So every so often I have some one ask me about buying a large 1000lbs + anvil. It’s normally a vintage anvil nothing modern. I am curious what’s the largest vintage anvil known to exist. I know of the 1400lbs Wilkinson anything larger? 

There is a 6500 lb anvil, but more for show than for forging. 

I am aware of the show ones out there . I was more curious about actual anvils and again vintage not anything modern. 

Fisher advertised 1000 pound anvils and of course there was the 1400 pound Fisher in their Centennial exhibit.

I have seen 2 of the 750 pound West anvils; one belongs to a friend of mine.

The largest anvils I have heard of in use were for shipbuilding---huge anchor forging.  Of course as the size of the work goes up the more likely that steam/power hammers or presses would be used rather than hammers and anvils.

Good point I can’t think of anything a blacksmith really needs an anvil that weights over 500lbs for. I have a 350lbs Hay Budden and even with its damage it’s got more then enough surface to work with. The only people that want something bigger are collectors. 

Theres an anvil for sale on a website that sells blacksmiths tools that weighs 1121 lbs

 

7 hours ago, Timber Ridge Forge said:

The only people that want something bigger are collectors. 

Now this is just untrue. My main anvil weighs 406lbs. Does it need to be that heavy, probably not although we’ve had three people striking on it with the smallest hammer weighing 10lbs. Given the opportunity, would I get a bigger one? In a heart beat. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the urge to have the biggest anvil possible. 

Actually ... size does not matter ... as long as you bolt it down is't all good ... or so I was told

1000lb + are quite rare , loads of 700's and 800's out there...I have a 900 a couple of 800's and a few 700"s.

 I used to have an 800 and then 900 as my main forging anvil but it was too big for my forging space so now use smaller anvils.

 

900? wow  ... now we are talking ... what's that? 400 kg ... mm somehow in pounds it sounds bigger

Do you have a photo? 

That anvil on the forklift is a serious piece of stuff. I am wondering if it was made as a design exercise in making something weighing exactly half a ton. Perhaps the extra 1.5 is the weight of the chain. Anyway, it's some anvil.

Ranchman like it said in my whole post. Not just the part you captioned.  you don’t need a bigger one you may want one but a larger one won’t help you. 

I was just pointing out that it’s not just collectors who want massive anvils as you stated in the highlighted part. 

What I know of:  There is a 900 lb Trenton somewhere out there in the US.  Fisher & Norris Factory Museum has a 800 lb London pattern and a 1000 lb #10 Chainmaker's anvil.  The 1400 lb Fisher made for the 1876 Centennial is on current exhibit in Trenton, NJ at the NJ State Museum.  There is the 1354 lb Wilkonson Jr forged anvil privately owned near Manchester, England.  A friend in Brazil has several forged anvils over 900 lb; the largest almost 1200 lb.

On 8/3/2018 at 5:20 PM, Timber Ridge Forge said:

Good point I can’t think of anything a blacksmith really needs an anvil that weights over 500lbs for. I have a 350lbs Hay Budden and even with its damage it’s got more then enough surface to work with. The only people that want something bigger are collectors. 

Incorrect.  Railroad shops use bigger anvils, and steel mill blacksmith shops.  Collectors? No sir!

[Ad hominem attack removed] The railroad repair shop is mostly a thing of the past. Almost all work on the railroad today doesn’t require an anvil and most certainly nothing larger then a 500lbs. They have factories for anything made and only use shops primarily for Maintenance [Further uncharitable language removed]

Edited August 5, 20187 yr by Mod34
Edited for inappropriate language

[Response to now-deleted ad hominem attack removed.]

I worked in a shop running big chambersburg hammers, lol

Edited August 5, 20187 yr by Mod34
Obsolete content removed

MOD NOTE: The language of the last two comments, while technically not in violation of the IFI ban on cursing, was inappropriate for this forum. Keep it polite, or this thread will be locked.

It seems that the BIG anvil sensitivity is still surfacing. Sensitivity to BIG is not limited to anvils. Recently we were shopping for a car for my wife. Just a little hatchback. Shortlisted Toyota, Hyundai, and Subaru. The salesman from Hyundai was very ... how to say ... dogmatic in his opinions and wouldn't consider answering question from me about other larger cars. Eventually he chose to attack with the answer ... what do you drive? 

My answer that I drive a Humvee got him in a frenzy and he started to jump up and down stating that no one needs that size car and that it sucks so much fuel and the environment and many more nonsensical personal opinion ... we bought a Subaru.

Personal opinions are like navels. Everyone has one and they are harmless until we think we have the right to impose our personal opinion on others because ... well because. 

When it comes to anvils, I would like a 1400 lb anvil and If I find one I would teach my Spoodle to sit on it, and watch me work. Would paint it green with yellow stripes.

Will have to wrap it in a towel or he gets a cold behind I suppose. 

to do big work, you need a big anvil.  All things being equal bigger is better.  Those "all things" including hardness, soundness, and shape.  The only drawback to large anvils, all things being equal, is lack of portability.

Along with taking up a lot of shop space, which to many of us is at a premium.

Mike Tanner at Yesteryear Forge uses a 1241 pound Reflinghaus

 

 

I have entertained the idea of making  a 1,400 to 1,450 lb double horn anvil in H13. With gates and risers that would be my limit on weight. Would there be a market for this? It would be in the 6 to 7 K range

 

How many do you need to make for it to be economical?

 

 

I would cut a foam pattern so 1 pc would work. I see you are in Australia, shipping is impossible from what I have seen