Anvil & stand

admin

Here's a little project I had. A little trueing of the oak log, a few coats of clear laquer, and a little bracket fabrication, and I have an anvil finally. Well some call it an "object cast like an anvil". It's not forged. I guess the cast won't hold up as well. I'll be experimenting, I'll let you know if it breaks. Attached ImagesGood judgement comes from experience.Experience comes from bad judgement.
Reply:That looks amazing.On a side note, if the Anvil is Made In China, wouldn't it be cheaper for them to, I dunno, make them in the US and not have to pay to ship them across an entire ocean? This is only a rhetorical question, please do not answer in this thread.The world is amazing when you are slightly strange.
Reply:I think the mount and the base look great.The anvil snobs call the cast-iron anvils an 'anvil shaped object,' or sometimes a 'boat anchor.'  Is that the HF one?  I have one of those, as well as a 200# model (of dubious parentage) that I need to make a base for.  Where I live, stumps are not easy to come by, so I was going to use regular lumber.What will you be using your anvil for?Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Jack,There is a Firewood place on Adams just east of Fairfax that may have a stump- I picked up one there. They gave it to me since I get my Firewood there.Although building up regular lumber may be a better option as loading a Stump the size needed for a 200# Anvil will be tough.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:where can you find a cast steel anvil
Reply:Thanks for the kudos. I got it from Harbor Freight for 59 bucks. I have a little sculpture project I'm making (going to make) that I will need something to form some steel on. I'm making a scaled version of a saber tooth tiger skull out of s.s.. The skeletal portion of the skull I'm going to leave with a satin finish (like sinks), the teeth I'll polish out to a chrome finish. I have a little time on my hands Good judgement comes from experience.Experience comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Originally Posted by ed macwhere can you find a cast steel anvil
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1
Reply:Originally Posted by LarwynI got mine at Harbor Freight a few years ago.  It is the same as the one in this link.http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/pr...nvil/index.php
Reply:I didn't know if they quit carrying it or not, but you are right, I cannot find it on their website anymore. I don't think it is all that good an anvil but it is the best anvil that I have (the only one too).Larry "I feel for the man who cannot spell a word more than one way."  by Mark TwainLincoln AC225-SLincoln Weldpac 100 Miller Matic 180 (auto set)Miller Spectrum 375 ExtremeMiller Spoolmate 100Victor Super Range II
Reply:I have a small one I made from a piece of track rail. I never have much call for an anvil so it works for what I have to do with it.  I like the method you used to true up the log, looks real good overall.                                  MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:The cast iron HF one is not well respected -- although it's still a perfectly good hard thing to hit stuff on.  The Russian steel 110# anvil HF used to sell got some grudging respect from the anvil crowd for its bang for the buck, if nothing else.  But it hasn't been available for a long time now. Prices for legitimately good anvils (forged steel) have been going up and up.jtrapper, your method for leveling the top of your stump gives me some ideas for grinding flat the top of my crudely cast anvil.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:After I knocked the bondo off of my HF anvil and smoothed the surfaces it wasn't to awful bad.
Reply:i've been doing a little research for my HF anvil stand , thinking about it , on and off for a year or so..........my best conclusion , and from seeing from quite a few shops , were tri-pod type stands . Attached Images        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:i have the same anvil as the OP's........works great.the  "traditional" method is definately a  good stump of wood for a stand..i'm leaning toward the more modern looking tri-pod. Attached Images        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:I have bought and sold quite a few anvils over the years and I am sorry to say that the Harbor Freight cast iron anvils aren't worth the metal that they are cast from. Cast steel or anvils with a tool steel top are best.  Cast iron is not hard enough.  There is a test to determine the hardnes of an anvil.  Take a 1" diameter ball bearing and drop it on the anvil face from a height of 10" and see how far it bounces back. On a good anvil, the ball will rebound 7"-9" (70%-90%). On cast iron, the ball will bounce no more than 1". I have 2 anvils. A 90# Kohlswa cast steel from Sweden (75% rebound) and a 300# Fisher made in USA (85% rebound). Many consider Fisher anvils to be the best ever made. Fisher developed a process to bond a tool steel top plate to a cast iron body. One advantage of the Fisher is that it doesnt ring as loud as cast steel anvils. The hardest anvil I ever owned was a 125# Fisher that had a rebound of 90%. One trade off with a very hard anvil is that the edges tend to chip. An anvil with chipped edges may not look very good but it is a very good hard anvil.Check out the site  www.anvilfire.com Attached ImagesLast edited by WFM; 02-10-2010 at 08:59 AM.
Reply:Not too far from me is a John Deere dealership and they have anvils in there. They are not forged which makes them reasonably priced.As for quality, for most things people will use it for that anvil is fine. I know guys that make knives that have 300 pound anvils and tell others that they need 200 pounds as a minimum. Total BS, I made a LOT of knives using an 8" long piece of Railroad track and it worked just fine. That 55 pound anvil would have been a welcome hunk of metal.Great hold down by the OP.
Reply:OMG!!!        i'm doomed with this 55# HF Anvili must find a fisher , so i can be the best        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:The Urban Stump.Its made of 2x4's, with angle iron on the corners. You can always take it apart, and build a doghouse with the wood, if you need to.The anvil is a Nimba, made by my gone but not forgotten friend Russell Jaque, in Port Townsend Wa. It cost about what you would pay for an entire pickup truck full of stuff from Harbor Freight, but it works really well, and when I use it, I remember Russell, so to me, its worth it.
Reply:Originally Posted by RiesThe Urban Stump.Its made of 2x4's, with angle iron on the corners. You can always take it apart, and build a doghouse with the wood, if you need to.The anvil is a Nimba, made by my gone but not forgotten friend Russell Jaque, in Port Townsend Wa. It cost about what you would pay for an entire pickup truck full of stuff from Harbor Freight, but it works really well, and when I use it, I remember Russell, so to me, its worth it.
Reply:Originally Posted by Bob WarnerI know guys that make knives that have 300 pound anvils and tell others that they need 200 pounds as a minimum. Total BS, I made a LOT of knives using an 8" long piece of Railroad track and it worked just fine. That 55 pound anvil would have been a welcome hunk of metal.Great hold down by the OP.
Reply:My NImba is only the middle sized one.The big one, the Gladiator, is REALLY a beast- it weighs 450lbs.http://www.nimbaanvils.com/gladiator.phpMine is a measly 260lbs.They are modelled after an Italian anvil another friend brought back from Italy 30 years ago.
Reply:The Nimba anvils are very impressive. I was unaware that there was still an anvil manufacturer in the USA.  Purchasing a good anvil is no different than purchasing a good welder.  You only get what you pay for. Those of us that own a good anvil know the difference.Partial quote from anvilfire.comANVILS - Buying used anvilsUsed anvils vary in price from 25 cents to 3 dollars a pound. In the 1960's the rule of thumb was $1/lb. Today the market is just crazy. It all depends on who's buying and who's selling. New anvils sell for $5-$6 a pound or more and there is some question as to the quality sometimes. The trick is knowing a good anvil from a bad anvil. When buying and using old anvils you have to overlook a lot of little chips and dings. Anvils in good condition don't have cracks or big chunks missing. Good anvils have wrought iron or steel bodies and a hard steel face. Cast iron anvils are junk and not worth the metal it took to make them. A good anvil has quick rebound when struck with a hard hammer. Good anvils ring when struck depending on how they are mounted. An anvil that is clamped or bolted down dosn't ring very well. Small anvils in the 100 lb. range will ring enough to hurt the ears while large anvils in the 300 lb range generally ring less. When is an anvil "worn out?" When the face starts to get sway backed to the point you don't need a straight edge to tell. When the face starts showing a fine pattern of stress cracks. When any part breaks off the anvil without undue abuse (ALL anvils are abused to some degree). It is common on very old anvils with thin steel faces for pieces of the face to break off or get worn through. Broken worn out anvils have their uses and thus have some monetary value. They are better than no anvil at all and generally better than railroad track anvils.
Reply:i'll never look at an anvil exactly the same again.......no clamps though ?  i like the two pictures with the crossover clamps        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Mine is just a little 300 pounder made by peter wrightFelonPS the chain around the waist stops most of the ringingPSS oh and a pic of my handy little 125 lb ships anvil on wheels Attached ImagesLast edited by Felonyass Monk; 02-10-2010 at 07:05 PM.Caution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"Actually, there are several other anvil makers in the USA today- at least a couple who make farrier anvils, JHM in Texas, and NC Tool and possibly Delta Future brand as well.I think there are a couple more small companies doing them as well. These are small, portable anvils for horseshoeing- cool video here about them being machined on a CNC mill.http://www.anvilbrand.com/default.aspx?And then, in blacksmithing, there is, in addition to Nimba,Rathole-http://www.fontaninianvilandtool.com...m/Welcome.htmlI have seen these, they are gorgeous.A guy up near me, Kris Ketchum, has been making a few of what he calls "Black Jack" anvils- huge, 400 or 500 pound double horned anvils with cool features, but they were scary expensive.A Pennsylvania blacksmith I know has been making Colonial Style anvils lately, too- these have no horns at all, they are just big blocks, but his are cast tool steel, and very nice looking- he does historic reproduction work, and demos at historic events, but I think he has been selling a few.So anvil making in the USA is not exactly dead- but domestic anvils are not cheap, and the current market has pretty nice, cheap, Czech anvils for sale, which are hard to compete with.
Reply:i'm becoming smarter just looking at all these pictures.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:I never was too proud of my little Horror Fright Russian anvil.  Now, I am once agin embarassed by it.  I once had a Hay Budding #126 in fair condition but I traded that to a sword maker, for a sword of course.  I could get more money for the sword right now than I could for the anvil but at this point I would rather have the anvil....Larry "I feel for the man who cannot spell a word more than one way."  by Mark TwainLincoln AC225-SLincoln Weldpac 100 Miller Matic 180 (auto set)Miller Spectrum 375 ExtremeMiller Spoolmate 100Victor Super Range II
Reply:Nice job on the stand and hold down.  I have a similar cast iron anvil (only difference I got mine through Northern Tools and it weighs 70# ).  Despite what a lot of folks will tell you they will get the job done.  I really like to use my cast iron anvil on the initial forging work - that way I don't risk damaging the face of my steel anvil.  Plus I'm teaching a couple of neighbor kids how to forge and I prefer them to use it as well.I sometimes use RR Track anvils (photo taken before mounting to stump) - Like Bob said - they work! I also have a cast steel 110# anvil I reserve for finish work or larger stuff.   Look hard and you can find one for about $2/lb I took a slightly different approach to a hold down - I call them 'shoes for my babies'Now that you got your anvil you'll need to make some tools - here's a few starters:Cut-Off hardie - made with the rear leaf spring from a '78 Ford HD Pickup - almost 3/4" at the base, welded to a piece of 1" square stock then heat-treated and tempered, (that's not a nick on the edge just a piece of lint that I missed):Bending Hardie - made from the rear axles of a lawn tractor, the uprights allow for bending stock up to an inch, or using the pin holes 1/4 inch, the horizontal bar allows for forging 3/4" curves (think wood gouge), all three pieces welded to 1" square stock:Rounding Hardie - made from a 2" hitch ballLast edited by reefera4m; 02-11-2010 at 01:35 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Felonyass MonkMine is just a little 300 pounder made by peter wrightFelonPS the chain around the waist stops most of the ringingPSS oh and a pic of my handy little 125 lb ships anvil on wheels
Reply:7A749 said"Now, I have Anvil Envy" Well its only fair after all,look at all the welder envy youve been putting me through.Felon ps heres a pic of my buddys anvil.he got it from a mill in New Brunswick.thats a 200 pound anvil sitting on top.and sitting by his snowmobile to get an idea of size.Got to weigh close to 600 lbs Attached ImagesLast edited by Felonyass Monk; 02-11-2010 at 08:17 PM.Caution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"
Reply:Since this post started out as making a mount for an anvil, I found this interesting picture of what appears to be a turn of the century blacksmith school. The anvils are mounted to a piece of lumber with four rods bent over the anvil bottom. Could be a bent spike or lag bolt. It is interesting to see so many people in white shirts working with forges and anvils. Attached Images
Reply:it looks like child slave labor to me.  or a class..?yeah , i've since strayed back to the original wood block stand since my education from this thread.....hope it keeps on running for a while and never gets old.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:i've really been paying attention to all the clamping systems and even the accessories for the square hole notch in the rear of ALL anvils..............as well as ALL the cool hammers.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:the heighth seems very very important too.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:woi2ld said "the heighth seems very very important too. "If your planning on beating iron on the anvil all day it is important.From a standing position ,make a fist with your arm hanging loosely ,your knuckes should just touch the face of the anvil.This should allow the hammer to strike a full blow without ripping the shoulders,wrists and elbows asunder after a days forging or FORGE WELDING* .Hammer technique is also an issue for all day forgingFelon*  welding content to quell the moderatorsLast edited by Felonyass Monk; 02-12-2010 at 06:56 PM.Caution lurker lives here" hmmm That is serious,pass the ganja and pick up a  24 of MGD"
Reply:Originally Posted by WFMSince this post started out as making a mount for an anvil, I found this interesting picture of what appears to be a turn of the century blacksmith school. The anvils are mounted to a piece of lumber with four rods bent over the anvil bottom. Could be a bent spike or lag bolt. It is interesting to see so many people in white shirts working with forges and anvils.
Reply:Use scrap rail track unless you are a full time blacksmith then sheffeld from england.
Reply:bringing this thread back, maybe some body else will be intrigued or inspired.......Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Dumb question alert: What is the square hole in the top of the anvils used for?Sure, I can fix it... I got a welder!!!
Reply:Some great ideas here!  Bob
Reply:Originally Posted by fwalz3Dumb question alert: What is the square hole in the top of the anvils used for?
Reply:Originally Posted by fwalz3Dumb question alert: What is the square hole in the top of the anvils used for?
Reply:Nice "stump" there JtrapperIf you ever decide to go more mobile, look what I spotted rolling down the pike. Last edited by denrep; 10-11-2011 at 11:17 PM.
Reply:Nothing like a farrier advertising his craft. Personally, I would use a sign.
Reply:Speaking of Hardie holes, I see that 300# Peter Wright anvil of Felonyass's has an anvil that fits in the hardie hole. I don't know why, but that is the coolest hardie tool I have seen.
Reply:What type of stump is best?  Or does it matter?  I know where I can get some 36" diameter maple stumps with zero defects (voids, cracks, etc.) for free.My name's not Jim....
Reply:There was a lot of this stuff around when I grew up. Still a fair number of working blacksmiths. Used to go watch one that worked at a mine. I've wanted to get most of the gear but in bigger cities it was frowned on because of the noise. Around my way now, there are still blacksmiths, lot of Amish, they do horses at least. Some art type guys. You can still find the portable forges at local auctions, never at decent prices, lot of wantabees.I've messed about, made tools, etc. Lots of the stuff on Ebay.  I've got various anvils. Finding good fuels might be a challenge these days.But some of this stuff is also romanticized today too. The working blacksmiths did everything in their power to automate the process. All the hardie tools, swages, etc to cut down the time and effort. Some of the output was junk too. But I've got some very nice blacksmith made tools too.That and a home hobby foundry would be very nice to mess with. I sort of got more experience with the foundry. Made one in a 55 gallon drum and cooked with hard coal. My grandpa on the father side worked in one. Again as a kid I loved to go there. Dangerous but we didn't care. Love the TV shows on this type stuff, either old time or the more modern processes.
Reply:Originally Posted by fwalz3Dumb question alert: What is the square hole in the top of the anvils used for?
Reply:Interesting Denrep. I'd guess the swing arm is there so he can open the tailgate. I can't see that as being solid enough on that lever arm to work well unless he's got some sort of leg to support it when ist's swung out. Edit: Looking again at the pict, it looks like he might have a round base to take a trailer jack right next to the anvil. Maybe he swings it out, installs the jack and cranks it down to support the vise while he works. For shoes I doubt he needs as much support as you would with other types of smithing..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan