Tomahawksimmons Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 I am new to forging I got a 55lb grizzly anvil it not that great face to soft I'm looking at the 112 nc anvil is that a good anvil to get for forging knives and to do Damascus knife thanks for any feedback it will help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Wouldn't be my first choice but I suppose it'll work George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomahawksimmons Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 5 minutes ago, George Geist said: Wouldn't be my first choice but I suppose it'll work George What would be a few good anvils to look at thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 14 minutes ago, Tomahawksimmons said: What would be a few good anvils to look at thanks There are some great threads here about what to look for in an anvil. "Anvils: A beginner buyers guide" is an excellent place to start. Also, do not get locked into thinking that you need a classic London-pattern anvil. Japanese swordsmiths use anvils that are little more than big square chunks of steel. People use all kinds of things, from sledgehammer heads to truck axles stood on end to goodness knows what. Take a look at this thread for an example of someone using a part from an excavator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 In my never to be considered humble opinion the best contemporary American made anvils are made by Emerson of Bossier City LA. Most of the Swedish anvils are also top shelf. If you prefer continental patterns Scott is good as well as a few others. As to older ones Hay Budden, Fisher, etc etc all good. Is nothing wrong with horseshoers anvils. They'll do anything any other anvil will do but most of the newer ones have hooking holes and turning cams and other such unnecessary garbage that tend to get in the way that's it's difficult to find one out there without that stuff unless it has some age on it. A nice anvil will be your most used tool and quite possibly could be used by your great grandkids so don't skimp on that. Get the best one you can get your hands on. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 I personally like the Scott tapered heel anvil. I own a 100lb now and can forge big stuff on it. It's a solid little anvil. I've also owned a 100lb square heel Emerson. It was also a great anvil. I just prefer the Scott with the tapered heel now. And with the Scott being compact and chunky, it doesn't give off that nasty ear piercing ring. I also put a magnet under the hardy hole to stop all ring. The magnet on the Emerson works too to stop the ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomahawksimmons Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 Thanks every one for your feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 And look for an anvil with a round horn. Flat top horns aren't the best and I think they can really limit what you can do on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Damascus Steel swords were often forged on anvils that look rather like a cube; back then wrought iron, today, steel. Such "cube anvils" have been used for over 2000 years the modern "london pattern" for about 200 years. I can go down to my local scrap yard and buy an "anvil" that would have amazed and pleased Frankish swordmakers forging "viking blades---and they cost me 20 cents a pound. Of course my local scrap yard has had a bunch of heavy plate chunks over the years---4 to 8" thick! Stop by sometime and I'll take you to the scrapyard and introduce you to the owner. (Note this is near my northern address) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomahawksimmons Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 Do want to thank everyone for the feedback I've got a nether question on steel I know you can use coil spring off a car or leaf spring I Hurd to stay away from unknown metal and a leaf spring is to big for a normal sized knife I was wound on the size of steel to get in like flat steel thickness the width and length to make around 3 to 7 inch knives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 @Tomahawksimmons, before you ask any more, I need to let you know that you're asking some pretty basic questions that have been posed here on IFI any number of times. If you haven't already done so, please go to the knifemaking section of the forum and read the pinned posts. In particular, New knife maker? and the posts linked in Knife Making Classes will give you more knowledge than you'll know what to do with. If you still have questions after digesting all that material, we'll be here for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Something else to consider doing. Go to your profile and add your location. You may be surprised how many members are close to you and a lot of answers are location dependent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 All steel starts as pieces too big to make knives from; often weighing in the tons. It then gets worked down to usable sizes. If you were to take a hot cut and cut a leaf spring in pieces would they still be too big? As to proper size for a blade---depends on the type of the blade and your preferences---will you be doing a blade with a final thickness of 1/8" or 1/4"? Just that will pretty much make a difference of 2 in the size you start with. A good measure would be to weigh a finished blade and double that weight for your starter piece. With skill you can get closer and closer to the final weight. The neo-tribals goal was to lose only about 10% of the weight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 To best of my recollection NC was started by the same family that ran a horseshoeing school in North Carolina. When they closed up the school they kicked the tool company in the butt and really got it going. Some of their tools are very good. Most especially their driving hammers. Their anvils on the other hand were a whole different matter. A fly by night new class every monday horseshoeing school somewhere in Oklahoma made a deal with NC Tool Company for a lot of anvils. Students got a free NC anvil and set of hand tools included in their tuition. They were purposely only made in 70# weight so they could be shipped by UPS. Entirely too light to do any serious work but could be improved a lot if you bought an NC stand which had a clamping hold down device to hold it fast. At about this time in history more and more women started going to shoeing schools everywhere. Their small size and light weight made them very popular among this demographic group. They were never that great anyway but over time they began to add heel hooking holes and turning cams and other such trash that has no place on an anvil I believe just to annoy me. That's pretty much the history behind them. They're cheap, plentiful and have oversaturated the market due to being given away for free. Not an anvil I'd give any serious consideration to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 That would be the school down buy Ardmore. MFC is made buy the school in Percell. The problem with MFC is they like to make hollow anvils with funky curves. Mad to a 70# anvil, for shoeing stock they work well, even the flat hornets are useful for forging square toed shoes from keg shoes. The big isue with farrier anvils is most of the mass is in the horn and heal, so the sweet spot is very small right over the center of the waist. They are optimized for forming scrolls bent the hard way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I don't know, I've reall never seen any work you could do an a regular smiths anvil that couldn't be done with a decent shoeing anvil but maybe from using them all my life I'm a little prejudiced. Yeah MFC is another POS. His hand tools might make good fishing sinkers though lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I kind of like his shoe pattern tho, especially since he started having them made in the Philipeins. I don't have an issue, one just has to understand your tool. Do your heavy forging over the center of the anvil, if you need to do heavy forging over a hardy, build it offset tord the center. It's a just a specialized tool one works with its forbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 As I see it, horseshoeing anvils don't usually get any bigger than about 125# or so, which is adequate for shoeing but a little light for heavier hanging and banging. I think it'd be kinda cool if somebody could make a horseshoers pattern in about 200# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I have about 10 foot of 4" square. I have been fantasizing about making a big double horn post anvil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 This came through my local scrapyard a couple of yeas ago 4" solid stock as I recall; previously used to soak up explosions at EMRTC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 9 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said: I kind of like his shoe pattern tho, especially since he started having them made in the Philipeins. Out of curiosity, any reason you prefer "Philipeins" over "Philipeens"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 ee never acured to me. I finally gave up trying to get it threw the word processor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 My spell check is always confusing "Philippines" with "Philippians". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Yes sir, bible quotes and business and sports team names are a PITA when it comes to spell check. If you try and say you saw a cardinal in the yard, it seems like it automatically assumes you men you saw a Cardinal in the yard. Windows and Apple are another one... as I am technologically chalanged (and Windows advers) I am not likely to be talking about the OS on my computer! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I'm slowly teaching my new system British spelling---one word at a time and then you add in geology terms, armour terms, Spanish terms, blacksmith terms, metallurgy terms,... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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