Thoughts on harbor freight anvils

[junker]

im trying to get the cheapest anvil i can get, something that is still fairly workable though... i've heard alot of bad buzz about the harbor freight 55 ibs and the 100 ibs anvils. anybody know anything about them or ways to make them better if they truly suck as much as i've heard. Because they just seem like too good of a deal to pass up

[Jody]

if your lookin for cheap , try making one out of a piece of railroad, i found some in the garden believe it or not. and it served me well till i got a 150 pounder.
or check out the metal recyclers in your area they are likely to have some big pieces of iron that would serve you...

[junker]

i have a piece of 3/4in I-beam i've been using... but as i am a little younger than most i tend to get a little over- eager with the hammering and bend the beam on the sides and such... i was just looking for an anvil that can stand up to a good pounding. I wonder if welding another 1/2 to 1in plate on top would help or just make it so un-balanced it would try to fall over

[Frosty]

Find a piece of RR rail, it'll take all the hammering you can dish out.

Frosty

[junker]

anything i should do to dress it up? i tend to just make fire pokers and hinges (usually cold because i just got my forge finished) but i do want to eventually try a sword or 2 now that i have my forge. i tried to make one cold out of a piece of 3/4in trailer steel once, it looked horrible and after i was done i could bend it around itself into a loop :P

[j.w.s.]

Go for some RR iron or a large drop that can be obtained rather affordably, save you're money for something descent. With HF, you'll come to know that there's things worth buying and things best left on the shelf. Grinders, tools, punches I'll stand behind, ASMO's (Anvil Shaped Metal Objects), it's like playing Russian Roulette.. Remember, just because something is in the right price range doesn't mean you wouldn't have been happier with something 150% more expensive. After all, as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for".

-J

[Finnr]

The 110 pound HF anvil is no longer being imported and sold. I had one and after I reshaped the horn was quite happy with it. Yes it's a bit soft but if you keep hotmetal between the hammer and anvil it isn't a problem. I passed that anvil on to a student who is thrilled with it. On the other hand the 55 pound HF anvil is cast iron and not even a good boat anchor. RR rail is a far better choice.
Finnr

[Quenchcrack]

HF is not the only place that sells Cast Iron ASO's. I believe Northern Tool and others sell "Heavy Duty Cast Iron Anvils". Right. Just remember, give the anvil a tap with a small hammer before you buy it. If it rings it is either steel or cast DUCTILE iron (which, works well for an anvil if it is heat treated). If it goes "Thok", it is cast iron and no good for an anvil. Makes a good glue weight, though.

[matt87]

Not all good anvils look like they should be dropped on a roadrunner, and not everything that looks like it should be dropped on a roadrunner makes for a good anvil. For millenia the standard general-purpose smithing anvil was a maximum 20-lb cube of soft iron. Additional tools (horn, hardy, fuller etc.) can be forged on the anvil and then mounted seperately -- on a stump, on a laminated wood stand, in a vice...

Look for a large piece of steel scrap with a flattish area on it. Even mild steel will be better than cast iron and it'll probably be very cheap. Try scrap yards, large engineering shops, industrial areas etc.

[Glenn]

LB0005 Blacksmithing Anvils

[junker]

thanks for the feedback guys... am i complete and total beginner at this, so ANY advice is helpfull

[Jerry W.]

junker,
I have been at this for going on three years now. I have been using the HF 110# anvil. It was very affordable and gives me something that I can use while I look for a more permanent anvil. Now I do not have to be in a hurry and can shop for a good deal.
Good Luck
Jerry

[781]

The test I use to see if it is a good anvil is to drop a ball bearing.
It sholuld rebound to at least 70% of the height it was dropped from

[jjinatx]

I've had the HF 110# anvil for a few years and it works fine. Needs a LOT of dressing on the horn. Our club made a couple of group buys of these and several club members use them and like them. Most have kept them even after upgrading to their dream anvil as a secondary or traveling anvil.

I found a pretty good review article about the anvil and also about dressing it,but can't find the link to it. Probably on my other computer. If I find it, I'll update the post.

-jj

[unkle spike]

I used a 110# HF and still have it as my travel anvil, other than the duckbilled horn, it was surprisingly durable. Better have something to use while you look for a bigger or better one, than not to have any at all. I understand they don't make these anymore, may be the odd one out there somewhere.

[billp]

Just to add my two cents worth as I have been looking to get my first anvil as well. I would tend to save up a bit more money and go for the better anvils all the others have talked of. As for Harbor Freight Tools it's been my experience that even though you might get a good one every now and then I look at all there tools as throw away tools. Something you get till you can afford a better one as they have never held up for me no matter what I have gotten. But I still buy things from them from time to time so there not bad just badly made.
As for the anvils I have seen them in the past and even then not know what I do now I realized they would not hold up for long. Right now I use a railroad rail about 6" long and it does a so, so job as the slight curve does give me a little trouble. But it will do till I get my first anvil which I hope will only be a matter of a week or two. I have the RR Rail mounted to a plate used to hold the rail to the cross tie and the holes for the spikes work well for a hardie hole. There are pictures in my gallery if you want to take a peek. So hope this helps.
Bill P

[ThomasPowers]

I found a broken knuckle from a RR car coupler and used it for an anvil---it has a flat part and a curved part weighed about 80# and was FREE and was a lot tougher than cast iron.

Swordmaking: ever see what the japanese sword makes use for an anvil? It's a cube of metal---no horn, no heel, no waist. Yet some folks consider that they do decent work.

The only way that you get a "great deal" on a cast iron ASO would be if someone gave it to you! A block of steel bought at scrapyard prices is much better!

[Pault17]

adding my $.03. I have been regularly using a HF 110 pounder that cost me less than a buck a pound (it actually weighs 114 even after rounding down the horn). I have found that children under the age of 10 and friends trying to work out their aggressions/frustrations can ding up the face. But other than that, like many have said, it is nice to have a useful ASO until a real anvil comes available. I have also determined that heavier is better

[nthe10ring]

I have had one of the 110 Russian anvils from HF for a few years now and it actually has fairly good rebound. If you can locate a store that still has them I feel they are a good starter anvil especially for the money. A little time with and angle grinder on the horn and they work pretty well.
I bought a 180 lb Sea Robin bladesmith anvil and use it most of the time but would not sell the old Russian girl off, still comes in handy. Never enough anvils.

Jerry Fisher

[gypsy]

I've had all the little HB anvils, 12#, 25# & 55# and while I wouldn't actually call them real anvils they are a cheap, quick fix and are ok as long as you never hit anything cold on them. I do agree that r.r. rail & pretty much any large chunk of steel is going to out perform a cast iron anvil shaped object. worse come to worse the 12# makes a great doorstop or paperweight :)

[ThomasPowers]

Gypsy; you mean HF right? HB is hay-budden and a 25# one would probably fetch over $500 from the collectors

[junker]

wells agian guys thanks for the advice... it's just a matter of finding the right thing now. a family friend runs a land deveolopment company down here and works on his own equipment, so maybe something from a loader...

[tribal forge]

Art, the 55 HF anvil is too good for an anchor, my Cousin's hubby and I used one for 6 months a few years ago!! and I even used it to hammer out my first set of 5/16" campfire gear!! 1 set that is!! then we switched to using it for an anchor!/Selden

[merl]

I guess I'll throw my .02 cents in too on the HF stuff.
I tried one of the "Ugly Ivan" 110lb anvils a few years ago and liked it quite a bit.
I went right out and got one for myself and for the $90. I paid for it I should have got two more for my two boys to start on.
I waited a few months and found they no longer carried them so I just got a couple of the 55lb ASO's (after all they are only 4 and 6 years old)
The Russian pattern is good except for the obvious horn issues and I made a heavy wooden stand for it that lets me add 150lbs (two zink ingets) to the over all weight that helps keep it from jumping around too much.
I put the two 55lb ASO's on stumps that are short enough for my two boys and got them a set of HF ball peen hammers. I keep a spool of soft 14 ga. steel wire in the shop that they can hammer on cold when they want to "help Dad blacksmith". By the way, they both wear child size wrap around safety glasses in the shop and have a corner away from my work space but wear I can watch them.
I have since replaced my Russian with a fine old Hay-Bud but keep it for my number two anvil and also use it for my traveling anvil.
Considering what a descent anvil costs I figure when the kids are old enough, and want to really work some hot metal, I'll put a slab of 1045 on their little ASO's and see if they are serious befor investing in a real anvil for them.

[thorssmith]

I own a #55 HF anvil that now sits besides my jewelers bench, and even with the light use that it sees inside the face is full of dings and divits. IMHO For outside in the forge id keep a lookout for a higher quality anvil.