Too Many ANVILS?
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- čas přidán 30. 09. 2023
- How many anvils do you really need or is that even the right question? Lets looks at buying and collecting anvils and why my thoughts on anvil hoarding have changed over the years.
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Below you will find useful links that will help you in your journey as a blacksmith.
To find more information in blacksmithing in the US or to search for your local ABANA affiliate group visit.
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Blacksmithing tools and supplies
Self contained air hammers - www.saymakhammers.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.oleoacresfarriersupply.com/
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General blacksmithing supplies - www.centaurforge.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsdepot.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsupply.com/
Square head bolts and lags - www.blacksmithbolt.com/
New anvils - www.oldworldanvils.com/
New anvils - www.nimbaanvils.com/
New anvils -
Industrial supplier - www.mcmaster.com
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Blacksmithing and related activities can be hazardous. These videos are not a substitute for competent professional instruction. Your safety is your sole responsibility. Always use appropriate safety equipment including eye and ear protection when working in the shop. Follow manufactures safety guidelines for the use of all equipment. In the event something shown in one of these videos seems unsafe, it is up to you to make the appropriate changes to protect yourself.t yourself.
I agree with the “I can’t find an anvil” statement. I’ve run into anvils all over the place that are for sale. The real problem is the price. The statement should be, “I can’t find an anvil I want to pay for”.
Agreed I saw an 120# anvil with a face that looked like someone took an angle grinder to it for $380, it was nutty lol
I remember, as he said in the video, when u could find anvils in garage sales for less the $100. But since forged in fire I've been seeing things like the other day there was a #150 hay buden for $2,000 and it was badly chipped. At this point its better to get a new anvil for around 5-7 buck per pound. I'm glad to see more people getting into blacksmithing but I hate seeing the prices of tools go up.
All I've got is the harbor fright cast iron piece of junk. I wish I could afford a decent 80-100lb anvil with a nice table, horn, and hardy hole for less than $450 but they just aren't anywhere to be found around me.
@Zombieslag the new harbor freight anvil by doyle is actually good. I got 1 to test out to see if it's worth it and after 6 months of use it's not bad. I hope 1 day they make a larger anvil.
@Zombieslag centar forge also offers a 10% discount on 1st time customers and the NC tool 80 lbs round horn is my main anvil and I love it.
I’m very blessed with one I was given. Long story short I was given a near perfect 145lb 1923 Arm & Hammer wrought iron anvil. I just happened to be the right person at the right location. I was actually out of state working at a fuel storage facility. If you really want an anvil, you’ll find one or it will find you.
Short:
I'm brazilian; started very small and on the road of improvement. Keep up the good work and don't lose faith. Also, thanks John for your videos!
Long:
Hi, I've seen a few comments like this on these videos about tools and workshop setups, specially the dirt forge ones, but i'll leave my contribuition.
I'm a young blacksmith from the Northeast of Brazil, and if it's hard to find materials, tools not to mention anvils on the southern parts of the country, here in the north it's nearly impossible. When you do find something, it's either of really bad material, or absurdly expensive. So I found a way, like we blacksmiths (and brazilians), always do. I started a few years ago with various improvised setups like the very dirt and blocks forge on the ground and any solid metal pieces I could get my hands on as "anvils"; then moved on to making my own little anvil out of a stump, very dense wood, and welded and reshaped mechanical parts such as truck springs and car axles. And now i'm working my way up to buying a bigger anvil when I can find and afford a good one. It's not easy, but you can either give up, or keep trying and improving and i'd rather do the latter.
Also thanks John for inspiring, educating and counseling all of us, your videos are great!
I inherited my great grandfathers big 180 kg (400 lb) anvil, from the early 1900s about 10 years ago. So I never had to look too far for an anvil.
I once had the pleasure of coming across an older German one.
The claimed weight was 180 but was closer to 200, the waist was heavily bellied, the face was heavily dinged, the horns were sagging and worst of all one of the feet had broken off.
But enough about my personal life, this videos about anvils.
there were a lot of anvils at Quad State this year. I fell in love with a HayBudden - that was exactly like my Haybudden at home. I didn't buy it - my brother did. Great video John. Thanks.
Were people buying?
Yes, quite a few sold...@@BlackBearForge
I can’t believe you dragged all those out! Fair amount of work moving those around.
Luckily I have a lifting point over the main anvil that I can use a chain hoist on
I'm only just getting started - less than a year at blacksmithing (as a hobby for now). I started looking for anvils at antique stores and found one that had at least a dozen very used but pricy anvils. I soon purchased a small Vevor anvil but I started out using an old rail tie base plate that I found near a railroad behind my restaurant.
I've made my anvil from mild steel plates welded and bolted together. Not ideal, true. but it works.
Leaf keychains, hooks and other learning projects are a lot of fun.
One day I aim on buying a real one, but for now - for practicing and learning - I'm having a ball...
I agree with the "need" remark. One's happiness is up to their own variables in their life's equation.
I bought one of the Vevor London pattern anvils to use with my portable set up. (I was tired of tote'n my 120lb around.) It is actually a very nice anvil. The corners on the hardy and pritchet hole are way to sharp and need smoothed over but it is new. I made a nice stand out of some 4X4's that has a handle and yesterday I forged a T-Handle box end wrench so I could tighten it down when I get there. I've been making hot cuts for different anvils using a piece of leaf spring cutting it so that it fits cross wise in the hardy hole and filing the edges so that they fit right up in the corner. They set very well on the anvil when using and can be rotated for different angles of attack. I really have gotten to like them better than ones have a square shank.
As a woodworker I don't have a lot of need for an anvil. However I do have a piece of railroad rail that works for any need I might have.🙂🙂
My first anvil was a cheap harbor freight 30 pound cast, it was too soft for serious work but got me rolling till i saved and earned enough money blacksmithing that i purchased a new Texas farrier supply 100# cast steel anvil. It was about 6.40 a pound at the time and no used anvils were anywhere near that low a price. It's been an amazing anvil the last three or four years doing an awesome amount of work. Pure wisdom John thanks for sharing with us! make's me want to do some more projects so i can afford to go anvil shopping again! 🍻
I got myself 3 anvils from January to May this year: a 100 kilo forged iron with no brand mark, a 75 kilo Söderfors Swedish cast steel anvil and a 125 kilo Kohlswa Swedish cast steel anvil. The Kohlswa was the last I aquired. It's also the biggest and the one in best condition.
Now I'm collecting second hand building materials to build my shop.
I've been forging for 12 years in my sparetime and decided that now was the time to set up my own shop.
My late father was a blacksmith and he left me a lot of tools, so I'm more or less ready to go. Now I'll change trade for a while between bricklayer and carpenter before returning to being a blacksmith 🙂
My lady bought me my first anvil, a london pattern 175lb one that I am very pleased with and use th most , I recently bought a double horn anvil for the square horn and the extra hardy hole at work height, then I was lucky enough to find a swage block at a really good price with fly press from the same guy which finishes up what I need, but like you I have many other bits and pieces of rail track (one of those is a small mine track) and even a bulldozer demolition hook that works like a knife anvil and has a huge horn on it that whole thing weighs about 550lbs.
I am not sure I am done but I certainly have enough to work with and maybe some useful stuff to pass on to an interested youngster should one pass my way.
Anvils everywhere in NC. That Swage block would be nice. I can’t seem to find one
what ive learned from anvil and post vie hunting, the first one is the hardest. after you get the first one they tend to come out of the woodwork. I have noticed the prices have gone up quite a bit for used anvils but i pick them up when i find a deal on them. it is nice that there are some nicer budget anvils on the market that you can use to get started with now. i may even have to pick up one of these doyle anvils next time im at harbor freight.
with a small shop, small budget and no way to go pick up an anvil the 66lb vevor is a god send,
Thanks for sharing all of those Anvils and websites with us John. You have alot going on around there and some great projects coming into winter. Always look forward to seeing you in the shops. Stay safe and keep up the good work and videos. Fred.
I've got quite a few little railroad track anvils around. It's what I started with and I just ended up finding more. When my neighbor came over because he was interested in Blacksmithing I gave him one and told him it's a place to start.
I also have a 66 pound vevor anvil and a 200 pound Texas farrier supply anvil. Wish I woulda just saved up for a Holland Anvil one, but oh well.
That being said, I'm constantly on the lookout for old anvils since they're so dang neat.
I've never done any blacksmithing but I did recently inherit a large anvil and a giant 6" vise. They were sitting in the back of an old truck on my uncle's place. I put them both in a vat of molasses which removed all the rust. Now they both look great. I completely disassembled the vise and got it all working. Anyhow, you just never know when stuff like this will come into your life. I must say though, you almost have to be a body builder to move these things around. I noticed a post vise in his pole barn also. Not sure if it's compatible with this anvil and it's really rusty, but I may see about getting it. It's old and probably from the 1800's. I don't know enough about this stuff too really know though.
Post vise yes got5 myself
Very interesting and informative video John. Thanks so much my friend.
In France, not even a year ago, I managed to get a good condition 120kg (264lbs) Firminy anvil for 1€/kg, which is about 0.48$/lb. Just keep looking for anvils and buy them as soon as they get listed on second hand sales websites. Eventually someone's gonna sell their grandpa's anvil for a bargain.
Very nice! Hunting for these anvils and other tools is half the fun of using them. Meet people, hear stories, and aquire tools (sometimes knowledge).
Well, I’m a 27 year Boilermaker getting ready to start doing some blacksmithing if you’d like to donate in anvil i’ll gladly take one. I’ve been watching your beginner blacksmithing. Are used to go over to a buddy of mine retired Boilermaker they did a lot of blacksmithing. Are used to make a lot of knives and sell them in the tool room like a raffle if the knife is folded 300 The knife cost $300. Or a dollar for a raffle ticket. And folding knives were more expensive of course. Lived out of Centralia Washington. I know I can build my own forge and I looked at the two burner. And I was thinking about getting a little bit bigger.Anvil Bigger than that one that you put in the small shop. But they get started until I can build a forge fort and find an animal for a decent price. Amen to that brother. The price that they want that look halfway decent. But you can reach me at. Or I’ll get a hold are you better yet?
I have a small 84 pound Peter Wright, that I bought about 10 years ago for 100 bucks. I will be happy to use it till the day that a random stranger drops off a pristine 250 pound Wright or Budden :) Great video!
Hey, I paid about a dollar a pound for my first anvil…it was a cast iron one from Harbor Freight, and I had a coupon.
When I upgraded, bought brand new Holland Anvil double horn that was about 8 dollars a pound. Saved a lot of money on that one because I was able to go get it myself and save the freight cost. Paid for that one partially with funds I’d raised from selling little items, similar to what the budget blacksmith series covers.
If I lived closer, I’d come help out those back.
Another excellent video sir
Thanks John, your humor is showing. I see a tool rack for bending forks on the wall. That looks interesting
Maybe the demand has dropped off some. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on anvils!
pulled trigger and bought used 100 kg (220 lbs) (I guess its cast) USSR era anvil with worn-out face for around 1 dollar per kilo including shipping. I have no ideas, what was done on that anvil, that caused metal of the face to move down and side a bit, creating kind of a lip. Previous owmer had ability and was kind enough to flatten surface on some heavy-duty mill for 12 $. Anvil still ringing loud and clear, only slightly changing tone on the middle, where was 'dish'. Metal 'lip' is still there, because I havent shaped it yet. Currently building a stand for it from some old oak beam. Don't be amazed by the prices, I converted them from local currency (UAH) to USD.
Only been at it a few years, and I have 3 already, 1st one I made welding a piece of grader blade on top of a railroad track my Dad gave me he had started shaping as an anvil, the grader blade twisted a bit when i welded it. 2nd one was my step dad's from way back in his family, a 100# William Forrester coach maker, has a bit of a swayback. And the 3rd I recently bought, a 189# Trenton that has a flat surface, but, the edges are severely chipped. Won't be done till I find one without damage and large enough I'll never move it again unless I change residency.
For your lighting issue, you can simply polish up or find a flat piece of metal and reflect the sunlight into the darker area.
I've heard those Fontanini's are very nice anvils. I wouldn't mind getting one for my shop one day and retiring my Great Grandpa's Lakeside. I look forward to the anvil repair videos.
Bought a yard sale anvil in 2004. 300# Fisher & Norris. Paid 50 bucks and still can't beleive it.
This is a great pep talk I think all of us need in the beginning, I for one am still in the hobby stage of blacksmithing and have been using a price of RR track I picked up for a little too much $ at an antique tool shop. It does the trick fine for now though and as I gain skill and confidence I am eyeing the Vevor and Harbor Freight anvil options as that is the next nearest step I could afford to take.
We all want a big beautiful old anvil in the pattern of our choosing, but beautiful work and skill building can happen on much less and it is good to refocus ourselves to that.
If we become good smiths making a bit of money with our craft we might be lucky enough to find bigger and better in our shop someday all in due time.
I think to many people get hung up on thinking they need a huge anvil. When people get into blacksmithing they never stop to think about what they want to make. I have a 150 lb Trenton that's perfect for what I make ( hinges , hardware for furnature and that kind of stuff) the only reason I have tongs over 3/4 of an inch is for the occasional knives I make ( like I've made 2 knives) but like any hobby, things are cheap. Golf clubs, table saws, boats etc, they all cost money to do
Loved this video, you’re 100% correct about finding an anvil, there are plenty around just not plenty going for cheap.
Best of luck on your repairs, I’ll try release a video of a cast iron repair soon in order to give some pointers on the Fisher.
Regards
Kyle
Thanks. I'll plan to mention your channel when I get to those projects.
@@BlackBearForge thanks so much.
In Australia, reasonable quality new anvils are available these days for around $10 - 11 a kilogram, that is a lot less than what people want for second hand anvils that are generally sway backed with chipped edges. Yet they still manage to sell those second hand anvils easily enough. People either dont know any better, or they are captivated by the romance of owning an old anvil, even if it really should be just a garden ornament .
I think there is certainly some romance and perhaps the hope that the anvil has absorbed some blacksmithing wisdom it can pass on.
I love my Holland anvil. Maybe someday I can get their big one lol
I'm going to put together a small shop next year if all goes right, going to hit the local antique store for some of it they had lots of anvils
Thanks for the video! If I may get a few words in:
Nimba anvils are great anvils. I've used two of their models and found them fantastic german patterns. They're made in washington state and fairly priced, not cheap. I don't know if they're sold on the supply websites, but Nimba has their own website.
I was at a conference looking at a trailer of anvils and the fellow had an almost 600 lb german pattern that had the square horn snapped off! But, ages ago, smiths had bored holes through it and used plates and rivets to reattach it. It was rock solid. Probably more work than you're looking to do, but it was a clever work-around.
I've used a railroad track and I really like them for starting out. They have lots of geometry to play with: narrow fullers, deep depressions, square and round edges, etc. I even have one that has a forged horn and heel! They cut the shape out with a torch and forged the track part into a horn and heel. Anyway, thanks for the anvil tour and thoughts. Have a good one!
I have the same problem with kilns. I now have 6!
I have this exact problem😂. I love this video . I get really nice anvils from the scrapyard and restore them.
Nothing wrong with it lol. I have 2 anvils, and 2 aso's. And im working on saving up for my next big one. Ones an unknown little forged guy(i think it may be a vulcan). Welded top. My main anvil right now is the 60kg acciao. Then i got the ole cast iron harbor freight aso, and a modified I-beam. Welded steel "posts" to keep it from bending. Its a decent striker. But what I'm lookong to get is (if im lucky and get it) th same model of fontanini you have,or the 450lb holland anvil. Maybe a rhino. Still looking around. 🍻
Both mine are scratch built. Heavy blocks and slugs welded together. New one has a top plate of 4140 (rest is mild), I tossed it into the carbo-nitriding furnace and left it over the weekend to get approximately 1/10 inch of case hardening, quenched it in oil and tempered. The face is perfect even after serious abuse forging stainless and tool steels. Big change from my mild one, which is toast after 3 years.
I acquired 6 ft of rail road track today. I plant to make 3 out of it
Gave a young smith a deal on my first, haybudden. I now own a worthless anvil for students and 91 kilo kholswa cast steel for my personal
I made due with a striking anvil I built and a horn that clamped in my vise when I got started, then got a tip on a 275# Peter Wright in an antique shop, which has been my main anvil ever since. I did buy a little 75# Skagit last year to use, sitting down!, with the induction forge I don't have yet; the Skagit found me, as did the track anvil my wife bought for $5 at a yard sale last week. Still waiting for a power hammer to find me!
I love it when a random anvil finds you, I recently had someone gift me 150lb ancient pre-1900 anvil that had some minor surface rust, but was otherwise absolutely perfect. It is now my main anvil, I upgraded from that 66lb Vevor anvil - but I had no complaints against the Vevor, it was a great price for the value.
Had to smile again John, it's not that they can't find something, it's they aren't looking the right way 😉 anything is available if ya really want it, ya just gotta stump up and talk to people of like minded ideas 💡 talk to old mates they not only know were to find things but sometimes have something that needs a working life and a good home 😊
I have a nice big anvil, much like your big anvil. But I also have numerous “anvil like objects”, big heavy chunks of thick steel. They get used for various functions like having particularly square edges or convenient holes that assist bending. All are better than pounding iron on a big rock!
Great video and info! I have two 100+ lb anvils for our metal / forge shop, both 'came to me' as I was starting out. Are they in the best shape, heck no, though one does have a flatter top while the other still needs to be grounded a bit more. Regardless, I have been grateful for opportunity to forge and am hoping the money made will allow a purchase of a (new or used) 200+ lb. Thanks for posting this vid, and look forward to your next one!
Excited for repairs on the hay budden. I have one in almost identical condition I’ve always wanted to clean up
Fingers crossed!
Great info, I found a 150 lb old unmarked (turned out to be a peter wright, maybe :)) for $2.50 a lb and it works great for me. You are right keep looking and you will find one.
A power hammer found me.. so you are correct John. The first one I built. I was meant to have my 1902 Trenton made by Charles Zulty
Very happy with the little 65lb HF Doyle as my starter anvil, purchased new for just over $100 with coupon; when I have a more permanent shop, I’ll get a bigger anvil and this will be a great secondary one, but for now it’s exactly what I need.
I got their smaller blue one (they were out of stock on the Doyle), and it works pretty well, too. That said, the horn is NOT a good shape, and the metal is already deforming from working on it. Especially the corners.
@@mordredthehero Yeah, cast iron is not a good anvil material, you’ll find the Doyle steel anvil is a huge upgrade. That said, good that you got started, keep smithing and keep improving both your skills and tools 😁
@@bjh4970 Yeah, I've noticed! Lol. Once I've got the other tools I have in mind to get, I'll upgrade to the Doyle.
It really is a collection at some point. Unless you’re quite ambidextrous, you can only work on one anvil at a time. I can think of very few times (in a one person shop) having a second anvil makes sense. If you set up your shop well, and think about your process, there should be no need to have an anvil in a second location for the purpose of not having to run back and forth.
That being said, I have 2 in my small shop. My main anvil which I use all the time, and another which is really only used for the odd center punch or to check for flatness. Both processes could be equally as well served by a flat, sturdy work table. It’s really a waste of space.
Let’s be honest here, blacksmithing is a hobby for the vast majority of folks. Which is great! If you want to collect anvils more power to you. But realize if you’re just starting out, or don’t have a specific need for 2, there’s really no need for multiples.
In a business, one must account for every dollar spent. Aside from resale value, what’s the return on investment in 10 anvils sitting in the corner collecting dust? Spend that money on tools you don’t already have that will make your work more efficient.
Another great video Thanks
I almost bought a cabin that was “furnished” the table top was a live edge in horrible condition but it was posted up on 2 stumps and 2 200-250lbs anvils. Idk how the floor held them
That is an amazing collection of anvils
Some sellers are deluding themselves with the extortionate prices they are asking for ruined old iron. But a usable new or used anvil in the 150lb range starts around $1000 and they only go up from there.
Looking forward to watching anvil repair video s.
rstr.
It’s amazing how contentious this issue can be. Thanks for providing your usual balanced view John. I’m wondering if you would also turn your view to that other old chestnut: forged anvils being better than cast anvils? I had a customer come into my shop the other day and berate me for having new, cast anvils for sale-his view was they were expensive crap and I was ripping people off. I asked whether he did much forging, it seems this was not the case… it also seems that watching CZcams is a substitute for hard work and experience and indeed an informed or valid opinion. Love to hear your thoughts mate….
For what little smithing I do, I use the anvil flat on one of my bench vises or, when offsite, I have a piece of 200mm square bar that does the job.
Very much agree with the "I can't find an anvil" statement. It usually means "I can't afford an anvil" which is where what Trenton, over at Purgatory Ironworks, calls anvil shaped objects come in. As long as it's flat and heavy, you can do good work on it with practice. Scrap steel is a hell of a lot cheaper than used or even new anvil prices.
There's something oddly peaceful about listening to your videos on my way to a blacksmithing event I'm setting up at first thing in the morning.
Yesterday at this same event, I had many aspiring smiths asking me how to get started, I told them, "you don't necessarily need a modern anvil and a modern forge to get started. 17 years ago, my first set up was a hole in the ground with a pipe hooked up to a shop vac, and a heavy dumbbell for an anvil. The Vikings made everything they forged, all their masterful works, with a very similar set up.. if the broke 14 year old kid I was could get started with scrap materials and ingenuity, so can you. Don't limit yourself to waiting for the "right" tools to come along to start hammering hot steel." I also made sure to tell them "use technology to your advantage, had CZcams been a viable option for me when I started out, I wouldn't have wasted so much time, effort, and resources learning through trial and error. The absolute best thing you can do right now is start watching black bear forge on CZcams."
Thank you for the content you create, I always watch your videos, regardless of whether or not I already know the ins and outs of what you're demonstrating or discussing. In my eyes, and I'm sure in the eyes of many other smiths both new and experienced, you have already achieved the status of a legendary smith.
I have a very similar feeling. I love watching his videos while having my morning coffee.
A couple of years ago used anvils were crazy expensive for what you got. I happened to be in NC so went by Blacksmith Depot and bought a Perun “artisan anvil”. It was expensive but it will last me the rest of my life. They don’t carry it anymore. Blacksmith Supply has a “stump anvil” for $85. It is a 4” X 4” X 4” hunk of metal with a spike on it. I wonder how it would compare to a “cheap anvil”.
How many anvils does one need? There is a simple mathematical formula for that: n = n+1 where n is the number of anvils you need.
Picked up the new 60lb anvil from harbor freight the other day. Very affordable, not sure of the functionality of it yet.
I look forward to your series on repairing the anvil. I have heard that there are certain precautions that must be taken and I would like to know what they are before trying to restore one.
Its notsomething I have a lot of experience with. I'll be using information from @anvilrepairs and @essentialcraftsman
When I was looking for a good anvil 6 yrs ago, prices were crazy and new anvils were too expensive for my budget. I made one,then anvils started finding me now I have 3 in a tiny shop which is one too many. Now I have my old Trenton from 1914, that I started out looking for yrs ago
I know where there are HUNDREDS of free anvils...at the bottom of Lake Michigan! 🤣 Thanks to youtubers, the spike in anvils and other items...tablesaws, tools, cars... is there a good tip/site on drop forged, cast steel, cast iron preferred anvil to get?
I just got an old 120 lb ACME anvil for $2.90 a lb, and it’s in great condition.
Road runners beware.
That Fisher anvil with a missing tail now looks a lot like a Roman anvil I once saw in a Roman fresco.
I started smithing in autumn, 2014 - after very quickly realizing that the little street car rail anvil in my dad's garage was a waste of effort (yeah railroad track would've been an upgrade), I bought an 85# Peter Wright for $350 - a little over $4/#. I proceeded to gripe and moan about never being able to find an anvil for equal or under that mark all the way until this past June when I found an Olde English William Foster 133# for $400 ($3/# for a beautiful piece of history - date stamped 1835). Then just a couple weeks ago, a friend of mine who lives nearby sold me a 210# Olde English unidentified anvil that be bought from Quad States last year which was originally a 218# anvil but, exactly like the Fisher you have...tail was busted off. This friend is a metallurgist at an industrial blacksmith shop (the kind that forges 30,000# billets for aerospace, defense etc) and he's got a couple giant Bradley Strap power hammers at 300 and 500# rating and he forged a square tapered horn to mimic an olde English double horn anvil, welded it on there, and sold it to me for $600. So yeah...took me almost a decade of persistent hunting to find a good deal on an anvil...now I have 3 (plus the street car rail anvil), and I have no desire to hunt for anvils anymore. Patience is a virtue folks.
I'll be right over with my pickup to help you put some of those anvils away. :)
You have an impressive collection of anvils my friend. It is sad that the prices of the old ones have gone insane, and as you stated, they are not always in the best of shape. Have you done any video's in the past on dressing some of the old ones up?
Here in Australia people are hallucinating with the prices they're asking for antique anvils. I've been known ask sellers if the anvil is made of gold or iron.
A couple of points:
Watch this Aussie Guy make an anvil out of a rail track: czcams.com/video/SEQXy15SzEc/video.htmlfeature=shared
If you want an easy way to get a bit more light on your face in the other shop, try a couple of large white boards in front of the camera. Low down with whatever angle you need to bounce the light back up to the height of your face. Foam Core boards from the hobby or craft stores work well, but you can use cardboard painted white or I've even used an old movie projector screen to bounce light where I need it. It's quite convenient...no cord to trip over, doesn't get hot, easy to pack up and store and the light it provides is soft light so no extra shadows on the subject.
Most good vises have a small anvil built into the vise and I quite often use it for things like center-punching instead of walking across the shop to the big anvil.
I just started to buy myself tools i need to start blacksmithing. I've bought myself a 10kg anvil to start first and im going with a mix of th every low budget and the 500$ video. Here in germany it just looks like anvils are nothing anyone really uses or more no one does any kind of smithing
Much harder to find anvils and anvil like objects in Europe for reasonable prices
I don't know if it's tradition, access to steel, social differences, industrial history or a combination, but they're few and expensive
Anyway, I just ordered the vevor one on black friday discount because people claim it's reasonable. I've dreamed of owning an anvil since being a little farm boy watching the farrier sizing horse shoes. It's not much, but a near forgotten dream is one courier away from coming true
lol,, the anvil actually found me (free)..Soderfors 101 lb. and in good shape. I have the money to buy what ever, just too frugal (cheap) too..lol By the way, I would help you put those anviles back, but you are too far away.. :)
I got a Cliff Carroll at Centaur Forge 30% off this last spring. The scary part is I went to pick it up and could have got lost in their store but the checkbook didn't have the funds.
I wish I had a nice anvil(or an anvil for that matter) and a shop. I live in an apartment in a town, so my anvil could be at the depot train tracks or a large stone. I do cold forging on thin softer metals 🤷♂️
I just watched your video on Chevron twists, have you ever done a Chevron twist with two types of steel? Similar to a damascus? It seems like it would be a really bold initial pattern and I think it would look incredible.
I was taught from a young age the only time you look in to your neighbors bowl is to make sure they have enough to eat.
Envy is an ugly thing.
If you have a good second hand metal yard nearby, you will find all kinds of steel suitable for an anvil. Look at those guys in Asia pounding on a big round piece of steel and making all kinds of stuff. If you want to be stylish, go ahead. The guy with the cheap anvil will be busy smithing and you will be working out a bunch of dough for some other device you think you need. Rome wasn't built in a day.
The mid west and especially the more urban and suburban areas really don’t have many anvil around. When they do come around people want $8 a lb for them.
I was very fortunate to get my first anvil, a 151lb mouse hole, for $300 about a decade ago and everything now is at least double that.
Don’t forget Refflinghaus I bought my #57 330lb in 2019 for 2600.00
I'm really interested in some videos on replacing the tail on that little fisher. I have a ~100lb trenton that someone broke the tail off of and I would like to fix it at some point.
I will certainly plan on documenting my process. Which may or may not work out.
You said that your hatdy tools were to big or to small I had that problem. I made an adapter to solve the problem
Hello John
I really appreciate your videos. Could you possibly tell me the difference between a hot cut chisel and a cold chisel. I just starting to put together a shop in my garage. I’m turning 60 in a week and want to start doing things I enjoy
A hot cut is usually ground to a sharer angle for easier cutting. A cold chisel is left heavier to provide more support to the tool in cold material
Oh dang. Now i want more anvils.
Sorry about that 😜
i was super frustrated and just got a vevor london pattern 66lbs for $130 shipped. i love it. i just dont have power tools to dress the edges. i tried a file and knocked the corners down a bit but dont know how far to take it
At least round enough that they aren't sharp any more. But some areas with very rounded edges can come in handy
I gained one last year. The widow of a friend gave me his. She'd run her car into it. I sold two, and now I only have three. (You know how it is....)
I had to look for 2 years to find a decent anvil I could afford. During that time I continuously ran in to 2 gentlemen who had 400+ and 350+ anvils in their collections. Neither worked metal. 😢
Soon as my wife's apartment in the basement is done and she starts her chemotherapy I'm going to start my first forge. I've been collecting railroad spikes for the past few months and I've got roughly a hundred so my question is, how big of an anvil do I need? I've got a 3 foot section of rail but I don't think it's heavy enough
SWEET ! cause I don't have one yet... 😀
I need the same ACME catalog that Wile E. Coyote sourced his anvils out of.