D.C. Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Quick disclaimer I AM NOT RECOMMENDING NOR LOOKING TO PURCHASE THIS ANVIL. Just wanted to document it and see if anyone has personal experience with these. So I'm traveling through Canada and decided to swing into Princess Auto to browse. It's like the Canadian harbor freight on steroids. Lots of imported "tools" but also excellent trailer building supplies, hydraulics, and some surplus. In any case, this is what I found. It claims to be a 66# STEEL anvil. I was ready to write it off as another cheesy Chinese cast iron ASO, but I couldn't help myself. I grabbed a hammer and gave her a tap. And another. Then, with it sitting on concrete I did a rudimentary rebound test. Consistently it was 60-70%. And it rings. I think this might actually be a STEEL anvil. Note I didn't say HARDENED STEEL. But steel in any case. And now the downsides. The "pritchel" is as big as my thumb and drilled only 2" deep. Same for the hardy. Neither pass through. The working area is ridiculously small for an anvil this size. And the price. Nearly 6$ Canadian per lb Anyway, an odd addition to the list of Chinese anvil attempts. At least there were no visible casting lines, and the machining was pretty clean. Also, I wish I had photographed it, but the bottom features 2 threaded holes....for mounting maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VainEnd84 Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 A local blacksmith had purchased one of these "forges steel" ones, they also had another design that was "cast steel" and came in three weights 30, 60, and 120 lbs I believe. This one was OK, the hardie hole and "pritchel" hole were drilled only part way through, the face was decently hard, but it only had about 60% rebound. The other cast steel ones were better, with the hardier and pritchel running through, and they had about 75% rebound. They were no where near the quality of better manufacturers, and for the price the NC Anvils are still a better deal in my opinion but they are not bad and actually do seem to be made from steel rather than cast iron. Hope this helps! A note on the price, I've notice in Western Canada that anything under $6 a lb is a deal now, many anvils are going north of $8 a lb. Mostly because of the "art" market, it makes me grumble with disappointment when ever I see one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 I'd say definitely too much money for that. Chinese trash being dumped on this continent rightfully ought to be boycotted. I can't say I'd recommend a NC for any serious work either. In my never to be considered humble opinion they sort of bridge the gap between an anvil and an ASO but that's about it. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 It's time to get back to forging's roots and use chunks of steel for anvils and leave the London pattern ones for the wannabe's. Then when this fad passes, buy them up at 10 cents on the dollar! TPAAAT may still find some at reasonable prices; I still find some at US$1 a pound like they were for around 50 years prior to the bubble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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