I am starting with a rivet forge, a cheap anvil, and a hammer, plus some tongs and stuff. Where can I find a better anvil for a decent price? 

Welcome aboard! Might I commend your attention to the following:

 

 

Lance, welcome aboard.  There is a lot of good information and helpful folk on this site.  First, I suggest that you put your general location in your profile.  It has a major effect on how your questions may be answered.  The answer may be very different if you are in the USA, Australia, Sweden, or South Africa.

Read the threads on improvised anvils.  You don't need a "real" London Pattern anvil to get started.  All you need is a flat mass large enough not to move under the force of hammer blows.  A piece of railroad track is a popular first anvil (mounted vertically and hitting on the end is best).  Any large piece of steel will work.  The cast iron "anvils" sold by Harbor Freight are NOT good.  The cast iron is too soft and will deform and dent under hammer blows.

The point of getting started is to develop your skills at forging metal, not acquiring tools which you skill level does not need.  As you progress you can upgrade your tools to match your skill set.

Good luck.  Many of us here have been doing the craft as a hobby or a livelihood for decades.  I have enjoyed the craft for over 40 years.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

What are you using for an anvil now? What do you consider a decent price and how large of an anvil are you considering?

thank you all for the good information i found a guy who taught me more i am starting out with almost dead 55 lbs anvil i am considering a 90 to 120 pound anvil and know where i might get one what would be a good price i am in brighton colorado

Lance25, do you happen to have any pictures of the anvil that your looking at? 
a lot depends on condition, ring, rebound and location,

 $2-$3 per pound is fair for a usable but worn anvil, $4-$5 per pound for something in exceptional shape but those are prices in my area I’m not sure about Colorado. Your area may be higher, 

The best advice I can give for finding an anvil is to use the TPAAAT method.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/268-tpaaat-applied-anvil-acquisition-technique/

Look at new made anvils too.  Anvil Brand carries several makers. One of my anvils is a 125# JHM, and it is a nice anvil.   

Yes there is some good new blacksmithing equipment being sold; I just saw someone asking US$1000 for  postvise on the local CL today---when you could buy a new one for half that at a blacksmithing supply place!    As we are *users*  age does not improve things; would you rather buy a car with 250000 miles on the engine or 14 miles on it?

I started with a piece of RR rail weighing ~113 pounds and bought a cheap accaio 66 pound anvil for $109US and have been able to accomplish any project I've attempted or perhaps I should say I haven't had the anvil stop me from accomplishing any project I've attempted, my skills on the other hand.....

Here's a link you might be interested in.

 

Onu

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