Art & Inspiration ANVIL IN THE GARAGE?

I never realized how often I would use/need an ANVIL until I had one, I picked up my anvil years ago when I bought a 4 door Model A rotting away in a field beside the car was a HAY-BUDDEN anvil half buried in the dirt and briers, I bought them both, sold the frame,engine and transmission to a Hamber,sold some parts at the swap meet and made yard art out of the rough body.

Hay-Budden manufactured the anvils from 1892 -1928 and the one I have has been used and abused, it is not perfect but it does the job. HRP

 

I have two around here, one in the shop, one in a trailer out back.
Haven’t used either for a spell, but like any other tool that comes in handy when you need it, you realize you can’t live without it.

 

I got four or five short sections of rail that I've used from time to time. Someday I'll sell three of them or swap them for something I need, but yeah, they are handy as can be. I've tried to shape one more closely to an anvil but they sure eat up angle grinder disks in a jiffy. That's why they make great anvils, I guess.

 

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I just got one given to me recently but haven’t used it yet.

 

I have one of those also, it's in the barn. HRP

 

Story time

My dad had a ‘54 2.5 ton Ford he’d haul his D4 on. It had this big PTO driven winch up front of the ramp bed he made.
He gets a call from a friend of his. Seems his friend has a contract to haul off all the railroad track irons that were replaced and in a pile in Salida.
My dad agrees.
Well, seems his friend didnt have a contract, but just saw an opportunity to make a few bucks on s**** metal.
Someone noticed the winching up the track, stopping and torching them in 1/2 to fit, called it in.
A few days later the authorities pull up to the house, all the tracks on the bed of the truck. One of those “Son, we got a problem here” moments.
My dad is more than happy to return them the next day.
But damn, he’s out fuel and OA use plus a days time. He figures he’s got to get something out of the deal.
So he cuts up one of the lengths into 12 inch long or so pieces. Gives all but one away, still have it around somewhere.
It was his first anvil.

 

I've been fortunate to have been around anvils since I was 14. We had a 171 pound at work that I used constantly and fell in love with.

Turned 61 before I found one I could afford for home. Around here farming is huge and anvils are like gold and easily bring 5 to 6 bucks a pound when you can find one that's for sale.

Found a 141 pound Wright that dates between 1880's and early 1910 and i love it. I'm always using it for something, straightening metal, installing bushings, forming metal etc. Whenever I need a solid base to beat on...

 

Make your own. HRP

 

I've got a 8ft or so section of railroad track that will probably end up being anvils some day and have at least one short piece saved for my son in law if he ever gets his own place with a garage.
My anvil is an old 55 lb Harbor freight unit that I bought years ago on sale.
Probably 49 years ago my buddy an I had loaded my 57 Chevy panel up with a load of stuff and hauled it to the Pate museum swap meet when it was still at the museum and in his stuff he had an anvil that I figured he would want a hundred bucks for then as it weighed about 60 or 70 lbs and he had just set it on the ground and some guy walks by and asks how much and he said 25 and the guy about ripped his pocket off getting his wallet out. I sure blew that one for not asking him what he wanted for it.

 

So . . . Anyone doing anvil launching?

 

I have one I picked up at a garage sale. Never did any research on it though.


It gets used on a regular basis.

 

you think you got Anvils?

 

no more information ? ? ?

 

Now that's just hoarding!

 

Homemade out of a 12" piece of 100lb rail. Every garage should have one. Way older than I am....

 

An average anvil today is worth between $3 and $6 per pound for a used model, and between $6 and $10 per pound for a brand new, high-quality steel anvil. Across online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy, total prices for standard 70 to 150-pound blacksmithing anvils typically range from $300 to $1,000+ depending on the specific weight and condition.

An anvil's value is heavily determined by its material, condition, weight, and brand history.

 

Here are the anvils here at the farm . Not used much but handy when needed. The bridge anvil is something from my Great Grandfather oil patch days . It was used to sharpen the drill bits on the cable tool drilling rigs he worked on . The cone I bought at a flea market. Seller told me it came off a military tank . I’ve used it to form rings and curves

 

I also use a couple of pieces of rail. I cut a 3 foot long piece in half a couple of months ago and gave to my son in laws.

 

I have an anvil but am looking for a bigger, better one. Took a beginning blacksmithing course in Escondido's G**** Day Park 20+ years ago from a by-gawd professional blacksmith - one learns practical things about steel when one is forging and reshaping steel like it was taffy....

 

Hmmm, this one would set you back a few dollars.

 

This one I cherish the most. These were made by my grandad on my dad's side of the family. He p***ed over when my dad was a young. Grandad was a blacksmith in St Joe Missouri. That is the picture of him in my avatar.

 

I thought I’d straighten a bent lawnmower blade on an anvil once . I laid the bent blade on the anvil where I could hit the bent area with a large hammer. I smacked it hard , it bounced off the anvil and went flying through the air . Ricochet off the fender of the feed pickup setting 10 feet away. ( I use the bale lift arms on the feed pickup to lift up lawnmowers to get the blades off and on ) leaving a nice dent . So I just go get a new blade now . Lol

 

I cannot find a branded one within 200-miles, in serviceable condition, that has not had its price run up by anvil collectors.

Yup, there are collectors that have several hundred in their collections, none of which get used.

Some collections are over 1,500 anvils!

Another example of hoarding harming production.

 

Have a 220lb Trenton dated 1927. Also a couple chunks of rail.

 

My nephew and BIL got inspired by forged in fire to start making knives. So my BIL went to blacksmith cl***es across KS and OK then started going to auctions buying anvils , forges , tongs , trip hammers and sedge blocks . My nephew changed jobs and has less time to make stuff . My BIL had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders . He has a very impressive collection of blacksmith equipment. But sadly nothing has moved in a while. Life happens

 

This is the neighbor’s anvil, on loan for as long as I want it in the garage. My brother always accused me of being able to break an anvil. To his surprise, I fixed this one. Look at the foot upper left side of the picture. It was completely missing. I used hot rolled mild steel because the anvil is wrought iron, essentially what we know as low carbon steel today. I did use nickel rod however, because it was just too big to get and keep hot.

The neighbor’s father and uncle found it in California decades ago in an old railroad or logging repair cabin about 10 miles deep in the mountains. They carried it out by hand! It’s a bit rough, but it still works great, and has the nicest ring to it. Someday one of us will get it to the neighbor’s nephew. But until one of us kicks the bucket, it’s going to reside in my garage…

 

Here is my contribution to the discussion.
Solid br***.