TheGreySmith Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Well to start I'd just like to say hello! I'm a brand new smith just starting out and I'm looking into getting a cheap anvil to start on. But I'm a little torn between two choices. choice A is a 21 pound railroad track with a hardy hole and more of a point than a horn. Dimensions A: It is about 12 3/4 inches long and is about 5 1/2 inches tall. The working surface is about 2 1/2 inches wide. and choice B is a 20 pound forged steel with a small horn and a hardy hole. Dimensions B: Overall 12 inches x 4 inches x 5 inches Working Surface 8 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches tapered Both are about the same price. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you guys. -Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Buying a 60# hunk of steel at a scrap yard would probably be better than either one and at my local scrap yard would cost US$12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 read the entire thread and follow the advice > Thomas Powers Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique until then get yourself a chunk of steel to practice on, maybe a 30" long bit of rail on end, the usable part of an anvil at any time is mostly only as big as the face of your hammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Keep hunting, at best those are bench anvils. Hit the scrap yards and get hooked up with the CBA. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreySmith Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 I'll do exactly that, I'll check out some scrap yards and see if I cant at least find a good hunk of junk to hit against. So what exactly is the TPAAAT? I hear about people using it in a lot of posts, but I guess I missed the breakdown. Do you guys mind filling me in? California Blacksmiths Association? I'll see if I can turn anything up :) Thanks for all the advice guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Many of the more experienced members have answered a LOT of questions us beginners will have in previous threads, and get a little...grumpy when asked to type it all out again(They all seem to be great guys and willing to help us out, so we need to help ourselves too by making use of all the already provided info in this forum). So click the link that The Iron Dwarf so kindly included in his post. It should lead you to a thread on here that explains the TPAAAT. Or, you can use the search block at the top right of the screen and search for it on the site yourself. Good luck with finding something usable. As Glenn the owner has said... "Pack a lunch and some drinks, grab a comfortable chair and start going through the threads." It'll take some time, but believe me, you will learn a LOT. I know I have (but I still have way more to go). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreySmith Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Yeah I asked that before my long drive home where I happily delved deep into that link, very helpful I think. And I have been lurking for about a week or two now. But obviously no where near long enough haha this is a very neat site with lots of stuff to learn. Just makes it all more exciting! Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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