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Rhino anvils are now made in America, near Spokane, WA. Their composition is a "nickel chrome" alloy, (nickel/chrome/molybdenum/manganese/carbon) used for making rock crusher liners. It's a very tough air-hardening steel, which allows the hardness to be HRC 52 all the way through.

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I got to see the new Pappa Rhino's at the NWBA Spring conference this last weekend and they are deffinitely on my wish list.

Steve brought them and did work on them all weekend, plus a spare to let us try them out. Good ring and great rebound.

Now, I just gotta figure out a way to raise the funds. Maybe a kickstarter campaign. :D

Regards,
Tim

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I have one of the older China made Papa Rhino's. Its a very good anvil. I'm very happy I own it. They were a delight to work with and were happy to work out shipping for me. All in all I would say it was one of the best purchasing experiences I've ever had. I don't believe they have had many ship to central Alaska. Just me. But, they looked round and found a good shipper that was willing to bring it to my door. I recomend them highly.

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Yes, I actually had 3 but gave away the middle sized one as I just didn't have space for 5 anvils and that one duplicated sizes I already had. I like them a lot and use them a lot. My beginners seem particularly to like the wide face.


There is a thread about "Anvil steel" to which I have posted the alloy that is used in the US made rhino anvils. Apparently it was designed for some part of a rock crusher machine- wear plates or something of the sort. So needless to say it is very hard but also tough.


Can't see me getting any more Rhinos as I have 3 anvils in my shop even now but they certainly seem to be good value!

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No current plans to make any Rhinos in the 500 lb range. If enough people express a strong interest, it can be done, of course. Only the Papa Rhinos (240 lb) are currently being made in Spokane. Later this year the tooling should be ready to produce 140 lb Baby Rhinos in Spokane too.

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$1200 isn't a bad price for an American-made hunk of iron. A bit out of my budget, but I like the size and the quality looks really good.

In their favor, the Papa Rhino is right at the top of the size requirements for a hobbyist. A lighter anvil might be handy in some circumstances, but a 242# anvil is just about perfect for anything a smith might need to make. Buy once and never have to wonder or worry again!

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$1200 isn't a bad price for an American-made hunk of iron. A bit out of my budget, but I like the size and the quality looks really good.

In their favor, the Papa Rhino is right at the top of the size requirements for a hobbyist. A lighter anvil might be handy in some circumstances, but a 242# anvil is just about perfect for anything a smith might need to make. Buy once and never have to wonder or worry again!



That was pretty much my thought process. Mine was less but, I still believe its a great deal.
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You can do effectively anything you are ever likely to want to do on a 242# anvil! If you look at the anvils of professional smiths of 100 years ago a 242 would have been looked on as big! Railway shops and shipbuilders used to have huge anvils but these were very rare. In my 1908 catalogue they list only up to 84# and those were for guys who would be using them for a living- not hobbyists. It will be interesting to see what price the US made Rhino baby anvils will come in at.

$5 per pound for a brand new modern anvil, with a warranty, has got to be good value.

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  • 2 weeks later...

With modern casting techniques I think the forged v cast thing is less relevant than it used to be. The new US made rhino anvils, for example, are made using best quality steel in modern foundries. I wonder how much difference being forged would actually make. It seems to make no difference in hammers.

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I eye balled the Pappa Rino in Longview. Watched it in action while being used with what looked like a an 8lb hammer. Liked looks, the sound and the rebound.
I currently have a Gladiator which I like very much. It has a wider face which is good and bad and does not have a step. But I work around it by using a step block and working on the tapered end of the anvil. Which means I have to think ahead before I get to the anvil.
Would I replace it with a Rino? No. If I needed an anvil would I buy one? I guess it would depend on which style I wanted. European or American.
Both anvils are well made, with good material and proper heat treat. Both are made in the USA,
I don't think you could go wrong with either one. Good luck making up your mind. Good investment and great tools.

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