brianbrazealblacksmith

Okay, I broke down and took some pics of the anvi stand I had my brother, Ed, fab up for me. I forged the mounts. You can see the holes in the feet for anchoring into the cement when I'm in my shop. I take stakes when I'm on the road for driving into the ground. The anvil is also siliconed to the stand, and the mounts are welded to the stand, so the anvil does not move. All of our anvils and vice are mounted in this fashion. We still have tools bouncing off of our other stations because when we hit we are moving the whole 20'x20' slab of concrete. I'd rather that not happen, because I know we're loosing some of our power,but its alot better than bouncing off the concrete. The anvil and stand are no problem to move around. We do alot of traveling.

Hey Phil. I believe this is Phil. This is Brian. I met you the first time I stayed at Toms. I got an E-mail from Bob Patrick the other day saying the same thing. He also said that you'll be able to buy Tom Tongs 2 for 1 those days. I'd like to see that school continue. It's a shame, but Tom sure did one hell of a job in his life time!

Frosty, the reason I like the narrow base is because it backs the anvil so well. If you notice alot of power hammer anvils you'll see the same narrow angles. That is what I liked about the anvil on the cement pier. But just like a power hammer that is not tied to the Earth, an anvil will jump all over the place if not mounted to the Earth.

Very nice stand Frosty! It does not need anymore spread. Silicone is a good answer, but when you get a striker on that heel or horn you'll pop it right off the concrete. Your stand is almost identical to mine.

That is a very nice mount the way the stand backs the body of the anvil, but if its not tied to the earth its going to dance with me when I get on it. I've worked on many 500+ anvils and the mount is much more important than the weight.

The best fire pot in America that I have seen on the market today is made by Roger Lorrance, I tried to contact him directly, but was unsuccessful. Amy Pieh carries his firepot, and for the money, its the best deal out there. Your firepot is the heart of your operation.

Which ever stand you choose, if you can mount it to the earth so that if anything at all moves when you strike a piece of metal on your anvil it should be just your metal or the whole Earth or as close to that as you can get. You need to back your work. Just like a power hammer needs to be mounted to the Earth to get all you can get from that hammer, your anvil should be mounted in the same fashion. If you are going to use a stump, bury it into the ground at least 3 feet. I personally prefer a tri-pod stand because I travel alot demonstrating. I have feet on my stands that alow me to mount it down to the concrete or stake it down to the ground. If you ever get a chance to work on an anvil that does not move you will understand and know that anything less is sub-standard. Oh, by the way your anvil must be mounted to the stand so that it does not move.

We lost Tom Clark and Alfred Haberman this year, both of which held some of the best blacksmithing courses in the world. I was fortunate to spend quite some time with both of them. Tom used to hold week long classes with some really great smiths such as Uri Hofi, Bob Patrick, Bill Bastas, and Tsur Sedan. I also feel very fortunate to have spent time with these smiths except for Uri Hofi whom I've only met briefly. I hope to be able to work with Hofi before I'm done, and I would encourage anyone who is able to get these people to you or go see them while you can. Alfred Habermann taught 1and 2 week courses at Helfstien castle in the Chech Republic for 25 years from May- September almost non-stop. I am not sure if those courses will continue. I know there was talk of Carl Buress teaching the classes. If they continue, they are one of the best ways of learning blacksmithing. You spend most of the time making tool after tool with a striker and you having to strike for the other guy. Have you seen my hammers and top tools or Hofi's? That's where we learned to forge those tools

They are making tie rods, sway bars, steering linkages, and I'm not sure what else. I also get drops of 5160 because they also do some leaf spring work.

I have been getting 4140 drops from a suspension shop for the last few years. It comes in 5/8"-2" round in 1/8" increments in between. It is annealed, so it can be cut with a saw. Any suspension shop should have the same. I get mine for free because I made some hammers for the owners. They generate tons of scrap every week. Here are some of the tools I have made with it. These are all forged with a striker and hand hammer with the exception of the 3 Tom Clark hammers in my anvil stand.

I've used peanut oil for quite a while with no problems, but when I ran out and added the cheapest vegetable oil I saw in the store I started having hammers crack after only 10 hammers. I believe the oil broke down that quickly. I'm making one and one half to three pound hammers, and quenching them in 3 gallons of oil. That's what I take on the road.

if you want 4140 go to a place that makes suspension parts, they usually have between 3/4" to 2" round stock and 1/8" increments in between. they have drops ranging from 2" to 2' long. if they haven't been forged you can cut them with a saw. if the shop is a working shop they should have dumpster loads each week and you should be able to get it at scrap price or trade for it as i usually do. if you want 5160 go to a spring shop that is forging springs and do the same. If anyone knows where you can get 1045 in 1" to 3" round or square, let me know. or what shops are making things from 1045. brian

I read your blog and wanted to say thanks for complementing my anvil. Nice site. Brian Brazeal brazealbrothers@yahoo.com