Dean1017

Howdy AK -been using one of Cliff's anvils for many years with zero complaints. Good to see you on here and look forward to hearing more about your progress - have fun!

Mr. Reynolds - Regarding Cliff Carrol anvils - I bought my last anvil - a Cliff Carroll 125 lb - at Cliff's, from Cliff, at his place there in Larkspur, Colorado. That's it in the photo. He took me around his shop and building in the back where he prepares his anvils after he gets them from the iron/steel works and before he ships them. Has a very interesting setup and process for hardening the face and I'm not smart enough to adequately describe it, but it's where the face (not the horn) gets hardened, they are cleaned up, painted and shipped all over the place - I even saw one of his anvils in Afghanistan! Anyway, if you get a chance to ever stop by his shop - Larkspur is north of Colorado Springs - you should, as he's about the nicest guy you'll ever meet and you'll learn quite a bit about how anvils are made these days. Most of all - enjoy that anvil.......Dean

Good on ya for using what you had on hand! You'll come across all sorts of other stuff you can use as time goes on - anvils, vices etc.... Good luck buddy and keep having fun!

FREE is my favorite 4 letter word! I only need one vise so this will be the only one I get....which in no way explains why I have 5 anvils....;)

Now on year #2 of heatin' & beatin' on this anvil.....still very happy with it!

Call Cliff on the phone - I picked up an anvil from him there in Larkspur...nice guy who showed me his entire facility, including all of his forges he was assembling at the time. Great customer support - my experience anyway. Try that old fashioned way of contacting someone - call them on the phone! Phone:303-681-2643Fax:303-681-2343

Once you get it you'll completely forget about any shipping charge.....some of the absolute best money I've ever spent was to get my 2 burner Chili Forge! And Bruno is dead on about the packing - they do a fantastic job and everything arrives in perfect condition.

Have my anvil on a stump...which is OK.....but now I have a good excuse to build a long planned stand for both my anvil and now this vise. I usually come across pretty good deals out in the middle of nowhere. Found a really nice 240lb anvil a few years back that was being used as a mailbox base - it had been painted about every year or so, so when I stripped the paint off, it was very lightly used under there and in excellent shape. Just saw it at the end of a drive on a gravel road in Linn County, Kansas and pulled in to see if they would sell it. Old guy asked if I was going to use it or sell it...I said 'use it' and he said I could have it for $50 if I'd help him set a new mailbox post. Couple of hours and $50 later and I had that anvil. Wound up buying some acreage over there to retire on and they are still friends of mine to this day!

Picked this up yesterday at a yard sale way out in the Flint Hills near Cottonwood Falls, Kansas......wanted $12...I offered $10.....took it home with me....;) Works fine, good square threads, I'll clean it up some.

125 lb Cliff Carrol from Larkspur, Colorado. Drove out and picked it up right there at Cliff's shop - one of the nicest guys I have ever met and dealt with. Big enough to handle what I do, which is not all that much but works great for me. A 125 is nice to travel with and easy enough to horse around at the demos I like to do. Also looks like the majority of us use an anvil in that range. My other anvil - the one in my photo - is my Grandpa's farm anvil, unknown make and about 147 lbs....pretty beat up but still more years left in her than I'll probably have on this earth.....;) And besides, it's Grandpa's...from the farm....and you just can't beat that! Dean

Have done a couple of demos where I just took the anvil, stump, couple of hammers and a set of tongs and beat out some softer, malleable metal into various 'stuff' for folks. That was OK - and definitely easy to haul my gear about, but there's nothing like having some fire to liven things up! To be a good neighbor among the other craft folks at such events I take my gas forge and get things good and red hot, pound away and give a good show. People want to see hot iron getting shaped with a hammer and it IS more fun that way.... ;) Coming from the Great Plains it took about 3 seconds of adjustment on my Chili Forge to have it really cranking out a good flame at over 10,000ft in the Colorado Rockies this past July. I make sure I do it safe and easy, don't get ahead of myself and make sure everyone's questions are answered....and so they all walk away with a smile and a little hammered iron souvenir to remember their first experience of seeing a forge, anvil & hammer in action. But most of all - they see me having FUN doing it! Dean

Just started seeing armadillos up this way over the past few years - which is a new thing for us this far north. Have spooked him/her a couple of times when I've gone out there late at night. Used to have a groundhog - 'Gus' - who had made himself a place under part of the slab...he moved on after a few years. Always a big 'ol blacksnake or two out there and I'm with several other guys on here - I don't mind them as they take care of any mice or other vermin.

My favorite anvil - my Grandpa's 140lb unknown make from the farm.....it's a little beat up, been definitely used for many a year - but still solid as a ....well, anvil! Dean

Got a Chili Forge some time back and really like it - for all the reason Bill said. Have absolutely no desire to build my own (if you do, that's great) and like the quick & reliable aspect of my forge and the truly kick-ass burners the Chili Habenero Forge has. Have my coal forge too for when I want to do that - but for pure convenience and the fact that I do this for fun and it's not a business for me my 2 burner gas forge works fine. Works for me - your mileage may vary. Dean

Neil - that's just a big piece of leather draped over the stump - and it's only on there because I liked how it looked! I get carried away with talking to everyone also - but that's just me and I really enjoy talking about this stuff. I have very little talent and don't make anything very complicated or artistic....but it sure is fun to bang out little stuff and the looks on their faces when you hand them something and tell them it's FREE just makes my day! I use junk I find or buy dirt cheap, my equipment is all paid for, I get more vacation days at this stage of the game than I can normally use.....and most of all it make me feel good......can't find a better reason than that....;) Spanky - I'll find a photo and send you....mostly take old junk that I get at farm auctions and cut, heat & pound the hell out if it...darn near anything is liable to come out of that. Nuts, bolts, washers, barbed wire or whatever....makes me use my imagination! I also buy boxes of spoons at garage sales (best yet was 200 for $2!), cut off the handles to make rings and pound out the spoon into leaves, curl over the neck and hang it on a piece of cord for them to wear. One thing I like to do it ask them if they want to take a few whacks on the item I'm making for them....'for luck'....and they always want to! I do 2 or 3 of these a year.......it's fun and I enjoy it. Dean