Stock configuration on the anvil

[Glenn]

How do you place the stock on your anvil, laying the piece long wise on the face or perpendicular across the face?

Any reason? Is one better than the other?

[JHCC]

I generally forge perpendicular across the face, for two reasons:

1. If I'm drawing out stock, I very often use the edges as fullers, indenting the stock crosswise to make it thinner and longer. 

2. My anvil (a ca. 1830-1835 Mousehole) has a lengthwise sway to the face. While this can be useful for straightening long pieces, the crosswise section is much flatter (if anything, slightly crowned) and thus better for most forging. 

[the iron dwarf]

mostly across

[Tubalcain2]

i generally hold mine perpendicular.

[Judson Yaggy]

That's one of those "inside the box" questions.  There are a thousand ways to position stock on the anvil, the RIGHT way is the way that works for the task at hand.  

[ThomasPowers]

AT 90, 89,88,87,86,85,84,83,82,81,80,79,..........10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0  Degrees depending on the project, the anvil, the hammer, the workpiece, whether I'm trying to show a process to someone and where they are, How I feel and phase of the moon no doubt.

Now more importantly I try to position the piece so that the heavy hammering is done over the anvil's sweet spot and most of my anvils have the sides marked with soapstone to help students remember where it is.  (The sweet spot is that area of anvil face where there is iron/steel all the way to the base, no air! It's where the best transfer of energy occurs and for heavy hammering where you are least likely to damage the anvil if you miss.)

[beech]

Yup, it depends.  Thomas, now I find myself thinking about the sum of the terms of that sequence ... (equals 4095).  But seriously, I would have to agree that it depends of the nature of what I'm trying to do.

[Smoggy]

As my main anvil is square (the other is slightly longer) it makes little difference except the edges all have different radii, when using most other peoples anvils, I'm with both TP and ID.

[ThomasPowers]

I was using my sledging anvil today making chili peppers, it was already out near the forge and it has a lovely rounded edge near the front that swages the stems *perfectly*!   Convenience more than made up for the fact it's missing it's heel and so has a hardy hole prosthesis clamped on.  So the workpiece was oriented to use the 1" or so section with the "perfect curve" and was about at a 45 degree angle above the face of the anvil _____\

Beech that sequence didn't have a Sigma in front of it; so not meant to be summed!  (So did you do it the easy way?  By adding 90+1 +  + 2+89 + 3+88....46+45  or 45x91)

[Frosty]

I don't care.

Frosty The Lucky.

[gote]

Usually more or less across since many operations mean that the piece to hit is close to an edge or that the edge is used. I do not have much of  "sweet spot" since my two horn North Swedish has very little waist.

I use lengthwise when it is convenient to support a piece of stock without holding it - like when splitting using a chisel. Also when straightening stuff. 

[beech]

True that there is no sigma, I just had to figure it out when I saw it.  Yes I did it the easy way, I'm not going to punch all those numbers into a calculator.

[Frosty]

Okay, a serious answer from Frosty. There are a couple factors determine the angle I hold stock: #1 my stance at the anvil which depends on the technique I'm using. #2, Shouldering, again as needed for the shoulder. #3 punching splitting, etc. under a hold fast is usually lengthways.

Frosty The Lucky.