Jump to content
I Forge Iron

I need help identifying my anvil


Recommended Posts

She's in her prime Brandon and wants to be used. Her intended purpose is hot steel and hammers, she was born to wear out hammers. What else do you have for kit? I think we have the anvil covered now lets talk about your: forge, hammers, chisels, tongs, etc. Hmmmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I am not sure if the weight it says 131 I am fairly certain but it sure feels a heck of a lot more when I have to move it back inside my garage when I am done. I appreciate all of the insight you all have shared with me. 

They always feel heavier than they are, it's an anvil thing, ask Wile E Coyote. Sweep a spot on the garage floor and put it on a bathroom scale is the best way to know within a reasonable amount. 

My main go to anvil is 125 lbs. and it's plenty for anything I want of it. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

its actually 129 lbs and her face is starting to shine up, spent all day yesterday and part of today forging a campfire tripod with a hook to control the temperature. never thought I would consider such hard work so much fun.

 

 forge, hammers, chisels, tongs, etc. Hmmmm?

my forge is wood believe it or not, it is a wooden frame that houses about 6 inches of dirt, and it is packed in a cone shape in the center where I have a Stainless Steel shower strainer to cover the hole enough to keep the coal from falling threw. my bellows is a shop vac 3.5 hp and it gets super hot, I know this less than ideal for forging stuff that has to be "clean" of impurities. I am going to get a true coal forge as soon as possible. and my hammers are just cheap harbor freight hammers. my tongs are some that i made out of rebar, i have a set of wolf jaws and a classic C clamp set. I am using "stoker coal" because it was we have in southern Colorado.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
 

Slag you're right, I was only wondering because i didn't want to destroy it. However if everyone thinks it should hold up to a few more blows i will give it a whack.

Yet your preservation instinct is good. 

To best heed it, a few suggestions 

don't hammer cold steel on your anvil

don't use a large sledge hammer on your anvil.

if you do use a largehammer, pound over the waist not the heel or horn.

don't cold form in your hardy hole. This is how heels break off.

 Practice hammer control.

get good enough that you seldom if ever hit your anvil. 

lightly radius your edges to prevent chipping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Question for you all concerning the stamped anvil weights discussed in this thread. 

I'm reading The Art of Blacksmithing and it says American and English anvils are marked in hundred weight.  

So the anvil marked "131" would be 197 lbs.

1= 112lbs

3= 3/4 of 112lbs (84lbs)

1= 1lb

Is this only the case with very old anvils?  Other than weighing the anvil is there a way to tell if its marked in lbs or hundred weight?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had folks sell me CWT marked anvils as stamped in pounds---++ for me and even more folks trying to claim that their american anvil stamped in pounds was stamped in CWT and so worth more---taking the bathroom scale along with you when you go to check out an anvil can depress such pretensions... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...