Dan P. Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Anyone had one or used one? I have done a few trawls of google and didn't find any reports or reviews. Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpinThumpin Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I have used them. I won't knock em however I wouldn't recommend them either. I do not like the rebound(lack of). The weight of the anvil compared to the horn size and shape is not my favorite either. I feel that there are better products regarding new anvils. If you choose to buy one I do not believe you will be getting "ripped off" or have a poor product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 I have used them. I won't knock em however I wouldn't recommend them either. I do not like the rebound(lack of). The weight of the anvil compared to the horn size and shape is not my favorite either. I feel that there are better products regarding new anvils. If you choose to buy one I do not believe you will be getting "ripped off" or have a poor product. Hmmm. I'm not sure what to make of your review! The lack of rebound part sounds bad, as that is pretty much the mark by which quality is judged. I was thinking of the 200lb shop anvil, not one of the portable shoers' ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Rebound is an interesting the to judge and anvil by. I have used a cast iron anvil that had no rebound that I could tell. I did not like it. A friend bought one of the emerson 150# anvils years ago to use for everyday full time shoeing and for farrier competitions a few times a year. He has not replaced it. I have used his anvil and If I had not already had A Kolswa I would have bought one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I would think that any anvil cast out of 4140 and properly heat treated would be just fine Mike Tanner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I had one that I bought new in '82 it was an 80lb. farrier anvil it was pretty soft and at that time I missed my work often enough to mark it up a lot. I knew another guy who had one which was much better (harder). His was also larger. Rebound and hardness are pretty related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgeman Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 emerson anvils are cast steel , 4140 to be exact. they are of good quality and would be a good anvil in my opinion , Forgeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BumpinThumpin Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Hmmm. I'm not sure what to make of your review! The lack of rebound part sounds bad, . heh heh heh, Sorry for the confusion. I have felt the same over my personal feelings with those anvils. All three that I have worked on were 150#. One was superior compared to the other 2. This I never could quite understand (considering the manufacturing process). The other 2 I would not call a bad or poor anvil. Something was lacking that I have not been able to properly articulate. To try to clarify what I am saying it basically comes down to this. If it were me, for the price, I would either find a quality older anvil or jump up in price for a different new anvil. That is just me and I am only giving you honest feed back. Again I would not fault anyone for purchasing one. I know several people who have them and they like them. Either way congratulations on purchasing an anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 I Engaged my memory and realize that my earlier post was totally inacurate I had an Enders anvil sorry. Someday maybe I'll invest in a brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Turner Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 I used several Emerson 150 pound anvils and the rebound was lacking and they were a bit soft I also noticed that everyone of the Emerson anvils I have forged on acted different. I have not tried a new Emerson anvil in about 4 years, my JHM has way more rebound than the Emerson 150# and the JHM line of anvils is very consistent, I have forged on a lot of them and they all had the same rebound. Just my personal experience with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 Thanks for the answers, chaps. Sounds like they might be one to give a miss? I have had a look at JHM anvils as well, but was put off by the fact that they are cast ductile (if I remember correctly), and are consistently advertised as being work-hardenable (which to my mind is either irrelevant or undesirable). The reason I wanted to know is because there is a fair chance that I may be moving to the US (where my wife is from), and I've been thinking about where I will be able to get an anvil from. I won't have the time or patience to go hunting for a decent second hand one, and I really do not like the "european pattern" anvils which are so popular with youse lot. I may just have to ship all of my junk out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Well I don't recall seeing more than 50 or 60 anvils for sale at a usual quad-state; will you be moving close enough to attend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 Where would Quad State be? If it's in the south west, then probably no. Realistically speaking, if and when a move is made, it will probably be cost effective for me to hire a container anyway. Given the apparent price of old anvils in the US relative to what they are here, I might even pack a few extra in. For sale. At quad State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Turner Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 JHM anvils are not ductile iron they are cast steel and are heat treated to a face hardness of 50rc not work hardened. They are the finest anvil made in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Nimba is a double horn ....nice big work area ..... made in WA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I agree with Mike. I use a 260# JHM Competitor. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Prefect anvil for me. Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Dont know if they are the finest anvil made in the us ( you may get an argument from NIMBA , RAT hole,TFS and other manufacturers but it is one fine anvil. Every product has a bad one fall thru the cracks now and again. Peddinghaus is supposed to be the last forged steel anvil still being produced but Ive heard rumors that even they had a bad lot slip thru the cracks several years ago Get a hammer and hit it / if you are satisified with the rebound and hardness and will use it then buy it. We have all seen evidence of anvils that weren't quite up to par when they were made and that includes Peter Wrights,hey-hay buddens , mouseholes and others. Mike Tanner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Quad-State Blacksmiths Round-Up is held in September usually about the 3rd or 4th weekend and is at the Miami County Fairgrounds, Troy Ohio, USA. Troy is about 1/2 an hour north of Dayton OH and so is on the west side of the state near the midline. It's the largest annual blacksmithing wingding in the US with around 800 to 900 smiths taking part. I drive to it from NM---about 1500 miles; Rich flies in from the Virgin Islands, lots of friends from Canada drive down, etc. SOFA (Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil) has a website but thye 2008 info won't be there till summer. One reason the tailgating, (boot sales), is so good at Quad-State is that anyone who has paid their registration fee can sell for no extra cost so a lot of smiths clean out the shop and sell off stuff they don't need anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 Sounds very interesting! My wife is from Cleveland so I'll have the opportunity to go there at some point. And I will probably have the opportunity to get used to how preposterously large your country is while i'm on the way. I don't think I've been more than ten miles from my home in the last year. That's London- big city, small island! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 JHM anvils are not ductile iron they are cast steel and are heat treated to a face hardness of 50rc not work hardened. They are the finest anvil made in the US. Are you 100% sure that JHM anvils are not ductile? Ductile iron is hardenable, and an anvil could be made of worse things. I am quite happy to be wrong, but I remember reading that they were made of ductile iron on the manufacturer's website (which no longer seems to exist :confused:). And while I didn't say that they were work hardened, I have definitely seen them advertised as being work hardenable, again, I'm pretty sure the manufacturer had them advertised as such as well. I would be interested to know your experience with other US manufactured anvils. I certainly like the shape of the 260lb JHM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primtechsmith Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 "All 6 styles of JHM anvils are cast in sand molds by the JHM foundry which has been making quality products since 1886. Each ladle of metal used in building the anvil is carefully measured, weighed and tested to insure that the chemical makeup is consistent in each anvil and that the ingredients meet or exceed JHM specifications. The combination of metals used in JHM anvils was designed for maximum strength and hardening ability. The anvils are finished in the JHM machine shop. Top and bottom faces are milled and the pritchel hole is drilled. When JHM machines the anvil, the bottom is machined first and then the top is carefully machined flat and parallel to the bottom. This insures a very level top surface. Each JHM anvil is heat treated in an oven as opposed to “flame” hardened anvils where only the top 1/8” or so of the anvil is hard. The whole JHM anvil is heated throughout. The oven temperature is brought up to a specific heat range and held there for about 3 hours, then slowly cooled, thus hardening the whole anvil. The entire anvil is heat-treated to between 48-52 Rockwell hardness which penetrates all surfaces of the anvil, preventing long-term deformation."Centaur Forge-JHM 125 lb. Journeyman Anvil Peyton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgeman Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 JHM anvils are not ductile iron they are cast steel and are heat treated to a face hardness of 50rc not work hardened. They are the finest anvil made in the US. Mike the JHM anvils may be good anvils but they are indeed made out of ductile iron . Forgeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Turner Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I know when I bought mine it had a sticker right on it that said cast steel not ductile iron. I have used ductile iron anvils before and they do not rebound like my anvil does. Also they chip real easy on the edge, after 8+ years of beating on mine every day not a chip in the edge and I use the edge a lot to shear nails or remove clips from shoes. I had a friend do this with a Cliff Caroll anvil and knocked a dime size piece out of the corner and face and it looked like cast iron. Maybe JHM has changed what they use I will be calling them tomorrow to see as I was wanting to get a 260# anvil but if they have changed to iron I will pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I think I was talking with Kayne and Son and they told me TFS and JHM are the same manufacturer just different names..... It was a draw between a JHM and the Nimba I just liked the profile of the nimba and the very large work area....It is a great piece of metal tho ...great rebound...you have to be careful if you leaning over and hitting something you can catch just right and the rebound is liable to wack you in the head if you arent paying attention ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candidquality Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Haven't tried the JHm, so I can't give you advice on that one. But I have to say I love the Nimba. It is a beautiful piece of work. I'd be extremely surprised if you didn't fall in love with one the first time you tried it. Already have my old 200# fisher, next anvil I buy will be a Nimba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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