VaughnT

Bottom swages in all shapes and sizes. Hammers. Or, you could draw them out and make a bunch of 1/4" round and square stock to make hooks from.

You can really silence an anvil by setting it down in a bead of silicone caulk. Doesn't matter if the stand is wood or metal, just that there is a silicone bead between the two. I didn't think it would work until I did it with my Wilkinsons anvil. It went from ringing like a church bell to almost as quiet as a Fisher anvil. Wood stump and no other "silencers" used. Is wood better than metal? Only if that's all you have to work with. Most folks are using reasonably light anvils and a heavier stump will make that light anvil work like a heavier anvil if the two are securely attached to one another. Wood rots, metal rusts. Wood is easier to work with and comes pressure-treated against bugs...... Lots of variables to consider. The key is making sure the stand and anvil are rigidly fastened together so that they act like one unit. Oh, and the silicone caulk to take the ring out of the thing!

Well, the looks can be deceiving because it's on its side. Could be a Trenton or Wright, or it could be some other brand. Looks like a good anvil, though. The heel is snapped off just behind the hardy hole, but you don't need a hardy or pritchel for 99% of smithing. Hardy-mounted tools can just as easily be secured in a vise. Is it worth $600? Depends on weight and availability. In the US, I'd expect a broken anvil with that price tag to weigh at least 300# and I really wouldn't want to pay that much for it. Having said that, though, if anvils are hard to come by in your locale, you might want to jump on the deal. The horn looks almost new and I'm not seeing any chips in the edges or sway in the face, so it will certainly be a good working anvil for any shop, newbie or pro.

Is L Brand based in GA? I'm just up the road in SC and always wondered where they were. How was their shipping costs?

Very nice! I'm thinking the shutters will shed rain a lot better because they are inside the frame. Otherwise the water coming down would get between the shutters and the frame, entering the building. The charm of the building is great and I can't wait to see it all together and you working at the forge....

Looks like you have a great room to work in! I love that forge and can't wait to see how you do the hood. With the window right there, I'd do a side-draft design and run the chimney out of window! Any reason why you chose to use the smaller anvil instead of the larger anvil? Any plans for a post vise? Tool/stock racks?

While the price is a bit on the "high" side, it's less that $3/lb if his weight is right, and that's a fair price for an anvil of that size and condition. It's not a great price that you'll be bragging to all your smithing buddies about, but it's certainly fair. A new anvil would set you back that and more, and that's not even counting the cost of shipping. The condition of the anvil is above fair. The sway in the face is minimal and I'm not seeing any chips or gouges. The edges look almost new and that horn hasn't seen much work. Overall, it would be a great anvil to have in the shop. A big anvil is hard to come across, and a big anvil that hasn't been abused is even harder to find! Do you need something that big to be a blacksmith? Certainly not. But they are wondrous things to have and I would never consider getting rid of mine. If you can talk him down a few bucks, great. If you can't, you're still getting a pretty good deal and will have all the anvil you could possibly need for any smithing task...... including forging large anchors.

Very nice! I really like the touch you did with the thumb screws and can't wait to see how you do the rest of the forge.

It's missing the spring and possibly the wedge or gib key. Both are easy to replace, though, and make for good beginner's projects. The beveling on the legs is just decorative. It makes the product look nice and reduces the materials cost to the maker so it's a win-win situation. The price isn't bad. I might try to haggle after explaining about the missing parts, too. I'd pay $60 for it and be happy, but I'd be happier to pay less!

Actually, no, it's not better than a rock. A chunk of granite from a gravestone maker would serve far better as an anvil, and actually have been used for countless years as anvils. Vikings used stone anvils and look what they were able to make! Using a piece of i-beam for an anvil is an exercise in futility. It's lackluster capabilities will only serve to frustrate you, and by the time you invest all that energy in trying to quiet it, you could have picked up a hundred-pound chunk of granite to use.

You need to do a tutorial on solo hammer making......

I'd love to have that in my shop!

Looks great! I'd build a stump out of pressure-treated lumber so you don't have to worry about rot.

To answer that simply, no. The plate is about 1/2" thick, at best, and has a soft underlayment that will allow flex (conveyor belt). That means the plate is free to move even though you have it mounted to a block of wood. What you want is a stout piece of metal that is directly under the blow of the hammer. A 12# sledge hammer buried in that same block of wood will far out-perform the plate. Why? Because it doesn't flex and give as you pound on it. In third-world countries, the smiths make great pieces using sledges for anvils. They might need vise-mounted tools for other aspects of the process (instead of hardy-mounted tooling) but that doesn't limit their creativity. The metal directly underneath your hammer's impact area is what matters. If your hammer hits the anvil at X, it makes no difference if you have 100# of steel six inches east of X. It's what's under X that makes the difference.

Metal can be moved in amazing ways, but it's best to keep the finished design close to what you started with. For example, while you could hammer it into a piece of 1/2" round stock, the time and energy burned on the project would far outweigh the cost of buying a length of new round stock. If the adjustment nut is rusted tight, try soaking it in vinegar for a few days.

The heavier the better. Lighter anvils will generally have a narrower face which can come in handy, but you can make a hardy block for those same applications. You can do everything you want on an anvil that weighs between 120 and 150 pounds. Lighter anvils are nice to move around and heavier anvils are nice because they don't move around. Of the three you mentioned, none are sub par. Buy with confidence.

Very nice work. I've been thinking about getting one of their economy forges, but keep putting it off. Excellent all around!

That is very impressive. Love the burned handle look.

And look into a Fisher anvil, if you can find one, as they are quieter than anvils made with a wrought iron base. Neighbors that close will not appreciate the ringing of an anvil for hours on end!

Well, if it's a Fisher, you should definitely buy it. Your children will grow strong and handsome, and your wife will smile constantly. That's what makes Fishers special! That one pit on the face gives me pause. It looks very deep and I wonder if there isn't a previously-repaired chip or cut being hidden by some weld. Fisher didn't pour the top plate in place so there shouldn't be a bubble or inclusion. Not saying that something couldn't have happened, but it's something to think about. All told, though, it's a great looking piece of Fisher history. If you get to spend any time around smiths forging on non-Fisher anvils, you'll quickly come to appreciate the lack of ring that a Fisher brings to the smithy! They are truly great anvils and you're lucky to have one in the stable.

And a tong stand, too? That would be a very very good deal. Figure up how much it would cost you to fabricate a stand and a rack, and include your hours of labor. If the AnH anvil is over 120#, you've got a very goo deal on your hands. Not to say that you couldn't do without the rack, but they are handy and can be recycled for other stuff once you're up and running. I'd jump on the deal.

Count me in!!! I have a Fisher-marked anvil that's at least 29" OAL, with a 5.25" wide face plate. Estimated weight is around 350#, though it could be lighter. Date reads as 1882! Can you imagine all the things she's seen???

Watching if FAR more important to learning than listening is. The key you need to consider, though, is your personal attention to detail. When I first apprenticed to a smith, I spent the first week or so just sitting on a stool and watching how the smith moved. I'd help out if he asked; taking a hacksaw to a length of rod is not smithing. When it came time to actually work at the forge, not only had I earned the smith's respect, but I had a very good idea of how my body was supposed to move. I had just spent hours watching him turn the crank on the blower (Is that a 1.2.3.4 count per revolution?!) and hit the iron. I had seen him move metal in all kinds of directions with very basic tooling. But, I was paying close attention! That makes a huge difference. Imagine hunting deer; you need to pay attention to the details to be successful! Watch utube videos without the sound on. Brian's videos are good with the sound, but no sound doesn't detract from the visual instruction you are receiving. The hammer falls, the metal moves. Pay attention and you'll pick it up quick.

The AnH, definitely, especially if it comes with that stand. Figure that making the stand will cost you $100 in time and materials, so that brings the price of the anvil down if you look at it like that. The other thing doesn't look worth it at all. Way to small/light for my tastes and the price is too high.

Never seen the like, but I don't it's a cast-iron lump. Looks like the horn is concentric which would be good for someone that's truing up a lot of rings. The waist is weird, though. Gotta be over 200# and that's a lot of work to go through for a sub-standard cast-iron-only anvil.