Anvil face is not level.

[ThomasPowers]

People starting out who don't have their hammer control such that they can angle the hammer in use to deal with such issues.

[agblea]

Ok.  What I’m going to do is shim one side with a 1/8” angle iron and the other side with 1/4” angle iron. It brings me to level.  I brace the back of the anvil, and create a drop in.  

[beaudry]

 It's actually handy to have the anvil face level in both directions so you can use it as a quick reference  when you are working. One example is when you are upsetting the legs of a table or a newel post for a railing and want a quick check to see if you are getting the piece out of plumb. It's always easier and faster to fix it while its hot than to have to cut or grind it later.

Weld a  thick rim around the edge of the anvil stand  as high as the top of the feet of the anvil and drill and tap it for a couple of heavy set screws near each corner. Shim the feet of the anvil up until it is level and  lock it tight with the set screws pinching the feet of the anvil tight. This will effectively kill the ring and  lock  it solidly  in place .

This pinch plate method  is the way I have my main anvil mounted on a timber post, with a heavy plate on each end clamped tight to the feet of the anvil with 5/8'' through bolts, but the same idea will work with a steel stand as well.  This also allows you to reorient the anvil if you want

This is a nice clean and solid and professional looking way to do it, no messy caulk , chains or magnets needed. 

 

[Lou L]

I think you will find the shims to be a temporary fix.  Just a guess, but I think it will be noisy even if you fasten the anvil down hard.  I imagine you would have to weld or bolt the shims on and the clamp the anvil down in order to keep the anvil from shifting around while you work.  Steel stands and old anvils are a crapshoot.  In the end I bet you will find yourself adding a sand basin on the top of the stand or using silicone as JHCC suggested.  I’m a sand user because I switch between two very different unique anvils on one main stand.  One, the oldest, has a belly in the center of the base and rocks profusely on any flat surface.  

I know it sucks to build a great design only to find it isn’t perfect...but don’t settle for a simple fix.  Just a little more work and you will have exactly what you wanted.

 

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

Put the level away!! Fire up the Forge and get on with it. Who says YOU are going to hit the Anvil straight. Get off the overthinking bandwagon.

What ever happened to the thought "The Anvil Horn Must be pointed to absolute North, so it is possible to be able to Fire Weld" on a Tuesday. I think your tongue must be sticking part way out the left corner of your mouth and your BaseBall Hat must be turned to the Locked Position. Forget about painting your Anvil, Green!!

Neil

 

[agblea]

Silicone WILL be applied! I’m n the beginning all I asked was “ to weld to the foot or not?” I got million option response, I think it’s great!

[Glenn]

The amount of answers is always greater than the amount of blacksmith that reply. (grin)

[tanglediver]

You have to be a blacksmith? Where am I?

[ThomasPowers]

2n+1 cause we tend to be odd!  

One issue is the the answer may be different depending on the skill set, tooling, experience, help, the person working the issues has/has access to. So we may have people posting answers for experts, newbies, rural, city, Norfolk Island...(yup they asked we answered at length...)

[jlpservicesinc]

I don't think I have ever met a Hay Budden anvil that is level top to bottom... Some close but because they were hand forged It seems it was common for a less than parallel anvil..  I had a German made Trenton that was 3/8" difference..

shimming Works.  AS does arc welding... The thing is do you want to add modern weld to a historic piece..  Mind you there were some anvils that were welded by modern methods pretty early on..

[RobS]

Seems like a lot of old Mouseholes also have the stance like an old hotrod.  High in the back and low in the front.

[beaudry]

My point was that it there are advantages to having the top of the anvil level in both directions. Since  it is the basic forming and reference surface for the work , if it's level you have an easy reference plane to gauge your progress without constantly having to compensate with your eye.

It doesn't have to be dead perfect and how precise it is a matter of preference and the kind of work you do . The stand can be made to fit the anvil  in a number of ways and the anvil can be locked down so that it's level ,stays in place , doesn't bounce or move under the hammer and doesn't ring . 

Milling or grinding the bottom or welding it down seem like the last resort  and a poor choice.

[jlpservicesinc]

I agree, milling  or grinding would be a bad choice..   Welding on the bottom feet or base as a last resort if you "Gotta"..  Otherwise I am in total agreement with level in both directions..

[MC Hammer]

Ever look at old pictures of blacksmith shops from the 1800's / 1900's?  Visibly, few of the anvils in those old pictures look perfectly level to me.  Then look at how many of those old pictures show anvils with sway in them.  So your anvil is completely level, slight sway on the face will make the face out of level in the sway area which is almost always the sweet spot where you'll be doing most of your work.  I guess I'm in the overthinking camp.  Get it close and control the wobble, then get forging on that beautiful anvil.  My old German Trenton has a flat bottom base without any concavity so it wobbled on a completely flat surface.  I solved it with a bed of silicone, but before that I stuffed a large washer under one foot.  My anvil face today is not perfectly level, but think of the variables I'd have to chase to fix that problem.....forged wrought iron flat base, perfectly flat stump top, perfectly flat base of stump, and a perfectly flat piece of concrete/ground/dirt floor.  I think you could chase that rabbit for a long time trying to fix all those variables yet I'm able to forge flat pieces just fine with a good eye and good hammer skills. 

Get it as close as you can and leave it at that.  Oh and don't grind it or weld on it.  Your anvil is too beautiful to mess with it.  All the smiths before you loved her as is and you are just her latest caretaker.  They all fed their families with that anvil and didn't see a need to modify her one bit 

[agblea]

The face is level in all directions.  Dropped in with silicone. The 3”x4” 1 1/2” plate is a piece of 4140.  There is no rock or wobble.  The noise is mild.

 

I ve forged on a few Hey Buddens and I don’t think they were that level at the face as well?