What size anvil do you use?

[Glenn]

What size anvil do you use most often?

[teejay]

Only have one a 100lb hay-budden

[ThomasPowers]

My "shop" anvil is a bit over 500# and my protable anvil is 91 pounds. Which one sees the most use is dependent on what I get to do...

Thomas

[JPH]

Hello:

My lead anvil is a tad over 500# and my "tooling" anvil is just over 200# (I have my guillotine set up on this one..) plus I have a 100# "portable" anvil I use for "remote demo" work...

JPH

[Ten Hammers]

Shop anvil ( used most) is 148 lb Hay Budden. Trailer anvil is 115 lb Hay Budden. New anvil ( Fathers Day ) is stamped to weigh 203 lbs but I'm gonna put it on the trade scales up to the LP place to check it. i have a couple of small ones ( actually one good small Enderes about 5 lbs ) that the grandkids will get to start on.

[lee]

I seem to use my 177 lb fisher most...I love the horn...but started with a 150 PW and still like it a lot.Sold a 80+ lb sweden to a fellow and kicked myself everysense...it was like new.But hey...he xxxx neared cryed when he got it and it was worth letting it go. Gotta spread the fun around...right? For horseshoeing I use a 75 lb wide face NC and really like it...perticularly when I have to pick it up...when I'm ready to move on. It's my only marked up anvil...learned to hit solid faced on it and too do a bit to much cold shoeing when in a hurry....them ol' cowboy ways are hard to shake.


lee

[HWooldridge]

250 PWright for shop anvil and 100 lb Hay Budden for portable. Both are similarly tooled for various hardy tools and the bigger one has sleeves to allow using all the tools from the smaller anvil. I have owned several others including a 200 Fisher and a Mousehole that appeared to date from the late 1600's.

[elkdoc]

175 lb. Laurel Machine and Forge - One of the last ones. I got it at half price new when they were closing out on them.

I love it!

[Nick]

My regular is a #375 Hay Budden.

[Tyler Murch]

Right now I use an 82 pound Trenton. Not because I like it, but because that's all I have. It's way to small for what I use it for, but right now I have a Chuck Robinson Anvil on the way!!!!!

[elkdoc]

Lucky so-n-so... :wink:

[yesteryearforge]

I use a 560 vaughn brooks in the shop and a 200lb for demos
plus 14 other anvils
Anvils are like life insurance [ you can never have too much ]

[frogvalley]

150# Peter Wright and a 200# Fisher are the equal primaries with several others around for demos/special uses/etc.

Like the Fisher best, PW just behind that. Have used many others and these would be my faves of all.

[Crackers]

Our group has a number of Australian made O'Dwyer anvils. At 95 kg. I believe that converts to 209 lbs. They are made from SG iron and are not as hard as older anvils but they are a nicely finished anvil and work well for us. I read somewhere on the internet once that they are only hardend to 24 rockwell. I can't confirm this though. Might have something to do with being cast from SG iron??? Does anyone know anymore about this???

[Michael]

I now have a 104 pound Peter Wright that I picked up a few weeks ago. Local Ebay auction so no shipping charge. What a difference the bounceback makes after using an section of I beam.

[Bruce Beamish]

I would say that 24 Rockwell would be way too soft to be of much use as anvil for very long. Are you sure that the O'Dwyer anvils are SG iron and not cast steel? I've not used one but I've seen plenty of farriers with them and we know how farriers like to shape shoes cold (or very near). If they are only 24 Rockwell they'd be damged in no time.

Cheers, Bruce.

[So-Steve]

I use an old 128 lb anvil. On loan from a friend, or till I find a better one (so he says). Couldn't ask for a better first anvil.

[sandpile]

I have four anvils and there are from a 10 lb. up to a 200lb. I use all of them from time to time. Little one is in the knife shop for silver and copper work.

Chuck

[ThomasPowers]

No, the cost to do it right, (not to forget the learning curve and the heavy equipment), would make them too expensive---just look at sourcing a regular supply of decent wrought iron! If you have to pay a lot more for one than you can buy an old one in great shape why would you?

Thomas

[Sam Salvati]

You don't think even with the more modern technology it could be done as cost effectively? Instead of wrought then, how about mild steel body with a tool steel face? That would be more economic.

[Blacksmith Jim]

My understanding is that modern anvils are being made with cast steel. So it's just being poured into an anvil shaped mold.

[Chris Pook]

My understanding is that modern anvils are being made with cast steel. So it's just being poured into an anvil shaped mold.

thats how my friend produces his, was a bit of work getting the heat treating shop to get them just right, once done, though they're an awesome anvil.

[Chris Pook]

a bit off topic but about anvils...

here's a write up on how they produce the Nimba Anvils.

Nimba Anvils - The Making of a Modern Anvil

[ThomasPowers]

The cost of pouring steel is such you would be better off going with a totally cast steel anvil and not adding the extra cost of re-heating it and forge welding a face on it.

I have a friend who looked into getting a local foundry (did a lot of RR work so decent steel!) pour some anvils for him. It turned out to be cheaper to buy imported ones.

Forged anvils, which are back in production I hear, take a massive chunk of good steel and the skills to forge them neither is cheap.

If I was trying to go that route I would see about having anvil shaped burned from heavy plate and then apply a face. Wouldn't be very pretty but you're fighting costs!

Thomas

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

149 lb english pattern. made by the Kirkstall Forge , sometime in the late 1800s