philip in china

The other route is a new one- then you know exactly what you are getting.

Is this a joke?

www.anvils.co.uk As many as you want.

With modern casting techniques I think the forged v cast thing is less relevant than it used to be. The new US made rhino anvils, for example, are made using best quality steel in modern foundries. I wonder how much difference being forged would actually make. It seems to make no difference in hammers.

One thing that is a useful marketing tool is to get a distinctive touchmark and use it on everything. Mine is as per my avatar. I got it from Blackbird tools- they aren't expensive. If it gets you 1 referral it has paid for itself.

Hardie plate will work fine. I have a set of blackbird tools stakes. I have a plate on a stand and it works just fine. I really must publish some photos some time.

Beth, that is so correct. Some workmen don't clean up after themselves. Those who do get the repeat business.

You can do effectively anything you are ever likely to want to do on a 242# anvil! If you look at the anvils of professional smiths of 100 years ago a 242 would have been looked on as big! Railway shops and shipbuilders used to have huge anvils but these were very rare. In my 1908 catalogue they list only up to 84# and those were for guys who would be using them for a living- not hobbyists. It will be interesting to see what price the US made Rhino baby anvils will come in at.

$5 per pound for a brand new modern anvil, with a warranty, has got to be good value.

I have been reading Stewart Marshall's book "Building Small Cupola Furnaces" and hope to try one out fairly soon. I am sure it can't be as easy as it seems!

I think anybody who asks the question "Can I cast a steel anvil at home?" answers the question "Do I have sufficient experience of dealing with heating and handling steel?" rather well.

With modern casting techniques realistically the only way you are going to be able to make anvils will be as a drop at the end of a melt for another purpose- unless you are willing to take a huge weight of anvils! To take a full melt from a modern caster would be so big and, therefore, expensive that it would be impossible. It would take a few lifetimes to sell that many anvils.

The heat treatment is every bit as important as the correct alloy of course.

There should be a pricelist on www.incandescent-iron.com That should have the prices for the new US made Rhino anvils. I suppose they are bound to be a little more expensive than the others. Would also have prices for swage blocks, touchmarks and all the other products that he makes.

Yes, I actually had 3 but gave away the middle sized one as I just didn't have space for 5 anvils and that one duplicated sizes I already had. I like them a lot and use them a lot. My beginners seem particularly to like the wide face.


There is a thread about "Anvil steel" to which I have posted the alloy that is used in the US made rhino anvils. Apparently it was designed for some part of a rock crusher machine- wear plates or something of the sort. So needless to say it is very hard but also tough.


Can't see me getting any more Rhinos as I have 3 anvils in my shop even now but they certainly seem to be good value!

The new US made Rhinos are Brinell 500. The composition is:
C 2.8%
Si 0.3%
Mn 0.2%
Ni 3.0%
Cr 1.5%
S 0.12%
P 0.15%
Mo 0.5%

At guaranteed Brinell 500 how much harder do you want to go? There is also a high level of toughness with this alloy.

I know now Rhino anvils are made in USA they are hardened to HRC52. They are cast out of a grade of steel that is used for rock crusher blades! That is why they get so hard. I think it is a custom mix but will find out if I can.

How much paying work do you get? If you can fill your time making stuff for customers then making a power hammer might be an expensive luxury! It is almost certainly better business to buy one new. Of course if you have the time to make one do so but if you have that much spare time do you have enough work to turn pro?

How much are you wiling to apy? There are several companies selling new anvils. You need only to order one and it will be delivered to your door.

www.anvils.co.uk
www.incandescent-iron.com
are two that spring to mind but there are many others.

Did you get one? BTW how much are you willing to pay. Plenty of companies making anvils and any of them would be delighted to deliver.

Don't get too hung up on getting an anvil. As said a piece of rail on end is fine. Provided it is bigger than the face of your hammer then you are OK. Simplest stand is just cast it in an old 25 litre paint can full of concrete. When I made bases like that I happened to have quite a lot of broken castings so I put those into the cement mix which made it even heavier. The beauty then is you can just roll it on edge to get it out of the way when you finish.

I have just done something similar with a holder for my bluebird tools anvil stakes. It is amazing just how much you can get done even on one of those. If ever I get chance I suppose I ought to learn how to post photos then I could show you!

wwww.anvils.co.uk is Vaughans. They have new 560 pounders eitherb single or double bick.Ask for a discount. I think there might be a few 330 pound Rhinos around www.incandescent-iron.com I think is the link- or google it.

I remember reading that the traditional cast iron Chinese anvils were more like cast steel than cast iron.

There are, from my experience, 4 types of anvils made in China.

The cast iron ones such as the G****ly sold in USA. So much has been said about these that there is no need to add to the comments.

The loaf of bread shaped anvils. These are fabricated as a box using angle iron and plate and whatever else comes to hand. The face is deliberately domed. They are then filled with steel from a melt. They actually behave surprisingly well and a lot of good work is turned out on them. There is a photo of one of these on another blacksmiting site.

Chinese anvils made for the Chinese market. These are steel and look pretty much like a western anvil. They are OK. Not a Soderfors but entirely adequate for most purposes. They tend to be smallish upto about 50Kg.

Anvils made in China but for export to the west. These are cast out of high specification alloys to western standards. There are at least 2 manufacturers who make their anvils in China and sell them in the west. Many people buy them without realising that they are not Western products.

So you really can't generalise.

Never see any for sale here.

Strange to say I have got exactly the same piece and want to do exactly that with it! I want to make a sledgehammer head from a piece of the rail. I cut off the web and base from a few pieces. Those have gone to make very good hardies. I certainly propose to try with my piece probably next time I get the forge lit. It has been quite a while since I have forged anything and I am itching to get started again.

As ordinary sledgehammers are common here and very good I need to make something a bit odd ball. Not sure yet just what but it will come to me as I work. Maybe a maul rather than a sledge????

Anybody in Western China- specifically the Chengdu area of Sichuan interested?? If so please get in touch.

Same position here. I have a lovely piece of the bull nose from 6" of railway line that would make such a lovely sledgehammer but I need a striker.

A colour coordinated anvil! Grey would be no good for mine. It would clash with my apron.

I wanted to get a 250Kg Brooks for my wife. The plan failed as they wouldn't do the exchange.