Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Show me your anvil


Recommended Posts

Mac thats what i did for mine

"with a little work you can have a anvil stand with the wheels just off the ground so that you can tip it to one side a roll it"

even so the need to have it mobile makes it less stable than one bolted to the ground this could be a result of working on a concrete slab

i have been very happy with a lighter stand when i use it on a sand floor it stays put even though i would say its only around 150lb anvil+stand (this only works when there is no snow on the ground though)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tim some of us do need to be able to move them now and then my shop has to have everything moved to a wall if we have to bring a tractor in and split it so vices forges /table saw/ lathe /anvils /drill press/ welder/ chop saw/ band saw/ grinders welding tablex2 20ton press are all on wheels or movable with a hand truck its not perfect but when we build the shop we thought 30x30 would be big enough i sure wish i had had the cash to chip in to bump it to a 40x30 but thats the way it goes so long story short if you need mobility you have to sacrifice stability to some degree

and i have yet to really be happy with a mobile anvil stand my 120lb fisher is on a 200lb stand and i still make it jump around but when stripped down it weighs about 220 or so and can be moved without much trouble

on a side note with a little work you can have a anvil stand with the wheels just off the ground so that you can tip it to one side a roll it far better than having it rest of the wheels all the time

I really have a closed mind on this subject and I get mildly annoyed when people try to propagate it.  Wile it may be convenient to have wheels on the base to move an anvil it makes working on it less efficient.  Any moment in the anvil is lost energy to the person swinging the hammer.  I have not yet seen a caster that will hold up to heavy pounding or that wont creep when sufficient force is applied even when locked, if you'r not hitting it that hard you are not doing right.   I mount my anvils on logs or metal stands though I slightly favor logs.  An anvil on a log can be tilted and rolled on the bottom edge of the log.  I have a 400 lb anvil spiked to a log that I can move by my self not easy but doable.  It rarely moves when I strike on it even angled blows and that's what you need to get work done.  The steel stand slides on the floor fairly well also a one man job and can be bolted down when needed.  having wheels off the side can get in the way of your feet remember your working with hot metal and you need to move around the anvil easily without obstructions.   I find a lot of less experienced smiths will put up with all sorts of less than ideal equipment just because that's what they are used to. They have never worked with the real deal so they know no better.  Its not about having the best equipment either but maximizing its usefulness.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i would like to point out that i did not say having it on wheels is just as good Tim but that being mobile as many "hobby" or part time smiths lets limited space be better utilized and for me if i want to be forging inside for the winter i need to be able to move things around and my feeling is that there are many people on IFI that are in a similar boat

having worked on many a wobbly/walking anvil i can tell you i really do not like them and that i can do more work on my well mounted 100lber than on a 200lb+ wobbly anvil

 in response to having mildly annoyed you

i guess i have find it really annoying when people respond to someones setup with a Nope wrong attitude

don't get me wrong i bet you move more metal in a week than i move in a year but hey i bet i raise more beef than you do

just try and look at this as a sight for people of all sizes of setups

Link to comment
Share on other sites

​I pick this up from one of my customers. It has no readable markings,lots of rust and weight is about 100lb or less. I would like to know more about it.  WOULD YOU HIT THIS ANVIL?

 

No.  I think it is too old and interesting to use as a working anvil.  I would put it on display in my Museum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 When I was cleaning it with a wire brush on my grinder, all the sparks were yellow. When grinding cast iron with a stone sparks are yellow too 

On the back that is flat you will find some spots with small air bubble holes. After cleaning with a brush I rubbed on some used motor oil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was a STEAL on the 400# HayBudden!!! I have a Peter Wright about 400# that I had to pay a LOT more for... Oh well. It's paid for and in my shop. Guess that's what counts.. Everything I live in,work in, make music with, or drive,is paid for.. Nice at my age.. Was homeless 22 years ago...

   Glad you use the anvil a lot. I can't say that I use my 400# that much. Have a 200# Hay Budden that  I love, and a new Papa Rhino from Steve McGrew in Spokane that has become my main smacker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just scored my first anvil ever. Peter Wright 1-2-8. Scales out to 173.4 on my bathroom scale. One side is pretty worn. The other side is in real good shape. For a beginning blacksmith I think this will be great. It has  a good ring and real good rebound. I havent found the date code. Ive looked a bit but havent came across anything. Actually on the side of the bottom there is a BIG "H". Not sure if that means anything, but ther is no numerical code that ive found.

post-30274-0-20006600-1359238735_thumb.j

post-30274-0-54729300-1359238749_thumb.j

post-30274-0-13066700-1359238761_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys

Got it mounted finally on some bits of mainly hardwood, Anvil weight as around 140 with the heel snapped off saws 2 3  15 on the side. Got it for a nice price $140, edges are good with only a few big hits in the edges.

 

Managed to do a work around for the hardy hole, as there is 50% hole left I found i can put the tool in the hole and then G -clamp it to the hole and it  seemed to go alright. A few deep cuts on the step bit from someone chisel cutting on it, so ill avoid using that bit. A few magnets under the horn made it a lot quieter, The chain around the anvil didnt seem to do a lot tho.

 

Has a nice ring to it and gives about 80% rebound. Should keep me going for some time

post-29855-0-78372900-1359501831_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys

Got it mounted finally on some bits of mainly hardwood, Anvil weight as around 140 with the heel snapped off saws 2 3  15 on the side. Got it for a nice price $140, edges are good with only a few big hits in the edges.

 

Managed to do a work around for the hardy hole, as there is 50% hole left I found i can put the tool in the hole and then G -clamp it to the hole and it  seemed to go alright. A few deep cuts on the step bit from someone chisel cutting on it, so ill avoid using that bit. A few magnets under the horn made it a lot quieter, The chain around the anvil didnt seem to do a lot tho.

 

Has a nice ring to it and gives about 80% rebound. Should keep me going for some time

Spike that anvil down that is dangerous it can fall of the base under heavy forging.  Even if you only do light work spike it down!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks it is a little bit one sided without the heel

Ok ill look into some strapping, dont think spikes will go into my wood too well.  Might have some chain that would go alright and then screw them into the side of the stump. Since the picture I have put in two bits of wood on either side to stop it slidding around, but nothing to hold it down, figured it was heavy enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

155# Hay budden Has anyone seen this habit off drilling holes through the feet to fasten down?

 

Yeah my 170lb Hay Budden also has holes in it's feet. Worked well when I mounted it to my stump. Here's a picture before I actually fixed it to the stump. You can still see the holes on the feet. Just noticed my PW 102 lber is on the floor next to the spool of wire too.

 

2012-09-03_13-57-23_883.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...