DC712001 Posted October 3, 2008 Posted October 3, 2008 Besides EBay, are there any other good sources for good, used anvils? Would be great to find something local to avoid shipping costs. Is there an on-line list? Quote
Blacksmith Jim Posted October 3, 2008 Posted October 3, 2008 Estate sales, flea markets, the newspaper, craigslist, etc.. Put out an ad in the paper saying you are a beginner blacksmith looking for an anvil. Quote
mcraigl Posted October 3, 2008 Posted October 3, 2008 (edited) Derek, It's getting tougher and tougher to compete with the antique dealers and collectors, but if you keep looking you can find one. Remember that it doesn't have to be shaped like a london pattern anvil to be a good serviceable anvil. A nice big chunk of scrap can be decent to work on. Also, did you look up / join the CBA yet? There's a lot of good folks in So.Cal. that would probably either have a loaner or be able to help you out with your quest. Also good folks to get some instruction from. Join CBA, best $45 you could spend if you want to get into this art! Was for me anyway. Edited October 3, 2008 by mcraigl Quote
ThomasPowers Posted October 3, 2008 Posted October 3, 2008 Actually I think e-bay is a terrible place to get smithing tools and equipment with prices often being several times what I can get from going out and beating the bushes. A good blacksmithing conference will often have great tailgating for equipment. I just got back from Quad-State and saw over 100 anvils for sale on-site and even ended up buying a 5" postvise just cause I couldn't bear to see it so cheap! Now I have to sell on of my others to keep the pile contained. Quote
NateDJ Posted October 3, 2008 Posted October 3, 2008 Now I have to sell on of my others to keep the pile contained. Bring it to the Saltfork conference on the 18th , also bring any anvils you want to part with for the betterment of 2 very young blacksmiths! :p Quote
DC712001 Posted October 4, 2008 Author Posted October 4, 2008 I decided to stop by a local antique dealer that displays an enormous (fake) Anvil, in the yard, in front of his shop. He said he "buys up every used/antique anvil he can find." That, followed by: "A week ago, I sold an 80-pound anvil, a 1901 (vintage,) in good condition, for $175 and a week earlier another for $675. The reason the other one sold for $675, was that it was from the 1860's (civil war era) and had a cannon cast into the side." He said he gets them in all the time, and to check back in the future. Quote
Rich Hale Posted October 5, 2008 Posted October 5, 2008 I think the shoeing shop is in your area and most farriers suppliers have new and used anvils for sale. Quote
John Martin Posted October 5, 2008 Posted October 5, 2008 To be honest, and this is really frustrating, I dealt with this until I got my first good anvil, thanks to Art. One of the best ways is word of mouth. tell everyone you know to mention to everyone that they know that they have a friend looking for an anvil. Amazing how fast that can work. Quote
Blacksmith Jim Posted October 5, 2008 Posted October 5, 2008 Cool Derek. Just keep checking. Persistence is key. The suggestion by Rich to find a farrier supply store is really good and worth your time too. Look under Farrier Supply in the yellow pages and see if you can find one near by.. Quote
Finnr Posted October 5, 2008 Posted October 5, 2008 I hunted for what seemed like forever, Now I have three good anvils. Finnr Quote
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