Benona blacksmith Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 His assessment is spot on. They are a medium quality!!! The pritchel is the worst part of the whole design. I did what is generally considered unlawful in the blacksmiths law book and ground about 1/2 inch around the pritchel hole and smoothed things out a bit because there is a slight drop from the face to the horn right where the pritchel is, just like on most Italian pattern anvils. But China failed on this aspect of the pattern. On a nimba and all others it is a smooth transition from face to horn and doesn't affect anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoggman Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I am new, and know virtually nothing about anvils. I did buy one of the Chinese anvils discussed here (30kg version). I purchased mine from Ebay as the Amazon price was approximately $60 USD more. The Anvil arrived in a box with no protective packaging. Actually, it looked like someone threw it off of the truck... Surprisingly, it did not appear to be damaged. The anvil is covered in a sticky blue paint. It really should be removed if at all possible. If for no other reason, it puts off noxious fumes when hot metal touched the horn. While I cannot speak from a position of vast experience I can say without a doubt it is steel. I have been beating on mine for a couple of weeks and there is no visible sign of damage/ dents to the surface. Your mileage may vary, but considering the prices of other new anvils I consider this to be a great deal at $120 USD. There is a 70kg version available for a little more than double the price. I took a chance considering local options all appear to be way over-priced based on an antique or collector value, and the nearest new price competitor was around $300 higher with consistently bad reviews. At the very least I feel lucky that I did not spend $400 USD on a piece of junk. One thing that is a absolute must.. this thing needs to be screwed down otherwise it rings obnoxiously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Welcome aboard... when you anchor the anvil, put a bead of cheap calking compound between the anvil & stand. That will dampen the ringing quite well. Oh and a picture of your anvil (we love pictures) as long as they are not too large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoggman Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 As requested.... too late for caulk, but ringing is no more. I Believe screwing it down killed the ringing, but harbor freight chain may have helped too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoggman Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I assure you the edges are still shaped There are marking where I bent some flat bar, but it is just from the paint burning. Also the Mark's on the surface are superficial from beating tool steel. If I look close they are only black and brown Mark's imparted from the object I was hammering. They are not actual indentations. Even when running a finger or a nail over the surface, it is still 100% flat. Additionally, my forge is inadequate. I don't think I am heating objects to the ideal temperature. Work in progress.... the round bar you see is a trailer hitch cross bar. Super hard... been beating the crap out of it for learning purposes. Taking a class on Saturday. Hopefully I will learn more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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