February 25, 201412 yr Hey! I'm bored and thought that I could put my drafting skills into some use. Give me some ideas of what you would like to see on a custom anvil, and I'll try to illustrate it!
February 25, 201412 yr I've got an idea for a 2 piece anvil set. As a bladesmith (mostly) I want a block anvil. 6x6x12 would be about 200lbs. Sloped out into two feet with closed cleats (like some of the Fishers have) and perhaps an upsetting block. The 2nd piece would be a cube 6x6x6. Once face would have a Hardy hole, all the way through. 4 of the 5 remaining faces would have various swedges on them, the last face would have a cone like horn. The set would have two stands, joined or not. The anvil would sit on a 8x8 block and the stand would bolt around it. The stand for the other block would have a hole in middle so that you could have which ever face of the block you wanted uppermost. The through Hardy would give you a place to stick a bar for moving the thing. The block would be about 100lbs. I have build most of this, and it works well for me. I still don't have a horn with my setup, but I rarely need one. When I do, my 200lb Fisher gets some work. Geoff
February 25, 201412 yr Author Sounds cool! I recall seeing a block like the 6x6x6 you were talking about- I think it might have been a Wally Yater. I'll see what I come up with.
February 25, 201412 yr Draw something with old-world lines. If it's just lines on paper, you can go crazy without worrying about actually making a mold to pour the thing into! I like a block anvil, but something with flair. Chamfered corners. Stepped base. Gargoyle face..... You could do a lot of little details that make the anvil really stand out as a piece of art.
February 25, 201412 yr Double horn, with a step, with the hardy hole towards the square horn and not by the round horn. It seems like all of the new ones have the hardy hole up there by the round horn, so all of us horn-to-the-right people will cut our fingers off. I also like the radius upper edge on the hardy hole, like the Fishers have. Another good feature on the fishers, is the overhanging top plate. The top plate overhangs the mass underneath slightly, (1/8-inch maybe) this allows the smith to dress the anvil as desired, and allows numerous redressing without grinding into the body of the anvil. Just as an off the cuff idea: A single agressive radius, facing straight up, positioned over part of the mass of the anvil, would be an attractive feature, especially for the guys who like to taper on the horn. I'm not sure where and how, such a die could be incorporated so as not to interfere with other important aspects. Perhaps run the horn radius in to over the anvil mass for two inches or so, then step up to the flat plate??? Be sure to share what you come up with.
February 25, 201412 yr The interchangeable multiple tools of the Sheffield anvil certainly would warrant some consideration : ) .
February 26, 201412 yr Thomas, you left out the dual upsetting blocks, 45 degree taper edge on the off side with church windows, Hofi high shelf, 1" square hardy hole on the cone end of the face, graduated pritchel holes on the square pike, and mounting lugs on the stepped feet. Hmmm, where to put the bottle opener.........
February 26, 201412 yr I'm a fan of the double horned post anvil, say 4" wide, something in the neighborhood of 32- 36" overall length. I do like the step and graduated pritchel holes. 4" post, say 18" over all hight.
February 26, 201412 yr Author Also, a side note. I designed a double horn anvil a while back, which had a radiused edge and shallow square holes for inserting stock to be twisted. I am concerned that the twisting holes will reduce the strength of the bic resulting in a possible crack. In other words, I don't know if heavy pounding on the bic will create a fracture where the holes are, since the waist of the anvil descends under them. Have you guys seen any type of reinforcement on the bottom of a horn to add mass, or maybe a spine which will allow it to stand up to heavy pounding?
February 27, 201412 yr Either add an upsetting block to both sides or move it to the other side. I prefer it on the off side and I'm a horn on the left guy. Basically as a modern anvil you've just drawn the Fontani and Blu anvils...
February 27, 201412 yr When drawing an anvil be careful about the features that you add. It's a lot like designing a knife..... if the feature doesn't exist in the real world, there's probably a really good reason. Not only are your twisting depressions adding to the cost of manufacture, they serve no valid purpose even if they seem like a good idea. They would quickly clog up with dust and scale, and it would be awkward to twist anything but the shortest pieces. One of the neat things about art is the ability to make something attractive without detracting from its functionality. There's a lot you can do to an anvil to make it attractive. Church windows, stepped feet, sinuous curves...
February 28, 201412 yr Also, a side note. I designed a double horn anvil a while back, which had a radiused edge and shallow square holes for inserting stock to be twisted. I am concerned that the twisting holes will reduce the strength of the bic resulting in a possible crack. In other words, I don't know if heavy pounding on the bic will create a fracture where the holes are, since the waist of the anvil descends under them. Have you guys seen any type of reinforcement on the bottom of a horn to add mass, or maybe a spine which will allow it to stand up to heavy pounding? Yeah I agree, loose the twisting holes. If a person can afford a custom new anvil, they can afford a post vise. I like the location of the hardy holes, but would prefer all 90 degree corners left sharp from the manufacturer, so I could dress as I pleased. I might also suggest a thicker round horn. On the flat horn, on all double horn anvils I've seen, the underside is a straight taper to the small of the horn. How about a nice arch like single horn anvils? That might look neat!
March 1, 201412 yr Agree with all, get rid of the twisting holes. Twisting is done in the vise or in a power tool. Also, manufacturing tight tolerance holes in a large mass of steel is difficult and therefore expensive. Heat treating around stress risers/sharp corners is problematic. Dave, Fontanini anvils have an upswept (non-conical) horn like many London patterns, but have many other features similar to German patterns that take the cake. PS how is the belt grinder rebuild going? No one has yet mentioned Grant Sarver's OmniAnvil. Best modular anvil design since 19th century cutler's anvils, and designed with input from the IFI community.
March 1, 201412 yr Located a brand new 1.5 hp 3600 rpm for $165. :) gonna try to pick it up next week. I have not seen a Fontanini anvil before....that I recall. Google image search.....BRB
March 1, 201412 yr They appear straight in the pics.....could just be the angle or something.....or we could be unknowingly referring to different parts of the anvil. :)
March 1, 201412 yr Hi this is one I made, might give you some ideas. 1" hardy hole couple of different pricket holes
March 14, 201412 yr Great looking anvil my friend! Would you care to share some details about this anvil? Like the manufacturing process,dimensions, design..etc.?
March 21, 201412 yr I would say make it modular, with a Solid middle. I got cad Ill draw something up.
March 23, 201412 yr I would like to see what you would turn out in terms of drawing an anvil that is an octagonal pedestal that is about 3 feet off the ground and is 12 inches between the opposing sides. Simmilar to the one seen in the hobbit but the whole thing and ornate. Purpose would be for consolidating blooms? (purely conceptual.)
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