afternoon all

does anyone have any recent experience of the 30kg czech anvils with 'acciaio' on them? particularly in the UK?

i have seen a couple of posts here showing they are reasonable quality for the money but i cant seem to find anything particularly recent or any reviews from the UK. Amazon has only 2 listed, one has bad reviews and the other is priced at over £400 which is a bit steep for a 30kg anvil of unknown quality.

ebay also is rather light on offerings but does have 3 chinese vendors shipping direct from the czech republic. i just dont know if they are of reasonable quality or not.

i have a railway 'post' anvil which is working ok for the moment but i miss having a nice flat surface for chiseling and straightening things on.

thanks in advance

 

 

I don't have any first hand knowledge but Iirc a review I read here stated they have had some quality control problems. Some softer than they should be and voids in the casting after the paint was stripped but I think that's to be expected for the price.

I also use a rail anvil. When cutting or punching I place a log of the same height as the rail next to it that has a chain hold down to secure the cold end of the stock while the end to be punched or cut is on the rail. I also have a 6x6x2 inch piece of plate mounted flat on the top of a railway tie or sleeper as I think they're called in the UK to use for splitting and chiseling. 

Pnut

I would definitely not be chiseling on the face of an anvil without a "cutting plate" in between and in fact would suggest a thick slab of steel to use instead of the anvil.

I picked up a 50# piece for US$10 at my local scrapyard and it came with two 1" sq holes in it too. To use with the hardys I'll need to mount it so their stems do not bottom out---probably drill a hole larger than the hardy tooling holes.

This is the plate I use. It just so happens to be sitting near me. I also use it when I figure things out with clay as an anvil.

Pnut

Edited November 15, 20196 yr by pnut

I also have a 3/16" thick strap that covers most to the anvil face and I forged one end to fit down in the hardy hole. I use it for students when I'm travelling---fits easily in a tool bucket.  When it gets too scarred I'll heat up the end and bend it the other way and use what was the bottom side of it until time for a new one.

Most students don't work fast enough to work while the steel is at peak heat. Having to worry about possibly cutting through and marring my anvil's face slows them down even more---(the threats of mayhem if they do so is a consideration in their actions...)  Having a plate means the anvil is safe and the bigger problem is cutting all the way through and having a hot piece of steel go flying across the shop. I deal with that by holding the free end of the piece they are cutting with tongs.

thanks pnut i too think i read that there were some softer ones out there but i cant find out if this is still a problem or not. I may just take the chance, 30kg would be a good weight for a general purpose anvil that needs to be moved out the way after use. its certainly more maneuverable then the 1 cwt brooks i used to have.

im trying to keep things as compact as i can but the additional log or a block of steel is worth considering. 

Thomas - i would of course add a cutting plate to any anvil i get, i have had to sculpt a copper 'cup' to fit on top of the railtrack to try and save the small face when chiseling. 

 

 

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

(the threats of mayhem if they do so is a consideration in their actions...)

Ha ha ... can you post a video of such threats showing their faces ...

The last I seen I think they were being sold for about two hundred dollars or so. If I could afford it I would maybe get one  but I don't think I'd want to risk much more than a couple hundred dollars on it.

As far as compact goes the anvil would definitely be easier to move than the piece of rail I have.  Its 115 pounds I only weigh about 25 pounds more than the piece of rail. It would be a lot easier moving that little anvil. 

Pnut

Edited November 15, 20196 yr by pnut

Marc; one place I teach fairly regularly has a reservoir out back of it and several dock weights, (99# cast iron Spheres with a steel hook cast into them), used for forming hot steel on in the shop area that play a part in the discussion. At my shop there is easy access to thousands of sq miles of mountain and desert fairly begging for a shallow grave...Coyotes gotta eat too!

Being forceful in a somewhat humorous way means that students pay attention and so not need to put me to the extra work...Just was asked to be on the stage crew of the local production of Young Frankenstein.  No pitchforks or torches duties however; Sigh.

 ... coyotes have to eat too.  I agree ... 

For me it would be dingoes ... They tear sheeps apart regularly just across the river here.

Thomas, is that the right picture of a plate with two square holes you posted, or is my cell phone distorting it?

Well the internal holes are 1" sq the external are round, they are for using a carriage bolt like bolt; probably off a dozier, grader---dirt moving machinery. My hardy tools have quite long enough stems to engage in the square section of the holes.

The picture is an old one that was done to show the hardys, the slab is is just extra.

Thanks for the clarification

well for £120 on ebay i think they are probably worth a go. Although all three sellers are chinese and using the same error filled advert they look to be shipping from the czech republic so i assume that is where the foundry is.  quality control may not be the best but if i were making 100's of item i couldn't guarantee they would all be the same, the important thing in my mind is that the item functions as intended. 

if it turns out to be a bit soft ill likely run a carbide mill over the pritchel area to make it more useful for punching holes and give me a step similar to other anvils.  if its too soft to be any use at all then perhaps it can be heat treated at home?

 

For mine, my best guess is that they are induction hardened since the outer skin is hard, but dents fairly easily.

They are made in china. You can buy them  directly from the factory. I've had several including a 110 lb.

thanks hojpoj i see your has a few dents in one area but the rest looks clean. is that just the main area you use? or is the hardness just thinner in that area?

 

On 11/15/2019 at 2:39 PM, ThomasPowers said:

Well the internal holes are 1" sq the external are round, they are for using a carriage bolt like bolt; probably off a dozier, grader--

It's called a runner bolt where you  need the head to lay flat on the surface. You hear them called blade bolts, they're what's used to attach grader, dozer, etc. edges. (knives)

Frosty The Lucky.

Here is a recent review on one https://youtu.be/EXeY4dhvTZw

Frosty, thanks.  Not my area of knowledge.        Hmm Blade-Runner bolts; any good for electric sheep?

On 11/17/2019 at 11:14 AM, bertie_bassett said:

thanks hojpoj i see your has a few dents in one area but the rest looks clean. is that just the main area you use? or is the hardness just thinner in that area?

 

That's where I do most of the work, I rounded off the corners there, and stay away from the rest in order to preserve the sharper corners for when I need 'em.

well i bit the bullet and ordered one up. according to UPS its currently in Brussels and will be here by friday afternoon.

iv also got some steel stock to pick up at the weekend so should be able to give it a test sunday.

I have used one for a travel anvil and to my experience they are quite hard, if i miss hit (luckily i have learned myself to not do that anymore) I will dent my hammer and not the anvil. But from what i have heard, as other people have said, the quality is not that certain. You have to look out for your ears when using them (mine at least) the ring can be really loud.

Damian Stil