Art & Inspiration ANVIL IN THE GARAGE?

another one that needs an explanation, ……..unless that is AI enhanced………….
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I had an anvil and forge when I was a younger and ran a farrier bussiness. I have my g,g grandfather's anvil in the barn. He was a blacksmith in Holmes County FL back in the 1800's. From what I remember from grandad telling me his shop was near the entrance to Dog Wood Lakes. Grandad lived just south of there. I'll have to pull it out and see what markings are on it. The largest anvil I've seen was back in the 1990s. The owner said it was used by the millitary during the Civil War. This was in Villanow GA. I don't remember which side he said used it.

 

Showroom of the "Anvils-R-Us" shop at the mall. Right next door to the new "Hammer-Rama" outlet store.

 

No idea man, I saw that on the internet a year ago and filed it away for just such an occasion.

 

timing is everything!

 

I seen that picture also but no remembrance of what and where.

 

rail from my Uncle John, machinist for the RR

 

my dad and the boss of the first shop I worked at and ended up at for 39 yrs both taught me that an unused tool is a worthless tool and I've kept that mentality all of my life too.

I remember asking my boss for the first time if I could work on my own car over the weekend and he looked at me and said " A shop ain't worth a damn if it ain't being used, same goes for tools, you've got a key, you know how everything works just clean up after yourself".

My dad was the same, if he had tools, and he had a lot, that hadn't seen the light of day for a couple years it went up for sale. He always said tools were meant to be used and if he wasn't using them time to find someone that would. Take the money and buy tools he did use and need.

My son's and SIL always know my shop is here at home, ready to use along with every tool in it and im more than happy to show and teach them how to use the tools they've never used before.

Sad thing is I've had many youngsters ask about welding, heating and shaping, using a lathe etc and I've told them to call me one weekend and we'll make a day of playing and learning how to do that certain thing and not one ever took me up on it...

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Got a piece of 120 lb main line rail. I got it one time while working a work train. Havn't used in years but it is nice to have if I do need it.

 

My first introduction to the uses of an anvil was watching Wile E. Coyote attempting to drop them on the Road Runner. Since then I have learned that they are useful for other things, and have used a number of them over the years for a variety of tasks.

 

I have a homemade train track one that I got at a swap meet, it's fairly well made and I use it quite a bit. I've been shopping for a big, "real" one for decades and I've yet to find one that isn't crazy priced. I don't know where that Google AI search quoted above thinks you can buy one for 3 bucks a pound but I'd love to find a 100+ pounder for that price.

When I got my train track one, the same guy had a real one, a bit on the small side but still decent, and I think he wanted 85 bucks for it or something like that. I was a teenager at the time, so I went with the train track one for 15. I don't remember if I had the money or not but I wish I would have grabbed that other one back then, that was the last good deal on an anvil I ever came across, near 30 years ago already.

 

Well, we definitely have that in common. My great grandfather was a blacksmith and owned a good sized shop in Twin Falls ID back in the late 1800's into the early 1900's. Hendrix-Grubber and the photos show a bunch of anvils, all mounted on tree rounds to get them to pounding height. Just like Squablow, been keeping an eye out but see nothing but sky high prices from flippers. I do want one. G Grampa Thomas would want it to be so...

 

Which is next to the Ding-Dong bell store…

 

Got this one from my grandfather’s Atlantic service station in the early 50s. Had to keep it in the family. It was broken ever since I knew anything about it. Would love to know how, but there’s no one around left to ask.

 

I too would like a good HD anvil but as others have said they are way out of my price range. I'm thinking about this 65 pound one from Harbor Freight at just over 2 bucks a pound. Not old time black smith quality but for a home shop it should be OK?

 

Okay Billy, yours is way bigger than mine. I’m not worthy to post up a pic.
I’m heading to the cabinet, gotta find my male anvil enhancement pills.

 

I lucked into mine at a garage sale. I knew from a friend that there was a Pontiac try power setup there that one of my friends tried to buy years before. When I see the garage sale going on I Had to stop. I looked around and found a few car related parts and picked them up to buy and asked if they had anymore car parts. The older lady said yes there was some manifold thingy downstairs and told a younger guy to show me to the ba*****t. They were cleaning the house to sell and everything had to go. Well after digging around I found the try power and that anvil. They had to call the old man to find out how much he wanted for those items, they gave me the phone and talking with the old man he said those intakes were worth a lot of money and I said with the price of gas now days (this was back in the mid 90s) people weren't buying them because of the gas mileage. After some negotiation I got the anvil, try power and a old stand up tube type radio for 175 bucks. The try power was a complete 1964 setup less the air breather. Sold that setup at a swap meet for 1,000.00 bucks. Thought I did pretty good on that deal.

 

HF says they use some type of an alloy steel. My buddy bought a vise with that type of steel. It has the flat spot on the stationary end, says he’s banged the hell out of it.
But he’s not smacking it with a 3lb hand sledge, but for the price, I say give it a try. Worst case you start looking for a used one down the road. Best case is it works great for your needs.


But for anyone buying an anvil (used)look into a ring test on them. I can’t explain it properly, but lets you know if the anvil is good or dead.

 

I have a little 66 pound Vevor and an even smaller railroad iron anvil I made
I'd like to have a large anvil but these two are all I really need.

 

I have 10 feet of rail. For the ones that have made them into anvils anything you would do different or tips for doing one?

 

I wanted/needed a bigger anvil because I do beat and re-arch leaf springs on mine. Using a 12 lb sledge I needed something that will take it.

Also always heard another test to check the quality/condition of a anvil is to take a pound or so bigger hammer and holding it in your hand, let your hand fall letting the hammer head strike the anvil, a good anvil will cause the hammer to bounce back up into your hand.

Heard said the this one of the things a blacksmith looked for because it caused less stress to your hand and wrists as the hammer would recoil and save the user from having to raise the hammer himself and sped up the process of working metal.

I've done that for years now when looking at anvils and it's amazing how different the feel is between many of them. Mine now has a very good recoil to it...

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if you expect to really wail on it consider beefing up the web, like box it in with heavy plate.

 

I inherited my great grand pa's 100# anvil that he bought at a forge in Los Angeles. It's dated 1905 and even though I occasionally use it it's really a family treasure. Talking to local blacksmiths they agree that an anvil should be attached to a section of log to help absorb the shock. I welded up a steel stand for mine.

 

I made mine from a piece of rail. Probably spent more time making it than my total time using it.



I've caught myself a time or two using other objects and I chuckle... thinking this is because I grew up making stuff without one.

 

Could you explain the purpose of the chain and any other items ***ociated with usage ?

 

The chain is to absorb vibrations from from hammer blows . Looks like there is a wooden floor under the anvil to help deaden the hammer blows . There’s also rubber pads on the legs . Hammers each have a specific purpose.

 

Doug - as Okie Pete explained, the chain and 2” thick wooden block helps to deaden ringing; the foot pads are actually made from leather hoof pads and I made the feet movable so they can be adjusted flat on any floor surface.

 

I too can't find one around here that I don't have to sell the cars for. I bought a small one sloppily made from a rail lots of years ago but do want a bigger, real one.

Here's some new USA made ones.
https://alecsteeleshop.com/products/140-lb-steele-anvil
https://www.hollandanvil.com/
https://emersonanvil.com/collections/anvils
https://www.anvilbrand.com/collections/anvils-jhm-anvils
https://nimbaanvils.com/
https://piehtoolco.com/contents/en-us/d852.html