacksmithing. As long as you only work your iron when it is hot enough to glow red, the rock face holds up to the hammering - even along the edges. If you don't see any color in your metal, then you do start to "peck" away at the rock with each hammer blow.

An anvil is just a large flat surface to work metal on. I know people who have even used a green oak stump for an anvil. Yes it does burn/char, but you can do a lot of work on it. And a replacement is nearby.

Hope this helps. Do keep checking the farm sales in your area. And you might also want to put an add in the local "shopper" type paper. You never know where an old anvil might show up. But antique/junque shops tend to be high priced.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

Buck,

For light blacksmithing work and something to learn on, you can pick up a smaller new farriers anvil like a 70# Cliff Carol model fairly reasonably. In fact, a heck of a lot cheaper than most of the used models on Ebay. You may stumble onto an old Peter Wright cheaply, but they are few and far between for reasonable $$ these days. The farrier's anvils are not a perfect option. I find their horns to be frustratingly duck shaped and fat. You could probably work them down a bit with judicious use of an angle grinder and a hose to keep it cool, but that will be a lot of work.

Sean

 

[mazo kid]

I found a farrier's anvil in the want ads a few years ago for $30; then foolishly sold it to a friend. The large anvil (150#) I bought several years ago at an auction for $90. Most at that time were selling for $1 per pound, don't know what they are bringing now.

 

[Tman]

Look for a book called "The $50 Knife Shop" lots of great low buck ideas on getting started out for next to nothing.

 

[Harold1950]

You could check Harbor Freight, they have one, weighs 55 lbs. I've got one of them and it is good for light/medium work. It goes on sale for around $29.00 every once in a while......

 

[pichou]

You could check Harbor Freight, they have one, weighs 55 lbs. I've got one of them and it is good for light/medium work. It goes on sale for around $29.00 every once in a while......

:shocked2: :shocked2: :shocked2:

You mean this one:
55 LB. ANVIL
55 lbs. of top grade cast iron to give you the support and working surface needed for heavy duty jobs.
Work surface: 9-3/16'' x 3-9/16''
Length: 15''
Height: 7-1/2''
ITEM 806-9VGA
$50.99

If you see one ... painted black, and costs $50, it is cast iron made in China.

You are more likely to get your money's worth if you use the $50 bill to light cigars with.

:v

 

[T.C.Albert]

if you get an old one, you can then "blow it up"
on the holidays...seriously, they still do it at the "museum of apalachia" in Norris Tenn..

What a strange way to celebrate...and Im only kidding about trying to do it your self...

Really though, use what ever you can get, especially a chunk of rail nailed to a stump of elm. The rail can be torched to a horn, under cut and drilled for your hardie hole, as can a piece of stout "I" beam...anything to get you going till you get the one you really want.
T.C.Albert

 

[pichou]

Buddy of mine has a RR anvil mounted upside down in a sturdy frame. BIG flat surface for blades, and the thickness from the rail part gives it a nice bounce. It is about two and a half feet long.

 

[Flint311]

May have been mentioned, but estate auctions. Here's a local one for me: http://artsmithauctions.com/auctiondetails.cfm?id=102
Has an anvil listed down a little ways (7th under Collectables and Farm...). I check this one for rifles and such, many times muzzle loaders.

 

[Allan Gray]

I'll second the chunck of I-beam idea. If there are iron works (or you know an ironworker), check with them.
I've grabbed pieces of scrap from job sites that are every bit the bulk of an anvil. Sometimes scrap metal yards will yield something worthwhile too.