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I Need An Anvil

dav1965
I need to find a fairly decent priced anvil. All the ones i have seen so far are priced way beyond what i can pay.

Harbor Freight has one for about 62 dollars and with 20% off maybe 50 dollars but its only 55 pounds. I would like something a little bigger.

I need a forge also. I have the rest of the stuff i need. I have enough brass and copper to buy a propane forge for free.

So the anvil is the big thing holding me back. Oh i also need tongs.

Any ideas on anvils. I have not seen any farm auctions or repo sells in the paper lately.
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Comments

23 comments

Date Votes
  • truthful
    Depends on what you are going to use it for, but I'd look for at least 125-150 pounds for a good solid stay-put anvil. Cheap ones will be cast which is ok for light work, but the best way to go is old-fashioned wrought iron. Old ones will often be kinda beat up from years of use. For good work, you might want to get the top milled flat.
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  • Ricci Wright
    [*]Are you sure you don?t have one laying around somewhere??.[img][/img][url][/url] :mrgreen::mrgreen:
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  • navc130
    Are you sure you want to go that route? You can buy blade material stock and just grind the blade to shape. Might be an easier way to get started.
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  • remingtonoaks
    Don't buy a Harbor Freight anvil. The metal is too soft. Unless you want to harden it. But then if you do that, why not just buy a better quality anvil?
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  • mrmike08075
    My grandfather had a two foot long section of commercial railway track mounted on a work bench made out of bowling alley lane wood laminated / epoxied / pegged together like a super size butchers block in one corner of his carpentry shop

    He stated that it came out of a local marinas boat house carpentry shop - the senior carpenter having been killed at casserine pass during the US armies fist mechanized infantry / tank destroyer engagement with Rommel's Panzer forces.

    God only knows how long it had been in use at the marina prior to WWII

    It went in a lot of equipment in his estate sale along with a big chain hoist and a motor that drove a leather belt designed to run a table saw and a reciprocating drum sander and a "hit n miss" engine...

    Mike
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  • Oakie
    Yup, a decent anvil is very expensive. You might also want to consider using a coal/coke forge. Your gonna go through a lot of propane. ask me how I know. I can show you how to make a good coal forge from scrap.
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  • WearyTraveler
    Check or put a request craigs list or FB marketplace. I'm sure that there's probably some sitting in a barn somewhere just waiting for a new owner.
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  • SW0320
    Wish I had the one my grandfather had. It was huge and must have weighted 150-200 lbs.

    Never used it for blacksmithing we just used to split nuts. They were called "butternuts" and we used to collect them, then leave them in a pile until the maggots ate the skin off the butternut. Used to wear leather gloves and the nuts were so rough that they would wear out the gloves before the season was over.
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  • jimdeere
    forgemonkey wrote:
    Dave, look for a Peter Wright, Trenton or Hay Budden anvil,,,,,,



    This is a Peter Wright I resurfaced the 'bed' ,,,,,

    jyGaTOs.jpg
    I know a guy that can muck that up with a rubber mallet.
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  • jimdeere
    Do you know what the square hole is called? (Don?t tell them, forge.)
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  • dcon12
    jimdeere wrote:
    Do you know what the square hole is called? (Don?t tell them, forge.)



    Around here we call it a square hole. Don
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  • 11b6r
    If you do what Forge Monkey does, you need a good anvil. As a tinkerer, I have an 18" length of heavy gauge railroad rail, spiked down to a block of oak tree trunk- and it has been more than adequate for my occasional needs. For a forge, I used a cast off truck brake drum. Added legs, a tuyere (pipe for forced air) and use coal. Will guarantee a hotter more controllable fire than propane.
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  • 35 Whelen
    From what I've seen of some Harbor Freight anvils, they are usually made of a questionable, almost lead-soft iron alloy and covered in voids, which they fill and level with Bondo, and hide with hammertone paint. From the outside, they look fairly presentable, but if you happen to catch an edge with your hammer, you're just as apt to catch a chunk of body filler to the face as you are a piece of the anvil itself.
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  • pulsarnc
    Understand the hardy hole and the Pritchel hole
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  • mnrivrat48
    The one I had came from Railroad track. I would advise you to wait until the train passes . Farm sales is also a pretty good source.
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  • Ditch-Runner
    I would like to find one but this late in life not sure why I guess just to say I have one :shock:
    I have about a foot long section of RR track I bought may years ago at a yard sale I stopped by seen it iunder a old table in the corner and ask how much . I am not sure they even knew about it or thought any one would want it but said stop back tomorrow we ask our brother
    so next morning I went by yep 15.00 3x what I thought and sure it the most expensive item in the sale :( I know they took me for a ride , as I had already showed too much interest the day before but I bought it any way , but its served me well what little I have used it over the years
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  • RobOz
    jimdeere wrote:
    Do you know what the square hole is called? (Don?t tell them, forge.)

    Hardy hole
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  • Don McManus
    You need a forge, an anvil and tongs?

    Sounds like you have a hammer in search of a purpose. :)
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  • babun
    At the Nashville Fair grounds Flea market, there is always at least 3-5 vendors
    with anvils.
    Never less than $100. The larger ones go for $150 and up.
    Various thongs go for $20 to $40.
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  • jimdeere
    babun wrote:
    At the Nashville Fair grounds Flea market, there is always at least 3-5 vendors
    with anvils.

    Various thongs go for $20 to $40.
    Do the thongs still have the women in them? :o
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  • babun
    jimdeere wrote:
    babun wrote:
    At the Nashville Fair grounds Flea market, there is always at least 3-5 vendors
    with anvils.

    Various thongs go for $20 to $40.
    Do the thongs still have the women in them? :o

    Most of the sellers are men....

    now scratch your eyes out.. :shock:
    1172324028.g_400-w_g.jpg
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  • jimdeere
    Durn you, Bob!
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  • Gregor62
    babun, you ain't right. :shock:

    Dave, I don't know if the email system is fixed, but if it is, send me your address and I'll put together a package for you if you're interested. I think you should finish a knife before you go all in with tools for something you might not enjoy doing.

    I have found that knife making is a love/hate relationship. I love everything about making knives, except, hand sanding hardened steel (draw filing is a close second), so i have recently added a belt grinder to my process, and it has made a huge difference by removing that pain in my ass step.

    I have a 1095 blade that is shaped and drilled. You will have add the bevels, and sand/polish pre-heat treat to your liking. I will include some stabilized scales, and some type of fasteners/pins. Yours if you want them.
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