Working at the anvil.

[ThomasPowers]

Some folks stand next to the anvil facing the same way as the horn points. This position will put the hammer hand over the hardy hole.

Like Bryan I change position "as needed".

Standing issues: I've noticed that a number of European smiths run their powerhammers sitting down and I've done small work sitting down with a thick leather apron on and the anvil at an appropriate height and between my knees. Lots of ways to make accommodations for physical difficulties. Any change to go to an induction unit so you spend less time standing around waiting on metal heating?

[Borntoolate]

If you are Muslim perhaps the horn should point towards Mecca? IF you are clumsy the horn should point away from the general path around your anvil. In general I believe the horn should point either to the right or left or East or North or South or West or some combination thereof. I think the horn should gnerally not point upward or downward. (though there may be exceptions) These last two assume that hammering at the forge is taking place or intended. This also serves when using the bottom of the anvil as previously mentioned. When blowing the anvil up into the air with dynamite I am not sure... Anyone???

At my first blacksmithing gathering I was definitely asking for advice on everything and I got it. The first guy told me to leave the hammer handle on the anvil AND place the desired hammer face a certain way. The next guy told me to face the hammer face the opposite direction (they were both right handed). After I talk with enough lefties I will have to make a hammer with two identical faces and handles entending out from both directions. This will be the perfect hammer where placement will never be wrong. All the rules will be followed. One problem, there will be very little blacksmithing unless we can figure a way for two people to swing the same hammer at the same time and hit both faces simultaneously.

[thingmaker3]

When blowing the anvil up into the air with dynamite I am not sure... Anyone???

The horn of the blown anvil points opposite to the horn of the base anvil.

http://www.anvilfire.com/news1/index12.htm or http://www.flickr.com/photos/91663677@N00/page23/

But are those particular anvil-blowers right handed or left handed?

[jeremy k]

I personally use my anvil with the horn to the right (right handed). The reason I do this is for ease of handling the stock while scrolling. By that, I mean if i am on the side of the horn ( using a london pattern anvil) the far side of the horn curves in towards me to the right - therefore while forging, it is easier to line up the stock hand (left hand) position wise for forging perpendicular to the contact area of the horn I am using. This also lets me see what I'm doing easier, just tipping my head down to the right lets me see a side view of everything. Using the horn to the left makes me have to have my left hand choked up into my side as I'm having to stand far more to the right of the horn to do this, while reaching / over extending. I like the Horn to the right for what I do. - JK

[Steve Sells]

I am the opposite, I like my horn to the left, I am a blade maker, predominantly right handed ambidextrous. I use the face the most and horn for drawing, not so much scrolls.

[John McPherson]

It is the topic that will not die!!! How can you kill that which has no life????

Next up, how many angels can dance on the head of a hardy, and other mysteries of the universe.

[Frank Turley]

This subject has been cussed and discussed. How about the orientation of anvil length to the front of the hearth. Mine is usually 90º. I'm right handed, so I can take a step to my right and I'm facing the side (length) of the anvil. I've been in some shops where the anvil length is parallel to the hearth front. My anvil horn is mostly to the left, probably because I started in farriery, and I was turning and shaping lots of shoes. If the tongs with the shoe are in my left hand, and the horn is on the left, I couldn't see taking the shoe to the right for bending. However, now I'm doing all sorts of ironwork, so the anvil is in a steel-plate box of sand and is movable. I move it close for dinky work and dinky forge welds. I move it away for heavy work and I change its orientation as needed.

I warn people not to cut their fingers on the hardie, but there is at least one exception to leaving the hardie on the anvil while working. The granite tool sharpeners would keep a square stake in the hardie hole, the face having a built-in cant or angle. The stake usually had a vertical slot in its shank so it could be wedged against the heel base on English/American anvils. The hardie was specially made to fit in the pritchel hole, and it stayed there. In this manner, the smith could dress tools on the stake and use the hardie when he wished to, without having to juggle the tools all day.

[Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks]

Just to chime in... I by default set up an anvil with the horn facing right (I am right handed) as there are a multitude of advantages to working from that side, but I will often also simply walk around the thing if I need access to another spot on the anvil. The only really important thing is that you nail the dang thing into the dirt and give yourself plenty of space to walk around it. As Mr. Brazeal says: "I'd rather work off the face of a 6lb. sledgehammer properly mounted than a 1-ton anvil just sitting loose". If you haven't mounted your anvil to it's base and the base to the floor, you are loosing an incredible amount of energy. Working alone I can easily get a 300lb. anvil rocking, and when you think about just how much energy it takes to move a mass that large, it really amounts to alot of lost time. When I mounted my anvil, I saw my speed dang near double. I am actually kind of surprised that Brian didn't chime in on this thread with his list of reasons for having your horn to your hammer hand. Most people know about the hardy thing, but there are about a dozen other advantages to having it that way: When you lay your hammer on the anvil, you don't cover your hardy or pritchel hole, when drawing on the horn, you will naturally swing into the mass of the anvil as opposed to swinging toward the tip of the horn, when using half hammer face blows on the near side near the step, your hammer handle and hand clear the anvil more naturally, when working with a striker, you are in a more natural position to place him closer to your hardy hole which improves his accuracy by not having to swing over the horn, and there are a few others which I forget at the moment. But as I said, the REALLY important thing is to mount your anvil down down to the earth so you don't lose all that work.

[BlissStreet]

So that one is placed so the very sharp horn is out of the way of my thighs and private parts while dancing around in the excited way i get sometimes.

I can't help but file that away for future reference.

[Tim S.]

I used to work in an industrial blacksmith shop. I remeber one of the "Old timers" there telling me this very question caused one of the more heated debates ever had at the Wisconsin Blacksmiths and Welders Association. To my knowledge no consensus was found.

[Frosty]

I usually pol the folk at the forge with me on a given day and orient my anvil so as to annoy the largest number.

My short answer is I point mine the direction that works best for what I'm doing at the time. I do tend to find right side up to be the most common "right" direction.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Awalker]

Mine is to the left and I am a righty.The very specific reason why I use that orientation is that on the far edge of my anvil there is a section that has a goodly radius on the corner and the aft section is a fairly sharp right angle, the close side is all square and fairly sharp. I use the radius for starting scrolls and bends, and also when starting tapers, or using the hammer close to the edge it is not right on the sharp corner. Most of the time the anvil is at roughly a 45 to the forge ( point the horn at the forge then back off 45 clockwise), but I will move it around to whatever is handy for the job.

[John B]

 

That then begs the question "Whereabouts do you stand in relation to the forge when orienting your anvil?"

If its a back/side blast you know where the back is, and hence you can orientate the relationship, but what if you are using a round bottom blast forge? Is it correct to assume the front is opposite to the inlet pipe mounting to the tuyere ? and then we come to the hand cranked forges, what do you class as the front on those ?

Got to get all the facts afore you can make a decision.!

I've move it or use it at the most convenient for the task in hand, if I can't move the anvil, I'll move to a suitable position in relation to the anvil.

 

[Drewed]

I used to work in an industrial blacksmith shop. I remeber one of the "Old timers" there telling me this very question caused one of the more heated debates ever had at the Wisconsin Blacksmiths and Welders Association. To my knowledge no consensus was found.

Meh, being a WIsconsinite, we froge with the horn down. After all, isn't that why it is pointy? So I can drive it into the stump easier?

[Brasilikilt]

For what it's worth.....

I'm left handed, and like many other South paws I have had to adapt to a right handed world....scissors, guitars, can openers etc.

Currently my anvil horn points to the right...I didn't go with any mystical magnetic calculations, because trying to sight my old Silva Ranger compass to align a 178 lb mass of metal tends to throw the needle off a tad :-)

My rule of thumb (as a somewhat experienced beginner) is to point the anvil horn AWAY from the forge.. I do this because I tended to focus on the freakishly hot chunk of metal in my tongs and not so much where my nether regions are in relation to the horn. It's as simple as that.

[Frosty]

Sigh, just take a sighting and snap a line to align the anvil with. Of course, protecting one's nethers is an unarguably sound practice. Not that we can't argue it of course but . . .

Frosty The Lucky.