BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 Anvil Brand is another retailer of new anvils. I have a 125# JHM Journeyman, and it is a nice anvil. With anvil prices today, and what I have learned over the decades, I would be on the improvised train if I was starting out again. Japanese smiths use a simple cube for making knives and swords. All you need is a dense heavy mass to hammer other items upon. Steel is 490# per cubic foot. 40.8# per sqft when 1" thick. .283# per cubic inch. The horn, hardy hole, etc can be separate from the main anvil. I have a few different anvils with different sized hardy holes, and a pile of bottom tools with different sized shanks. So if I run into a situation where I need to use one that won't fit the anvil I just put it in my post vise. You can also make what is affectionately known here as a portable hole. I rarely use the hon on my anvil, and do all of my scrolling off of the face of the anvil. But again , a separate bick (horn) can be utilized. You are surrounded by anvils that are free to inexpensive (200# for around $50), they just don't look like a London pattern anvil. Scrap yards, rental yards, tractor repair, earth moving equipment repair, big paving companies, cement plants, machine shops, fabrication shops, etc can supply old forklift forks, hydraulic breaker points, rock crushing hammers, large shafts and bucket pins, heavy drops, etc that are made from good materials like 4140 (forks) , and if they are not already heat treated like a fork is, they can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwistedCustoms Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 paulgatx, if you haven't been to the Centaur store in Austin check it out for sure. Mike is the manager but everyone there knows their products and is very helpful. I don't own a Kanka but I have forged on them and they are top shelf for a fair price. I buy American when I can but I'm not down on any other countries stuff. The Kanka anvils are Turkish, my favorite factory made hammers are German and French and my best machete is from El Salvador. If China ever produces anything I like the quality of at a good price I'll give it a go. (That is not a jab at China, I honestly haven't seen any tools or machinery made there I wanted to own) Centaur does carry some nice tongs that happen to be American made so if you're close it's worth stopping in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgatx Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 Found this on CL in the area. He says it's likely Swedish cast steel, but has no markings so I'm not sure how he is guessing that unless just by experience. Asking $1400 including the iron stand, which is nice but I don't necessarily want to pay for. At $7.50/lb it seems steep even though it's a very nice looking anvil with very good rebound according to him. I might take a look if he's willing to come down in price, but I'll need him to come well under $1000 if I'm going to consider it. Thoughts (I know, tough without any other info). Doctor, thanks for the advice. I'll keep thinking about the tradeoffs until I can find a steel of a deal. Twisted, I did just stop by there today to look at the Kanka vs the TFS. they didn't have either in my size, but I did compare them on different sizes. I also did pick up my first pair of tongs and cross-peen hammer. all I need now is a xxxx forge and anvil ... the two biggest pieces. I already have all of the tooling for blade shaping/sharpening and handle making. I'll have to contain my excitement for a bit longer. Oh, the CL anvil is 185 lbs, but I guess you could have done that math, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlblohm Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Looks more like a Vaughan/brooks to me. If that is so it is English made. The reason i believe it is a Vaughan/Brooks is the very thick heal. It is a very nice find if it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 1 hour ago, paulgatx said: Found this on CL in the area. He says it's likely Swedish cast steel, but has no markings so I'm not sure how he is guessing that unless just by experience. Asking $1400 including the iron stand, which is nice but I don't necessarily want to pay for. At $7.50/lb it seems steep even though it's a very nice looking anvil with very good rebound according to him. I might take a look if he's willing to come down in price, but I'll need him to come well under $1000 if I'm going to consider it. Thoughts (I know, tough without any other info). Paul ... Love the anvil but hate the price. Swedish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgatx Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 Marc, exactly my thought. If it is worth that much then I'm out of my league, and if it's not then I need him to come way down. No idea how he got Swedish from no markings, but who knows. But it is beautiful isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Must say it does look a bit like a Kohlswa, big step, thick tapered heel, vertical cast mark in the centre of the body ... it's your money. If it was a 250+ lb I would say go for it. At 185, not too sure. The base would be nice if it is free. They don't look all like this, some have a long thin heel, but here is one close to that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgatx Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 Talked to the owner again. He thinks it's either Kohlswa or Soderfors, but not sure why it's not marked. I made an offer (sight unseen so far) of $4/lb without the stand (I am making my own 2x12 stacked wood stand) and he is considering it. He priced the anvil at $1000 and stand at $400, so my offer of $740 for the anvil only is what he is considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 For a wood stand you align the pieces vertically, not horizontally to eliminate bounce between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgatx Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 Hi Doctor, thanks much. Yes that's how I'm making it after having seen several of them made in the smithy I trained in. I really like the simplicity and versatility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 Make a tripod stand with RHS filled with sand and oil, and a one inch plate, bolt the anvil down and say good by to noise. You get an upsetting table as a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 That eBay 1053 anvil is not tool steel as they claim. It is carbon/ medium steel. It can only harden to about an Hrc 40 unless it is case hardened which won't be tough enough for most anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevomiller Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Mossy, that’s not quite true: yes it’s not tool steel, but medium carbon steel, but your hardening information is wrong. If it is induction heated, the heat zone can be much thinner, which can quench faster, and will indeed be in the 50’s. FWIW, Old World and Euroanvils were a high manganese 1040~ and the hit the 50’s RC. It only takes .4 points carbon to get you there, and if you want deeper hardening other element such as used in 4140 or 8640, which are both used by well known anvil makers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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