Mr. Pushups Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Hi all I currently have no anvil and have have a piece of kiln cart wheel for an anvil and a piece of mill planer blade for a cutting hardie, except it does not go in a hardie hole. But i was wondering if anyone had ever resurfaced a anvil because i have been looking on Craigslist and have only been seeing ones with really bad faces. Any expertise is appreciated. thanks Mr. Pushups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 There are many threads on repairing anvils here. Craiglist is not the best place to find them. I suggest reading these. BTW welcome aboard. https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/268-tpaaat-applied-anvil-acquisition-technique/ https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/52308-a-collection-of-improvised-anvils/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 The face does not have to be perfectly smooth or flat to be used. advertising removed I like my JHM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Yes there is a good process to repair anvils; of course it is difficult and time consuming and may not be cost effective. Search on Gunther Schuler Anvil Repair Note FOLLOW IT EXACTLY; halfway repairs tend to merely damage an anvil more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pushups Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 Thanks all of you for your time and information. It is much appreciated! Do any of you know of a better place to look for anvils than on Craigslist, their are very few auctions in my area and most are machinery auctions and as for antique store there are next to none near me so please let me know if their are any better places to look. Thanks Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 you were just given 2 links, weren't they good enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pre6422hornet Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I have had good luck, albeit it took almost a year for the first one and another 3 months for the second, on link removed. I just kept trying and eventually was lucky enough to be the first one to say "mine". The last one was a gold mind of tools from a lifetime of automotive body work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I found mine on ebay. I narrowed my search to things within driving distance and ended up going on a 10 hour drive (round trip) to pick up my Soderfors as well as a few other things including a post vise. Was totally worth the drive to be able to negotiate. The guy I bought it from was a retiring farrier who had an incredible collection of 30+ anvils, countless vises (he had a thing for vises), and other tools. I had never seen anvil pyramids in real life. I also almost tripped over the horn of a 450#er he had tucked away under a tarp in one of his barns... Apparently he had 3 400+ pound anvils... It took a few months to find something worthwhile, but I ended up getting a good deal in my opinion on an incredible anvil. Keep an eye out, tell everyone you know (and some you don't ) you're looking for an anvil and eventually one will pop up. If one does, be willing to drive out there, you never know what you'll find when you're there. Anvils seem hard to find (at a decent price), but I assure you that they are out there. And lot's of them. You just have to find those hoarder blacksmiths sitting on a goldmine. Actually, I am going to posit that all blacksmiths are hoarders of tools and materials... Some have just been at it a lot longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 No, some blacksmiths are not Hoarders, they have clean, sparsely tooled shops with lots of space. However the rest of us are still hoping that a cure will be found in time to help them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1forgeur Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 1 hour ago, Frazer said: hoarder blacksmiths Hay! I resemble that remark!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Ever since I started I have turned into one in the making. Everyone I know knows to call me if they come across someone selling tools or has a barn full of "old stuff" I can poke around in. Needless to say I have more things laying around than I have space to put them. You never know what you need 'till you need it. Then it becomes a game of "wheredi-puddit"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mutant Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 What is your budget and what anvil size are you look for? We all love an old anvil that was made 100 years ago but it might be easier, cheaper, and faster to buy new. You can always go to a scrapyard and buy a hunk of metal that will do the job just as good as a London pattern anvil but a heck of a lot cheaper. That way you can get started with your hobby right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pushups Posted September 10, 2020 Author Share Posted September 10, 2020 Actually I have started this little hobby. I am mostly at a standstill because I don't have a decent forge blower. Fro an anvil I am Using a piece of kiln cart rail (Its from a lumber mill and looks like railroad rail) and this works quite well. so far I have made a railroad spike knife and a pair of tongs (made from 1/2 in. rebar)both of which turned out quite well. As for what type of anvil I am looking for something heavier than 100lb and not more than say 600$. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 For around another $200 you can get a new 125# JHM. There are several manufacturers of new anvils today. So look around. But, I would also recommend looking at the improvised anvil thread. You can get far more weight for your money, if they even charge you for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Have you looked through the improvised anvil thread for ideas? A hundred pound improvised anvil will cost me US$20 or free or a hand forged bottle opener depending on where I get it. Horns and hardy holes don't need to be attached. Things like road grader or snow plow blades have wear plates that have sq holes in them and get tossed as they wear down. You can make your own horn or heel from a rr spike sledge head: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I had linked that and the TPAAAT thread for him, but I guess he was too busy to read them so I gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 We serve too who sit and reiterate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pushups Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 Yes. Thank you I did look at both of the links and they were very helpful. And I am sorry If I didn't reply right away last couple weeks have been very busy for me and I haven't had all the the time I would like to sit down and read posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balbasarado Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 You can buy a brand new TFS 100 pound double horn anvil Made in USA for 604$. Surely you wouldn't pass that up over a measly 4 bucks. There's one vendor that'd have it at your door step for an additional 30 bucks. I don't think I'm supposed to post links. But if I found it, I bet you can. I hope things get settled down for you and you're able to get back to anvil shopping asap. Oops. I didn't read you wanted something heavier than a hundred pounds. So i guess that's out. I would suggest that paying just a little more for what you really want is money well spent. JHM and TFS anvils seem pretty good for the money they're asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 On 9/11/2020 at 6:53 PM, Mr. Pushups said: last couple weeks have been very busy for me and I haven't had all the the time I would like to sit down and read posts. Reading posts with our suggestions for finding your tools won't do you any good, you have to practice them. The TPAAAT method works best when you're busy, you tell everybody and I mean E V E R Y B O D Y you meet, neighbors, the checker at the 7-11, the lady in line behind you, the pastor, the parishoners, the mail man, milkman, bus driver, garbageman, the kids riding their bikes in the neighborhood. Everybody. You need to start doing some of these things, not just reading about them. I know you're young and that's a good thing I wish I'd gotten serious when I was younger. Things seem like much larger barriers at your age, after a few decades they aren't such bid things. It's just knowledge and experience, the miles under your wheels. You have a list of things to try just give them a try and be patient. It'll come, don't worry. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 TFS and JMH are malleable Iron, a cast iron that is suitable but not necessarily the best anvils. I work with a pair of JMH anvils but when I use steel anvils I can tell a difference. For anyone starting out I am with TP, a good steel drop at $20 is a lot better for the guy starting out than an ok anvil for $600. You don’t need to spend $3000 to start. My buddy came buy, and we burnt the bottom out of the MKIII JABOD. Sent him home with a 40# “anvil” and a electric bed inflator. I had $4 invested. It won’t cost him $50 to finish his setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balbasarado Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I have so little (none) experience that I would defer to others about suitability of one material or another. But Charles, is "malleable" the same as "ductile"? Both manufacturers mentioned call their anvils "ductile" iron. I've been reading about that, due to your statement and it seems like they are technically not the same thing. I admit that this is off topic, but I wonder if it's important to differentiate the two types, if they are indeed different, in the interest of information accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Williams Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Malleable iron and ductile iron will behave in similar ways for an end user. The biggest difference is in making them. You will typically see ductile iron produced nowadays, based on the very long (read expensive) heat treatment required to manufacture malleable iron. You can find more detailed and nuanced information with a simple online search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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