looking for my first real anvil

[newbladesmith]

So I'm looking to buy my first real anvil. I've only used pieces of rr track in the past so this is a big deal for me. I found one but i can't get any real specs on it. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they have herd anything good or bad about Centaur Forge and their Cliff Carroll 35lb. anvil. I tried to email the company but have not gotten any response. The only thing that i know is that it's 35lbs. The blurb that they have about it is vague at best. It is written as follows-

The 35 pound anvil is designed along similar lines as the ever popular Cliff Carroll 70 pound horseshoer’s anvil. It is used by ranchers, hobbyists, and homeowners alike. For those needing a quality bench-top anvil which can be easily moved around the ranch, shop, or garage, this 35 pound anvil fits the bill.


I am looking for something good but i can't spend a fortune on it and this one is only 160$ But i know I'll be using it rather heavily so i want something that i can rely on. I'm looking for a 30 to 50 pound anvil because I want to be able to move it around but until i found this the only affordable one's i could find were cast iron. In other words bookends shaped like anvils. Has anyone herd anything about this company or this anvil or dose anyone know of a site where i can get a good inexpensive anvil. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[tomcellwheel]

Well, I haven't even started forging; so my input may not be of value to you. I do do alot of reading however, and I hear to AVOID AVOID AVOID centaur forge. Now, I don't have any experience with them, but just about every article I've read is that its either very cheaply made (A few missed hammer blows apparently cracks the surface of the anvil) and there have been a few articles that say the advertised make of the anvil was not true (Such as a wrought iron anvil being cast). Plus a 35 lb. is pretty light if you plan on heavy use, don't you think? I too am looking for my first anvil, but I'd rather save the $160 you have and get a 100# plus for $300 or more. Better to get you a good anvil for a bit higher price than something you may need to get rid of in a couple years.


Good luck to us both in our anvil finding!
Joseph

[Rob Browne]

My bit would be not to get too hung up on a "proper" anvil. I know quite a few people who have forged for years and never had a "proper" anvil. I would suggest that you look at this thread for some possible alternative ideas.

35lb is a bit on the light side for an anvil so I would be going for an alternative.

Cheers

P.S. Remember its the mass under your hammer that matters. You could set your rail road iron on its end in a bucket of concrete and have a functional anvil.

[pkrankow]

_Central_ forge is a junk brand

_Centaur_ forge is ok, They are a purveyor of farrier and forge equipment, and specialized to that task. That said, if you ain't shoeing horses, you probably should still avoid that anvil. Anyways it is rather small.

Keep your eye on Craigslist, talk up family and friends and coworkers, and simply ask for leads on an old anvil. In the US, depending on condition and region of the country you can expect $1-$3 per pound of anvil weight.

Look up Thomas Powers applied anvil acquisition using the search function at the top of the page.

You want about 100# of anvil(or more), and a good piece of RR track is a rather usable anvil! Features to look for are name brand, serial numbers, steel face. Any 2 is likely a real anvil. Clean edges are good, they should be crisp or radiused and not chipped, but on a 100 year old tool chipping happens. Some is OK if the price is fair.

There are some central forge anvils that are OK, they are 110# and have a normally placed hardy. If it is mint $100 or less, if worn, $50 or less. The diamond hardy 110# anvil you can offer $50 or less for.
Phil

Phil

[Dragons lair]

One thing I learned the hard way. Have cash when looking. A mint 300lb brand name is no great deal at $150 if ya only got $90 in your pocket. Been there
done that. Spent mos looking finaly carved a RR track. Within a yr gained a 60lb fisher a 88 and 142 lb H-B and a 174 lb trenton. Passed on several others.
They are out there. Just need to look everwhare. Best of luck.
Ken

[ThomasPowers]

Centaur Forge: generally excellent quality at a high price. Central Forge: low quality cheap imported junk.

35# is a "toy" anvil if you are really planning to forge blades you will need a bigger anvil. If it has to be "portable" I would look for something around 100# (my travel anvil is 93# and I used to have to carry it up the basement stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door when I wanted to use it.)

Now "real anvils". The justly famed japanese sword smiths use an anvil that looks like a large rectangular chunk of steel---and do what is generally considered good work on it. If money is a problem start thinking of finding such a hunk of steel at a scrap yard---or chunk of large forklift tine and using it for an anvil and put the rest of the money away into your "great deal on a london pattern anvil" fund for when you do find a suitable london pattern anvil. (You do know that the "london pattern anvil" dates to about the 1820's so all those swords used by folks in the ancien, medieval, renaissance and early industrial Revolution time periods were forged on something that does not look like a "real anvil")

[Lazemaple]

I have a Cliff Carroll anvil they are very high quality! The 35 pound anvil as many have pointed out is way too light for iron work! It was made specifically for JEWELLERS using non ferrous metals such as copper, brass and silver. It was never intended for use with iron or steele, Still, I believe Cliff Carroll who I spoke to via phone told me it is hardened to rockwell 45 or more, sorry I really can't recall now as its been a couple of years. I did look up the rockwell number he told me and was suitably impressed.
Call yourself - all I know is I'm extremely pleased with my purchase of a Cliff Carroll anvil.

• Cliff Carroll's Horseshoers Supplies, Inc.
• 245 W. Perry Park Ave. Larkspur Colorado 80118
• United States
• Phone:303-681-2643
• Fax:303-681-2343
• Email:proforge@aol.com
  

[Mephitus]

If it helps, you can do what i did and check your local machine shops for any large scrap pieces. Its how i scored this:
Or even any steel supply in your area. Ive seen people score large scraps from a billet and do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2Xqf6uxCk
I have also seen people score good pieces at metal yards. For example, there are 2 large scale metal recyclers in my area and before i made my find i was going to get in touch with them to keep a look out for anything that would have fit the bill too as they will sell it at weight cost alone.

[Finnr]

My first anvil was a piece of RR track cut to general anvil shape with a piece of truck spring welded on for a decent face. That one worked well for a while coming in around 35 pounds. Next I got one of the infamous Russian anvils that are no longer imported. That served until I got a 127 pound PW. Ivan ( the Russian anvil) is now being used with some pretty good success by a student of mine. Now I am keeping an eye open for at least a 150 pound anvil. HB if I can score one. All being said. Get the best that you can afford in the heaviest weight you can get for the cash yopu have available. Dad alwasy told me as a lad, buy the very best you can afford and then you don't have to replace it right away.