Has anyone tried a Kohlswa anvil i saw one on TechnicusJoe's youutube channel and how do they compare to a london pattern anvil like my peter wright, what are they made of, cast steel? what are they like to work on? i am thinking of getting one because their face seems really wide. Any suggestions, or should i stick with a london pattern?
thanks in advance
josh

Has anyone tried a Kohlswa anvil i saw one on TechnicusJoe's youutube channel and how do they compare to a london pattern anvil like my peter wright, what are they made of, cast steel? what are they like to work on? i am thinking of getting one because their face seems really wide. Any suggestions, or should i stick with a london pattern?
thanks in advance
josh

Joshua,

Kohlswa is the maker of the anvil not the pattern. There are multiple patterns out there. Do an internet search and you will find examples of them. Kohlswa has been making anvils since the 1200's if I remember their website correctly. They are in Sweden. They do make london pattern anvils as well as the different patterns. If you do a search on Ebay for Kohlswa you should find 3 or 4. You should be able to find wider faced anvils but that will come as the size increases. I think it is a matter of how you work on whether a different style would work better for you. There are a lot of posts about pro and cons of anvils on here. But in the end that one is yours to decide.

Brian Pierson

Kohlswa anvils, with the exception of a few that were not heat treated properly (I think it was in the 80's), are high quality cast steel anvils. They are still being manufactured in Sweden. Here is their anvil web page:

http://www.kohlswagjuteri.se/brancher-smidesstad.asp?activeImg=brancher&activeLang=en&activeChild=brancher-smidesstad

Buying one new is not cheap.

I had one in the London pattern about 220 lbs. I found the face to be far too soft though it was a well proportioned anvil. I was told that the it was cast from an alloy of steel that was designed to work harden over time. I don't know if that is still the case. I was also told this is only the case on anvils made after the late 80's. I also used an euro pattern an older one from the 70's it was rock hard and smooth as glass. It was actually a nuance because the work kept sliding around it was nothing a little sand paper wouldn't fix.

Kohlswa, is what I have. It is a very hard anvil. I keep a chain wrapped around the waist, for a muffler. Without the chain it rings like a bell.

i like the idea of the double horn to draw out sections for the pattern, and i was thinking to get one used i already have a 186lbs PW but it still has a narrow face and i like the size and shape of the horn and the isea of the double horn

I have a Kohlswa that I bought in the 80s. Its face is super soft. I would never purchase another one from them again.

Heej Josh.

I have 6 Kohlswa anvils now, and I can't wish for better ones, exept for maybe a Refflinghaus because their faces are a bit harder.
Besides that, They are wonderful anvils in my opinion. I do admit they ring like a bell, but so what? put them down tightly and the ring will be reduced to a enjoyable one that will not damage your hearing.
Otherwise you can either buy ear plugs or put a chain around it, what in my opinion doesn't look good on it.

My most favorite anvils are the B38, a wide faced North-German pattern and the B32 narrow faced with narrow horns, South-German pattern.

in Iowa they call these 'coleslaw' anvils.

Bob

Regarding the soft Kohlswa anvils of the 80s, is there a list of affected serial numbers, or is there some other way to tell if an anvil (particularly a potential eBay purchase such as the 54 pounder on auction now) will likely have a soft face?

I wouldn't buy the "work-hardening" story. I may be wrong, but from what I know about the physics of work-hardening, some real deformation is required to increase the hardness. To me it just seems like a sales ploy to sell soft anvils.

I used to work-harden some RR frogs/switches. I used a 1/2 inch fuller under an 800 lb hammer. Do a row on a 45 degree diagonal then come back 45 degrees the other way. This was a special work-hardening manganese alloy. Deformation was probably 1/16 inch deep.

I love my #45 .its about 100# and has a hard face that is great. Sorry for those that got stuck with a softer one.

I wouldn't buy the "work-hardening" story. I may be wrong, but from what I know about the physics of work-hardening, some real deformation is required to increase the hardness. To me it just seems like a sales ploy to sell soft anvils.

I used to work-harden some RR frogs/switches. I used a 1/2 inch fuller under an 800 lb hammer. Do a row on a 45 degree diagonal then come back 45 degrees the other way. This was a special work-hardening manganese alloy. Deformation was probably 1/16 inch deep.

That's why "I said I was told" Not "they are" but I heard it from two sources one of them I would call fairly reliable.

Heej Josh.

I have 6 Kohlswa anvils now, and I can't wish for better ones, exept for maybe a Refflinghaus because their faces are a bit harder.
Besides that, They are wonderful anvils in my opinion. I do admit they ring like a bell, but so what? put them down tightly and the ring will be reduced to a enjoyable one that will not damage your hearing.
Otherwise you can either buy ear plugs or put a chain around it, what in my opinion doesn't look good on it.

My most favorite anvils are the B38, a wide faced North-German pattern and the B32 narrow faced with narrow horns, South-German pattern.

i looked at the website i want a b38 i like how wide the face is

That's why "I said I was told" Not "they are" but I heard it from two sources one of them I would call fairly reliable.

Sometime something can be repeated so many times that it becomes accepted. Look at how many people still believe hot water will freeze faster than cold water.

Havng worked on an Arm & Hammer, a Mousehole, a Vulcan... I own a Kohlswa. It does ring, and i mean ring. A magnet under the anvil help the neighbors.

I have grown more than partial to the solid steel anvils: Soderfors, Kohlswa, and of course Hay Budden. If you find one and can afford it - get it, you wont be disappointed.

I have an HB. I would trade my london pattern for a European style anvil any day.

I tried contacting the Kentucky Horsehoeing school but haven't heard back from them. Has anyone else tried contacting them about importing Kohlswas? I would imagine they would do well here; the 80s were 30 years ago.

i got a rather new (probably early 1990s.) and its really really hard the edges are a bit brittle but that just be course I haven't radiused them enough as I use it for fine work and wanted the edges sharpish. but its a great anvil and don't ring much is it is probably secured to a wood stump with a player of silicon filler between all in al its a nice anvil but i would not buy one of them if i was buying new for tat amount of money but its al about how easy it is for you to get a used good anvil cheap

cheers DC

i have looked for as much info as i can get and i like the kohlswa more than the london pattern but i have not worked on one and so i need to figure out what they are like to work on first person. I have a Peter Wright 186lbs and if the kohlswa anvils are nice to work on i may trade or sell the PW

i have looked for as much info as i can get and i like the kohlswa more than the london pattern but i have not worked on one and so i need to figure out what they are like to work on first person. I have a Peter Wright 186lbs and if the kohlswa anvils are nice to work on i may trade or sell the PW

the PW will be better any day if it has a reasonable thickness of steelface left.
and as stated the londonpattern is just a pattern kohlswa makes them as well amoung others
what pattern of the Kohlswas are you interested in mate?

Sometime something can be repeated so many times that it becomes accepted. Look at how many people still believe hot water will freeze faster than cold water.

Not always, but sometimes the impossible is possible.
http://lanl.arxiv.org/PS_cache/physics/pdf/0512/0512262v1.pdf

the PW will be better any day if it has a reasonable thickness of steelface left.
and as stated the londonpattern is just a pattern kohlswa makes them as well amoung others
what pattern of the Kohlswas are you interested in mate?

i want to get a b38 wide faced with the double horn and the PW dose have a good thickness but it has a small u lengthwise so i would need to grind on the heel and just before the step so i will need to equilize that but i think the pw was a good buy for $300 for 186lbs
Josh