i saw this steel of a deal in a flyer and am wondering if any one has had any experience with these anvils with tax the 165lb would be $447.94 CAD which is 2.71/Lb CAD(2.24USD) will do a rebound test before i get anyways just wondering if this would be a good investment

M.J.Lampert

MJ, it appears to be a good price when compared to the same anvils on ebay which are running $US 499.90/$C599.88 for the 50 kg/110 lb. version.  I'd want to do a bounce test before I pulled the trigger.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

MJ, is this a flyer for a local establishment where you can examine the item in person?

yes i will be going in within the time of the sale we usualy head to the "city" one a month and this is a month long sale

M.J.Lampert

Worth checking out for sure. Let us know what you find out please.

Frosty The Lucky.

Flattened top on horn, step height and product name all say cast Chinese anvil to me.  They even look a bit like the ones I remember from Harbor Freight and the like some years back, before all those outlets seem to have shifted to the small double horn style.  That doesn't necessarily mean the anvil is bad, just that you need to inspect it very carefully for voids and casting irregularities.  

Can you tell us the name of the vendor?

I'd really want to be sure they were steel!  I've run into to anvils with a brand name like "Real Steel" in large letters and in tiny print "cast iron anvil"  and the places selling them didn't know the difference between steel and cast iron---I asked the store people!  (As I recall the box also said "professional grade" which is just old fashioned barn yard fertilizer!)

If it turns out that their ad is a misrepresentation; be sure to contact the company and let them know to change it before they run afoul of the consumer agencies!

 

3 hours ago, JHCC said:

Can you tell us the name of the vendor?

KMS Tools and equipment my branch is in Prince George having looked at it online i

M.J.Lampert

Cool; thanks. When you do go see it, please get as much information as you can, so that we can put that on our list of anvil makers page. 

I would certainly take a look at them. If they really are properly "heat treated steel" like they claim it would be a pretty good deal. You could reshape the horn with a grinder if needed.

It's possible that these things are somewhat like the Acciaio anvils in origin and quality.

Could you take a few photos of them when you go to look at them?

yes turns out we need to go in tomorrow so let you know wednesday night at the latest

thanks for the advice my father said to get it even if it turns out cast-steel as we can weld a hard plate on top cast iron would mean no go but all i have now is a 10-20ish skidder rotate pin with 50% rebound(6in from 12in drop that i havent actually tried(K-wool got exposed so not running) so the wieght would be nice though again i may wait for a real anvil and put my money where it would last then again it such a good deal and if its better than 60% rebound i might try it but then again...  oh well the voices tel me to go for it 

M.J.Lampert

If it's cast steel it's generally pretty good; if it's cast iron it is NOT good and not something you can weld a steel face on easily.

oh and for testing it i have a 1inch BBearing should i also test wit a hammer for ring??

I was thinking about the ball bearing test recently and I suppose it ought to be a ball bearing, which should be hardened, vs. say, steel shot like for a slingshot.  Yes?

slingshot ammo would be to small any ways 3/4in min

as a side note i use 3/8 and 1/2in ball berrings as slingshot ammo and rocks as target ammo i have killed grouse (wild chicken) with both ammos though the BBearings fly truer

10 minutes ago, M.J.Lampert said:

oh and for testing it i have a 1inch BBearing should i also test wit a hammer for ring??

NO!!! DO NOT USE A 1" bearing ball!! This bigger is better mentality is not only useless in your case it'll FORCE YOU TO BUY A BAD ANVIL!! 

Think about it, a cheap Chinese cast iron ASO is a bad anvil because it's too soft. Yes? If you drop a 1" bearing ball on it, not only won't it bounce well it WILL DENT THE FACE! You will have damage the anvil, you break it YOU buy it.

Take a 1/2" bearing ball, it'll tell you just as much in a rebound test and won't damage even an ASO face.. Don't drop it from 3', 10" is plenty. Another plus is you can comfortably carry a couple 1/2" bearing balls in each front pocket comfortably.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

ok good to know all i had ever saw told even on here was 1in balls to test.

guess ill look through the shop or ammo pouch for some other ones

Remember, if you drop the ball from 10", you can get the rebound percentage by taking the number of inches of rebound and multiplying by ten.

Also, if it says "ductile cast iron", that's still generally okay. It's the gray cast iron that's really unacceptable.

44 minutes ago, M.J.Lampert said:

KMS Tools

I just looked at their online listing, and I would not get my hopes up. The casting is pretty rough, and the horn hasn't been ground at all. To be fair (to be fair, to be fair, to be fair), the Acciaio anvils aren't much better, but something about this doesn't seem right to me. However, keep us posted; I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

John, you ever get the idea that some east Asian companies are shooting themselves in the foot by copying a bad design even if they are using a better material?

I understand. Using a 1" Bball has become THE thing among the masses. Heck even some long time experienced smiths have recommended the things here on IFI! I've been trying to curb the bigger is better mentality in this instance for years now. 

I don't k now if you noticed but there was quite a discussion here when Centaur Forge announced that doing a rebound test voided the guarantee on the anvils they sell. What to bet how dents were put in an anvil face? I'll bet they wouldn't have said a peep if the tester had used a small Bball. The guarantee was honored but publicly voided it for rebound testing. 

I have 1/2lb. of 3/8" bearing balls. I stopped by Bearing Engineering in Anchorage to pick up a few. I'd called and they sell loose bearing balls by the lb. so I dropped in. I mostly needed ammo for my wrist rocket, a young moose was getting too bold and close but testing anvils was a need. I told the counter guy what I was doing and how it worked on anvils and when I told him 20 was more than enough he laughed at me and put a scoop in a bag and said, "Just take it, the sale wouldn't cover the paper work." 

The worst thing about using smaller Bbearings is they get lost more easily on a bad bounce. So I carry a few. Good thing they were cheap, I give them away if I remember to bring some to meetings.

Frosty The Lucky.

I've got a couple in the console of my Pickup; you never know when an anvil will crawl out of the bushes and try to climb into your truck!

4 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

John, you ever get the idea that some east Asian companies are shooting themselves in the foot by copying a bad design even if they are using a better material?

Not just companies in eastern Asia.

There is a review of them on Reddit, not very good to say the least.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/comments/2jv0qg/can_anyone_tell_me_anything_about_this_anvil/

 

Size notwithstanding, I still have not seen confirmation  that one should use a hardened ball bearing vs. a steel ball which is not.  That was what I was asking about.