I was wondering if anyone has ever had any experience with TFS anvils. I'm looking to get a new 100 pounder for shows and rendezvous and the like but have only had minimal experience with anvils outside of the classics. I live in central Utah and there are lots of opportunities for tradesmen to do shows. I need an anvil that will have at least a four inch face and a round horn. Up until now I have been content using my own anvils from S7 and 40 steels, but people like the old anvil shape when I go out. In fact I could be pounding on my three face anvil and have people ask where my anvil is. Blades are what people like to see but I do a lot of stuff at my shows. Any suggestions from the crowd here? I appreciate the feedback. 

No experience using but looking at them they appear to be ok. Should serve your needs.

Blacksmith style would probably be best choice. Not that there's anything wrong with using a Horseshoers anvil but most of the contemporary ones are loaded with unnecessary trash nobody needs like turning cams, hooking holes and such. If you do get a Horseshoers get an older style one.

George

Ya, Id love to just get a nice block anvil but the only guy that I have seen make them is in the philippines and he says his manufacturer won't ship to the states. Could you recommend any?

Steve Parker was selling medieval styled stump anvils at Quad-State some years.   Finding a 19th/20th century design London Pattern anvil at a decent price may require a lot of TPAAAT in your location; of course the first thing is to get off the internet and start!

I've done my legwork so far throughout the midwest and California Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming with very little to show for it. But I am determined.

You could always educate them and explain that the London pattern anvil is the "new" anvil design while the block was the old design for thousands of years.

No experience with TFS, but I do have a 125# JHM Journeyman which has a good smithing shape too.  JHM makes a nice anvil, no complaints from me. I have also heard good reviews for Scott anvils. Not knowing what you budget is makes it a fun, but have you looked at Nimba, Jymm Hoffman, Rhino, Peddinghaus, etc?

George, I actually use the turning cams on my JHM for bending items, and found that they are pretty handy at times. The JHM has then at the rear of the  heel, not on the side like other makes. .

Thanks Biggundoctor, I'll take a look at them. I hear JHM has some rather large horns but great surfaces. Rhino was one I looked at but xxxx xxxx per pound those things are nearly twice as much as a scott. I'm looking for something to take to shows that don't look overly modern which leaves me with few options other than going round the country looking for a decent anvil in working condition. Jymm Hoffman makes amazing anvils but they are a bit large for their primary seller or a bit modern looking for the 110 and the 100 pounders. Also they are almost $300 more for anvils of the same weight. If they are far superior in design and function I won't mind so much, price is not a problem but if I'm going to pay that much more it better have a treadle hammer attached to it, you know? Nimba are great as well from what I hear and that double horn is a neet option but again we are talking $400-$500 bucks more for anvils of similar size from other brands. Peddinghaus has the problem of having nothing between the 77 and the 165 and. A 77 could work for the road but the surface area I'm looking for is closer to that 4-4.5 inch. I know I'm being picky but that's why I'm consulting the experts here. Thank you so much for the input thus far though guys. It is helping out a lot.

 

I guess my real question is, are these far more expensive anvils worth the much higher price just because they are not made of ductile cast iron? Also do you think a good 50--77 lb anvil would be better for these shows. I have done several but never with an actual manufactured anvil. I simply make what I need and use it, but I think it is about time. I'm not savey on anvil brands or their manufacturing processes. It just seems silly to me when I can get a metric ton of S7 impact steel or 4140 for the same price as some of these over engineered blocks. Someone please educate me. I am serious about being in the dark about some of these companies and don't want to buy something that will crack in half a year from now. 

The Hoffman Colonial pattern seems to fit your bill pretty well, possibly with the exception of price.  It is 100# and an older pattern style.  I'm sure with a little use and knocking around traveling it will get that vintage patina in short order, and out of H-13 it should hold up extremely well.

One thing you need to look at is what these anvil are made of. TFS is ductile iron. Emerson is 4140. Scott is ductile iron or as centaurforge states ductile alloy. Cliff Carroll anvil I can't find the alloy but they are rather soft.

I would agree the Hoffman colonial would probably be your best bet. Have you looked into these?

 

Edited April 3, 20188 yr by Mod34
Commercial link removed per TOS

8 hours ago, Camulus777 said:

Rhino was one I looked at but xxxx xxxx per pound those things are nearly twice as much

Rhino anvil are some of the best. They are made from an air hardening steel and are hardened through the whole body and don't have to be quenched. If you have any more questions about the rhino anvils Jerrod Miller is the mettalurgist for the foundry that makes them and he is an active member of bladesmithsforum.com if you would like to talk to him he would be more than willing to talk with you.

All London Pattern anvils look "modern" to me...many of them date till after the Bessemer/Kelly process!

My "modern" travel anvil is a 91 pound Arm and Hammer which works very well for what I do. 

Jymm once told me my 25# stump made by Steve Parker anvil was spot on for a French and Indian war travelling smith. It's also can be documented pretty much every century back to a Roman example in the museum in Bath England.

that sounds like something I would love to try for shows. Does he still sell these, and are they decently hard on top or just soft steel? If they are hard awesome I would probably buy one in a heartbeat if they are soft I would love to try making one myself. Either way thank you for the suggestion. 

Steve Parker was selling them at several Quad-States I have attended; I don't know about current status.  They are medium carbon steel,heat treated and hard, forged---block and spike---from 1 piece of steel; Steve gets to play with the BIG toys! (I think the parent stock was 5" sq )  from a previous thread:

 

 

On 4/2/2018 at 11:01 PM, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

George, I actually use the turning cams on my JHM for bending items, and found that they are pretty handy at times. The JHM has then at the rear of the  heel, not on the side like other makes. .

Turning cams are for cold shoeing cowboys who never learned to use their horn. JHM for some inexplicable reason only has one pritchel hole drilled dead center. Completely wrong for punching out a clipped horseshoes thus making necessary the slot in the heel. Normal made heel is much better for pulling clips on a heavy work horse shoe. Purpose is defeated with cams in heel.

George

I could probably use my striking anvil to forge a bit of 3" stock into a pretty decent size I could use some truck axle or a bit of 1055 or 4140. Any thoughts?

Might want to dig out the thread on viking age anvils

I think I will make one for the renaissance fair. It would be far more authentic than a horned anvil and I am all about the recreation. I am not a fan of the double skin bellows though. Horidly taxing on the arms. And larger bag bellows are cool looking but overly complex and expensive. I'll do some box bellows for the air. Still wondering about other fares and stuff. Does anyone here do fairs or events around the country with a nice little 70 pounder they like, that is not a farrier's anvil?

Just get a block of pre hardened 4X4 or 5X5 4140 about 12" long and carve a hole into a stump.. sit this this into it the long way..   No shank needed..  Probably be a decent price and if you wanted to cheap out even more just use mild steel..  

A lot of the places don't give you a running budget so the only income is from things you sell...   a Double cell/ valve bellows is much better to run than a single cell.. 

Even mild steel in some places a bit of steel that size is going for $250 unless you can find scrap. Leaf Spring is rather easy to get and so is a bit of 2x2x4 total cost is $15 and you can forge a 3x5 with a 1/2 inch harden top in a few hours. Without the 5160 on top it more like 45 minutes with a power hammer of a few helpers with 10lb sledge. It's also worth the experience I think, but to each their own. $250 is still relatively inexpensive for an anvil.

Try to find a suitable piece of scrap. Much cheaper and can work. Start going to the steel yards and tell them what you want and ask to rummage through their dumpsters. Bring a hard hat, safety glasses, good shoes, and gloves.

 

A 20# sledge is more massive, and better steel camulus, and at about $50 a heck of a lot cheaper. 

Heck I have a 3x3 stick of A15 I bought for less than $50. (A15 is a medium carbon steel designed for renforcing rail road bridges as far as Iwas able to find) 

My scrapyard used to have a small pile of 4"x4"x8" chunks---around 80 pounds and so US$16.

Now if you can find a place that scraps out their D2 or H13 dies you can really get a nice anvil relatively cheap!

I forge on a 200# TFS blacksmiths anvil.  Works well for what I need her for.  Honestly, wish she was a bit bigger.  If you do buy one brand new it will need a light clean up and the edges will need to be radiused. 

I have a 200# TFS double horned anvil and I love it. I've been using it now for about 6 months, and it has meet all my needs and expectations. The ductile iron is plenty hard and has held up nicely. The little side table is very handy too. It's dead flat in both axis. The only thing I did was to radius the edges and remove the paint on the horn (which is useless). I also bolted it down with some silicon underneath and it is very quiet now. A very nice anvil overall and a lot cheaper than competing models.