what kind of hold down do you use to hold your work on the anvil ...a chain ,
the goose neck , a foot operated device ...what works best?

I havent made one yet, not till I get my new Euro will I make one, But in a upcoming hammers blow they will be one on a foot operated one.
Chris

Well I'm still mad about breakin the one I made by quenching it instead of letting it cool, then hitting it and watching the pieces fly, but it was designed to fit in the pritchell hole and be tensioned with a smack by the hammer, the other kinds seem a bit cumbersome, escpecially the footpedal type.

I just made a couple of the goose neck shaped ones that I just stick in my hardy hole and push down.. It works great and takes a minute to make.
There also easy to shape to hold pieces more securely

I have stapled a chain onto my stump and drape it over the heel of the anvil. Place a hook on other end that can be placed in any chainlink. Make the hook like a saddle stirrup so you can put your foot through it in order to put pressure on the part.

This setup will comform to the part on the anvil and allow you to have plenty of room for working.

I use a pritchel hole hold down. Reb, I like your idea with the chain and stirrup. That idea is going to the top of my to do list this week.

I used the pritchel hole also, but found that I was working too far toward the anvil not giving me aot of the visible part to work.

Pritchel hole hold down here as well. I also have a piece of old tire chain for odd shaped things.
Finnr

as jr. about showing a picture of his hold down, I have one of them also drill in the hardy hole also made one that fits in the hardy hole is made out of that fits the drill press to hold down material when you drill hole.

as jr. about showing a picture of his hold down, I have one of them also drill in the hardy hole also made one that fits in the hardy hole is made out of that fits the drill press to hold down material when you drill hole.

do you mean BP0016? that might be a good one to make

I use a modified ViseGrip. I started with the type with a single jaw (used on a drill press). I cut off the bolt and welded on a square bar the size of my hardie hole. The square bar has a 1/4in hole drilled thru it at the point it sticks out the bottom of the horn. I insert a pin thru the hole for maximum holding power. The visegrip is easy to adjust for various size stock and can really hold things tight when needed.

I use a hardie hole hold down 1"x1" stock bent past 90deg. one day I will forge the end nice but that's a lot of work.:)

These hold downs look great for woodworking and might work well on the anvil. My hold down uses the same mechanics but is crudely made from a sugar beet digger conveyor belt iron that I strike into pritchel. Simple ugly design that has served me for over twenty years. Any spring steel will work well. Make two because the beautiful one will grow legs and disappear while the ugly one will serve you well.

This is one of mine. They take maybe 10 minutes to make and can be adjusted so the foot hits wherever you want it on the anvil so you can work over center mass.

You can fuller the foot to hold round either lengthwise or across, heck both. you can make the foot to hold odd shapes, etc.

These are really easy to make everybody should have a few.

Frosty

Frosty, that sure looks like the one that walked away from my hearth years ago.

Actually yours, with that ninety degree break looks smarter that mine with just a simple goose neck curve.

Jim, Working chain on the flat. Also I have good luck with a square stock goose neck in the hardy hole, they hold the best. The round stock models in the prictle never seem to hold that well. Good luck.

Aside from a few pritchel hold downs I use a chain. I put a full loop of bycycle chain down thru my hardy hole. On the bottom I have a straight bar, to step on, with a partially closed eyelet that goes on after I drop chain thru. I put the hammer I am going to use in the chain to hold it up from falling thru. hammer is standing vertically on anvil, so when hot metal comes I grab hammer pull up, and insert metal. Hasn't let me down yet.

The kind of hold down I use to hold work on the anvil is a flat forklift chain with a stirrup so you can put your foot through it in order to put pressure on ,i have found this is the most secure type. the goose neck devices I have found are not as good for some work but quick and simple to make and use.

Myself, I just recently made a pritchel hole hold down, and it seems to work quite well, so it is really a matter or experimentation I would guess, until you find something that works for you. I know that personally, I was getting tired of not having a third hand.

A Lug Wrench, the simple kind that comes with the factory tools in the trunk of a car, makes a convenient piece of stock for a hold-down. You can find these lying along the road, or in my case, my Dodge van donated one that fit the Pritchell hole well. The wrench end of it becomes the foot that holds the stock down.