TPAAAT - Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique

Thomas Powers can find an anvil by sniffing the air, or so it is rumored. ---> The short version <--- TPAAAT is nothing more than asking everyone if they know where you can find a item. The ladies in church, the person that runs the cash register at the check out, the people at the gas station, the baggers at the grocery store, your family, your friends, the next person you happen across, that is to say ask EVERYONE if they know where you can find a item. It adds to help jog their memory if you give them a bit more information such as you need that item and will ACTUALLY USE the item. ------------------------ So, Saturday of last week I put th…

Show me your anvil True prices for anvils. Show me abused anvils True price for a vise Show me your vise IForgeIron Archives Go to the kitchen and get a cold drink and a sandwich. When you return, go to the bottom of the forum page and click on archive, click on the blacksmithing section, click on the blacksmithin' sub-section. Browse as needed. IForgeiron Search Engine Go to the top of the page and click on search. Enter the keywords you are interested in. The better the keywords the better the search results. The search engine looks for the words you enter, no matter where they appear. This sometimes leads to frustration until you figure out how to use this ver…

I have an opportunity to purchase a large possibly Peter Wright anvil however the owner said make an offer. I don't think he knows anything about anvils. I don't want to short him or lowball him. He inherited it from his late father. He doesn't do any blacksmithing and, from what i can tell, just wants it gone. What should I offer him. It is several states away so I don't want to spend a fortune on gas and a anvil. It looks to be in ok condition and weighs a lot. Does anyone have the weight on this anvil? Thanks! Also any thoughts on the cone mandrel? Is it worth me putting in an offer? Price? WFF

I am currently looking at blacksmithing and trying to figure if I could get into it. What I'm worried about is the anvil. Most are just too expensive for me. But I had an idea. Would it be feasible to use a steel I-beam as an anvil?

Heads up to folks living in NH or nearby. If you need/want a section railroad rail saw cut to a reasonable anvil size there is a steel yard in Concord that has them for sale by the pound. 0-15lbs $10 flat rate 16-50lbs $.85lb 51-200lbs $.80lb 201lbs+ $.75lb

Well, I tried the TPAAAT method and had results within 24 hours. Now comes the part where I try and figure out how much to offer and get some help from you folks on what kind of condition this animal is in. I will go back tomorrow with a ruler and a ball bearing and test the rebound, as well as lightly tapping all over the face horn and heel. I did tap the face once and it rang very strongly, sort of like a bell. It seemed very hard. I think it’s cast steel, It weighs around 150 pounds and the only mark I could find on it was sort of indistinct under the heel. I’ve included a photo. At the bottom of the anvil there is an oval shaped indentation and everything else seems l…

So, I am new to this forum and have been hunting around. I read a few posts about the TPAAAT but have yet to actually be able to find the details of how it's done. Am I just missing a thread or am I just confused? Or both? Thanks!

i am looking to buy a 50- 150 lbs anvil

I started blacksmithing this summer and I’ve loved it. I started out with a 15lb cast iron from harbor freight, which was right for to me to start out to see if I really wanted to do this. And a since then I’ve bought a a single propane burner forge and I am ready to really try this. Im looking to buy a legitimate anvil and I’m willing to spend up to $400 I’ve been looking at some websites like centaur forgeanf anvil brand, which sell decently priced 70lb anvils but they are farriers anvils. There’s also one amazon that weighs 66lb and costs $160 but it is a cast steel face and the rest of it is cast iron. I’d love to get one that’s 100lb but can’t seem to find any old on…

Hello, I'm fairly new to blacksmithing and I'm looking to buy a real anvil, though i live in Connecticut and haven't been able to find any within driving distance. I've searched online and found some promising looking anvils but I'm not sure which would be better. The first is a Bulgarian style anvil from oldworldanvils for $775 it's made of high carbon manganese steel and it's 110lbs. The second is a JHM AB Legend 120lbs for $655.40 from anvilbrand. it's made of ductile iron. The reason I'm so conflicted between them is that I don't know which material would be best i intend to make weapons like knives, swords, damascus, and I'm also thinking of trying out making some ar…

I have already started asking around everywhere and got some luck but i was wondering if anybody knew any other effective methods for finding anvils

Hi all, I’m not sure of link posting rules so please let me know if I need to change anything. I found this on a local antique dealer’s FB site and I would like to know any thought you all may have on this Anvil. I realize the photo is terrible. Hopefully I will be able to go and see it today and post more photos of it. For now, it appears to me that the edges are rolled and parts, if not all of the face is domed. Is there anything that can be done to correct some/all of these issues without ruining this Anvil? Thanks in advance for any help, Ben

hi fellow blacksmiths. I have desided its time to get me an anvil... just cant find one in cape town. any tips??

The anvil in the picture is coming up for auction about an hours away from me. I live in Texas. Anvil's here seem to be few and far between. The auction guy say he thinks it's about 150lbs. I know the price of anvils on-line is going through the roof. So, any suggestions on how much you all think this should go for, would be appreciated. Thank you, Mark G

Okay, I just need to vent my frustrations about this one: A guy posts on Craigslist about an anvil he is selling at The Elephant' Trunk, a huge flea market in New Milford, CT. It's a 300 pound Fisher with half the bick broken off. He says it will be with him on Sundays until it sells. He is asking $300. For two weekends in a row I am simply u able to get there due to family obligations. I went today only because he kept the ad up online. I get there and apparently narrowly missed it. He said it was a shame because he sold it to an interior designer from NYC who intends to use it as a decoration piece. He used to smith a little and said it had awesome rebou…

Hello im new to the forum im in the process of buying an Anvil i got a guy selling this Anvil 400 its a 150 lbs doesnt know the brand..is it worth it?

Two weeks ago I bought a collection of blacksmith tools. It came with two anvils. The first is a Hay Budden. The serial number dates it to 1910. It's probably between 150 to 175 pounds. The second is a peddinghaus. It's is stamped original PFP inside a box. This one is heavier. Probably closer to 200 pounds. I would love to keep both, but the reality check is to be financially responsible I should only need one. Which would you keep? Thanks in advance Mike

I found this online and would like some feedback before I send some money. Would this be a good starter anvil?

I have been searching for a beginning anvil in my area. It seems everything I find in my price range is in really bad condition. The anvils I am finding have a lot of chips off the edges and the middle is really swayed. They are looking for at least 600+. I am looking to spend under $400. I have found several Ferrier anvils that are between 70 and 112lbs for under 300 plus shipping. These are NC and Cavalry anvils. I am leaning to the 112lb Cavalry at $440 plus shipping. But if the boss (wife) does not approve the capital request probably looking at the NC anvil (70lb) at $268. If I am doing mostly small stuff, axes and knives would these be ok? I have the railroad …

I'm looking in to buying a NEW anvil. Around 200lbs. I'm tired of working with garbage(which is all I can find around here used). I checked the review thread with out much success. Any info on the following anvils will be greatly appreciated. Rigid Anvils from Grainger Emerson 200lb traditional, or TFS 200lb from Centaur forge AB Legend 200lb, or JHM Competitor 250lb from Anvil Brand Austrian style workhorse 224 or 180( don't think they have a pritchel hole) or A Bulgarian 205lb(read a "bad" review on this one) from old world anvils. I would like to keep it around 1500 or less. Looking for ring, good rebound, and durability. I am currently using a cast with steel face ab…

I found this listing on craiglist link removed per site guidelines and was wondering if i could get some help picking one. I am brand new to blacksmithing. I have done some research on brands size and weight. Should i do the hammer test and noise test? Should i get an anvil that is full cast iron or high quality scrap metal forged anvil.Has anyone here dealt with Peter Wrights, Fishers,Star,Paragon anvils. How will i know they're authentic? Do i look for stampings and numbers? I will be doing medium to heavy black smithing. I plan to make all kinds of different stuff from tools, artwork, knives ect ect.

Hi All I'm new to this site but from what I've seen I there is more info than I'll ever remember. I'm old. I've been watching craigs list but they are outrageous. I don't mind paying a fair price but I just don't know where to look. Anyone know where I can look in my area. I'm in western Mich. Thanks Terry

... And dropped of an anvil! :P THAAAP at work... He wouldn't take anything for it either. Just wants it to go to someone who will use it. A local police officer I took a class night school machining class with a few years back at the local tech school has been promising to drop by and give me the old anvil that came out of his fathers welding shop that they saved when his dad passed away years ago. Every time I see him his 1st words out of his mouth are. " I haven't forgotten you. Don't buy an anvil, I'll get the one I promised to you..." Anyways since I've been asked to demo at the Grange fair, I politely made reference that it would be nice to have a bigger an…

A distant neighbor came by the shop and asked if I was interested in buying an anvil he had in his garage for years. So, I bought it for $50. It has no markings other than the number 19 stamped on it. A quick guesstimate is that it is around 300 lbs. The face is 5 x 21 and overall it is 31 to the tip of the horn and is 13" tall. Does anyone have an idea as to the maker? Thanks for your input. John Gearhart Ironwerks

where can i get a cheap anvil in southwestern CT? i am a new smith and think i may want to invest in a stump or stake type anvil. i would like to know were i can get one of theese for cheap. if anyone would mind telling me it would be awesome.