Peddinghaus Anvils

[tobigforyou]

Peddinghaus Anvils...what's your take on it guys?
Do any of you guys have one?

[bigfootnampa]

I do not have one but I know that they are good quality anvils (mostly kind of on the expensive side). I would be happy to own one if offered at the right price.

[ThomasPowers]

One of the finest anvils in production!

But most of us don't drive Rolls Royces. I'd rather have a lesser anvil that was larger for the same price myself as "quantity has a quality all it's own" in smithing was well as warfare.

[kpotter]

I have a 275lbs peddinghause, I was going to buy a nimba gladiator and I had saved all the cash and had it hidden in my shop I was getting the shipping arranged when my lovely wife broke a tooth and needed some serious dental work, now here is the delema fix the wifes tooth or buy the gladiator and sleep with it in the shop, or fix the wifes tooth and buy the peddinghause and be the hero. I think I made the right choice I didnt have to sleep in shop. I still get anvil envy when I see my friends nimba it looks like an aircraft carrier it is huge, but I think my forged anvil is a better anvil just not as big. Quality over quantity. I have forged on both and mine has more rebound.

[HWHII]

I have a 275lbs peddinghause, I was going to buy a nimba gladiator and I had saved all the cash and had it hidden in my shop I was getting the shipping arranged when my lovely wife broke a tooth and needed some serious dental work, now here is the delema fix the wifes tooth or buy the gladiator and sleep with it in the shop, or fix the wifes tooth and buy the peddinghause and be the hero. I think I made the right choice I didnt have to sleep in shop. I still get anvil envy when I see my friends nimba it looks like an aircraft carrier it is huge, but I think my forged anvil is a better anvil just not as big. Quality over quantity. I have forged on both and mine has more rebound.

Kevin, Remember next time. If wooden teeth was good enough for George Washington it should be good enough for the wife. :lol:

[Frosty]

Kevin, Remember next time. If wooden teeth was good enough for George Washington it should be good enough for the wife.

Always the peace maker aren't you Harold.

I believe Peddinghause was bought by Rigid tool or maybe production rights or . . .(?) Anyway, The Home Depot is a distributor for Rigid and will happily order whatever Peddinghause tool you want. It just takes some looking to find where they've listed them, not enough market to put them in the brouchures.

Good call on the priorities Kevin. An anvil may be cheaper and lower maintanance than a wife but they're not much fun to sleep with.

Frosty the Lucky.

[tobigforyou]

Thanks guys for the input! Btw what is you position on cast vs. forge?
Does it really make a difference?

[pkrankow]

Thanks guys for the input! Btw what is you position on cast vs. forge?
Does it really make a difference?

A quality cast tool steel anvil is a very good anvil. There are only a couple companies forging anvils any more, and those are a closed die drop forging process. Older anvils (and a couple shops still making anvils) are forged in open die processes, by hand and with machines. They are quality products. (depending on condition for used anvils)

A cast iron anvil is a glue weight.

Phil

[kpotter]

I would get the peddinghause, for the money it is great however I would like to say I have a 500lbs anvil just for braggin rights, they are sort of like an extension, who has the biggest anvil, I saw that reflinghause 1200lbs and now that is what I want but it wont make me a better smith, heck I dont even use the one I got I press forge everything.

[ThomasPowers]

Blacksmiths suffer mightily from Anvil Envy; but in truth it's the *work* you do that should be the basis of your bragging not what a great set of tools you have.

You may have noticed that in almost every hobby there is a subset of people that have "all the cool toys" for it; but don't really do much with them and when they do it's often at a level that does not due their tooling proud.

I've met some folks that had to have a *perfect* smithy set up and then when they found that they needed to actually practice to do good work they abandoned the craft selling off their almost new tools for a fraction of the original cost.

I've also welded up a billet in an improvised forge using charcoal from desert bonfires for fuel and a chunk of RR rail and a clawhammer.

Or to bring it home---Folks get out in the shop and practice using whatever you have and not worry so much about having a vacuum cast H-13 anvil with the story of Weyland the smith laser etched on the side...

[Frosty]

Blacksmiths suffer mightily from Anvil Envy; but in truth it's the *work* you do that should be the basis of your bragging not what a great set of tools you have.

You may have noticed that in almost every hobby there is a subset of people that have "all the cool toys" for it; but don't really do much with them and when they do it's often at a level that does not due their tooling proud.

I've met some folks that had to have a *perfect* smithy set up and then when they found that they needed to actually practice to do good work they abandoned the craft selling off their almost new tools for a fraction of the original cost.

I've also welded up a billet in an improvised forge using charcoal from desert bonfires for fuel and a chunk of RR rail and a clawhammer.

Or to bring it home---Folks get out in the shop and practice using whatever you have and not worry so much about having a vacuum cast H-13 anvil with the story of Weyland the smith laser etched on the side...

Once again you're right on target Thomas.

I'm trying to develop some tolerance for folk who say, "If I had (whatever the "perfect" tool is) I could do that." I used to hide all my tools at work, especially the lathe tools because of the guys who thought it was the tool that does the work and kept ruining mine.

Without a human mind and his/er thumbs to direct it every tool or piece of equipment up to and including the space shuttle is just highly refined dirt.

To prove the point some many years ago I smithed up a basic smithing kit starting with a nice mafic boulder anvil, split green willow saplings for tongs, a mafic cobble on a split willow handle and an alder fire. Mafic is a very dense smooth grained type of ignious stone that makes a darned nice anvil or hammer.

My forge was a longish, tapered slit trench facing into the wind and worked really nicely. I made a hammer and tongs from found scrap in the river, then went on to make the usual fire tools, branding irons and skewers.

The most important tools in your kit are your brain, eyes and tumbs. Use and protect em accordingly.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Sask Mark]

If you want it and have the money, buy it. Don't expect it to make you a better smith, but it probably won't fail as a tool.

When I get a new tool, I spend more time trying it (essentially practising), so shiny new tools usually can't hurt your skills. Just be realistic with the expectations.

When I went from a 100 pound anvil to a 280 pound anvil, the metal moved much easier. I didn't get any better, it just made the hammering easier.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

I was told when I was looking for an anvil to get the best, largest anvil I could afford. I did and I have never regretted it for a mooment. If your heart is set on it do it. It's one of the very best anvils you could buy.

While the anvil will not make the smith. It will make smithing a joy.

[doc]

I've owned and used a peddinghaus anvil for over thirty years and I've used it professionally for all that time. It has helped me build everything from hardware to bulldozer parts and has stood up well.
One thing to mention is be SURE you purchase the German made Peddinghaus and not the Belgian.

Doc

[doc]

I've owned and used a peddinghaus anvil for over thirty years and I've used it professionally for all that time. It has helped me build everything from hardware to bulldozer parts and has stood up well.
One thing to mention is be SURE you purchase the German made Peddinghaus and not the Belgian.

Doc

[ThomasPowers]

"given a choice between driving a bicycle or a rolls royce, I would pick the rolls royce"

And if you could ride the bicycle *today* and the rolls royce sometime in the misty future and you have to stay home in the meantime?

Or if you could buy the bicycle and a 4 wheeler and a small pickup vs just the rolls royce?

Everything is trade-offs and we all have different priorities.

[HWHII]

Once again you're right on target Thomas.

I'm trying to develop some tolerance for folk who say, "If I had (whatever the "perfect" tool is) I could do that." I used to hide all my tools at work, especially the lathe tools because of the guys who thought it was the tool that does the work and kept ruining mine.

Without a human mind and his/er thumbs to direct it every tool or piece of equipment up to and including the space shuttle is just highly refined dirt.

To prove the point some many years ago I smithed up a basic smithing kit starting with a nice mafic boulder anvil, split green willow saplings for tongs, a mafic cobble on a split willow handle and an alder fire. Mafic is a very dense smooth grained type of ignious stone that makes a darned nice anvil or hammer.

My forge was a longish, tapered slit trench facing into the wind and worked really nicely. I made a hammer and tongs from found scrap in the river, then went on to make the usual fire tools, branding irons and skewers.

The most important tools in your kit are your brain, eyes and tumbs. Use and protect em accordingly.

Frosty the Lucky.

Again Frosty you have amazed me with your experiences, and after meeting you in person at your homestead in the bush of wild Alaska. I know this story too could be true.

Thomas I appologize for the high jacking your thread and I know Frosty will appreciate the humor in the story I am about to tell.

In a prior life I had, the year was 1 BC and Fred Flinstone and I were sitting around the fire one night and a bright light appeared in the sky and came close to us and touched the ground. A little green man flew over to us and told us he would give us a secret that would change our lives.

He told us to find a large rock that fell from the sky and a small one also. We just happen to know where one was. Then if we new where there was soft black rocks that came out of the ground ( which we also knew of ) to gather some of thoses also. Next we needed to go into the mountains and find red rocks.

After all this was done we needed to start a fire with the black rocks and put the red rocks into it. Then take some dinosaur bones an tie the small black rock to the a bone and tie two bones together to pick the red rock out of the fire with.

Next we should take the hot red rock to the big black rock and beat it with the small black rock on the big black rock. and I think you all know what happens next.

If you have not guessed by know, Yes I am

Barney Rubble. <_<

[Sask Mark]

The original poster JUST asked what we thought of the anvil in question. He never made any claims that he will become a superstar blacksmith if he owned a Peddinghaus.

We also know nothing of his situation. Maybe he has gobs of extra cash. Maybe someone offered him a Peddinghaus for cheap of free. Maybe he's looking to sell one and he's looking for information for a sales pitch. Who knows? Maybe he doesn't want/need to hear the 'yeah you can get that, but why would you when this would work just as well for a beginner.' If he wants to buy a Rolls Royce, let him buy a Rolls Royce. He just asked if Rolls Royce's are good cars since he already has a bike, small pickup, etc.

Like you said Thomas, 'Everything is trade-offs and we all have different priorities'. We really don't know what his priorities are or what position he is in.

[ThomasPowers]

Which is why so many of my replies tend to ask that details are supplied!

We've answered that it's a top of the line anvil and that they tend to be quite expensive and that some of use would prefer to have a larger anvil at the same or lower price.

Seems like that's enough info for them to make their own decision---and then the thread started slaloming about---as usual!

Barny, they didn't start using coal to smelt iron until the 1700's, (Abraham Darby, Coalbrookdale England). Prior to that they used charcoal; but to confuse things in medieval times Coal meant charcoal and not earth coal, mineral coal, sea coal, etc. Had problems with sulfur getting into the iron making it weak and hot short. Coking coal prior to use helped some and was AD's method.

[kpotter]

I will just toss out my 2 cents again I like really nice tools I make smithing tools for a living and if I could have made a better anvil I would have hell I tried I made a 300lbs mild steel one with a hardface and it sucks compared to the peddinghause. I know that I dont regret buying mine I paid 1600 for it and I think they are more now, they probably wont get cheaper so go get one before they quit forging them and start casting them.

[HWHII]

Which is why so many of my replies tend to ask that details are supplied!

We've answered that it's a top of the line anvil and that they tend to be quite expensive and that some of use would prefer to have a larger anvil at the same or lower price.

Seems like that's enough info for them to make their own decision---and then the thread started slaloming about---as usual!

Barny, they didn't start using coal to smelt iron until the 1700's, (Abraham Darby, Coalbrookdale England). Prior to that they used charcoal; but to confuse things in medieval times Coal meant charcoal and not earth coal, mineral coal, sea coal, etc. Had problems with sulfur getting into the iron making it weak and hot short. Coking coal prior to use helped some and was AD's method.

Thomas Work with me here. I have a vivid imagination and I forgot to take my meds yesterday. :lol:

[ThomasPowers]

What? I can't use your tangent to go off on my tangent and sneak in a little of the history into the discussion?

One of my meds is an injectable I take it every 3 minutes 24 hours a day...insulin pump...

[Frosty]

Well HECK! Nobody who's read much of this forum is going to ask ANY THING and expect a terse or even ONE answer/opinion. Seriously a single direct answer would be the ultimate side track!

Thanks for backing me Barney, I'll get your check off right away. The usual?

Meds gooooooood.

Frosty the Lucky.

[tobigforyou]

Thanks guys for all the input there is allot of knowledge in this forum. So yeah I will probably get a Peddinghaus then. I found them here:

Peddinghaus


BTW: side tracking is fine lol . As long as we get the question answered. Some of you guys have some really interesting replies. :lol: