Just a quick post to say that if you haven't tried plasticine as a way to deaden the ring of your anvil - give it a go. I knocked up this lightweight stand to take to demos but I think it's going to take the place of my usual oak stump because sticking some plasticine under the feet/on top of the angle iron does an amazing job of saving my ears.

 

Cool.  What's plasticine?  

its a moldable petroleum jelly based modeling clay that wont readily dry out if you leave it uncovered.  I imagine this is functioning the same way that silicone caulk would, as a flexible damper that is absorbing the vibration before it can get to the rest of the frame and then reflect back through the body.

 

let us know how that handles in the long run, as the clay doesn't 'solidify' like silicone caulk it will remain pliable indefinitely, so as you bang on it the layer may continue to thin out and extrude, so you might need to reset it after a while.

it is a popular childrens modeling clay, like blu tak but softer and is in a range of colours, stays soft and reusable.

I think a build up of scale will make it stiffer and it will need replacing often but it is cheap