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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2008 3:10:17 GMT
well i have about a 100 dollar budget and i really need an anvil. i came across this site and shipping is only 12 bucks!!!! grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=320000now i have a very large selection but i just dont know which to choose. i plan to make small blades and maybe something about the size of a wak. so which one do u think is best for me?
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Post by Jeff K. ( Jak) on May 15, 2008 3:43:32 GMT
I would say the 55 or 100 pounder for your budget. The others would be pretty small. Also, you'll have the hardy hole for other tools, swages, stakes....maybe not too useful for knife making but if you want to do other projects it might come in handy.I wonder what kind of quality they are. I was looking at a 100 pounder at the local farriers shop and it was almost $1000 bucks. It was nothing really special I dont think....single horn with hardy and pritchel holes. Cant remember the manufacturer though.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2008 4:14:01 GMT
well ok i guess the better question to ask would be what make a good anvil?
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 15, 2008 21:28:04 GMT
Don't buy a cast iron anvil. Cast iron is too brittle and will chip and send dangerous shards flying everywhere. You want a cast steel anvil, or a hard faced (steel face, wrought iron body) anvil.
Get the largest anvil you can. It is easier to make small things on a large anvil than large things on a small anvil.
Consider a 2nd hand anvil. They are often as good as new. Don't buy one with dings and dents in the face. They will get transferred to your work.
Anvils are worth a lot of money. Buy from someone who is ignorant of their value, and get a bargain.
Consider a home made anvil. Railroad track segments can make superb anvils for small work. Go to your local trainyard and seek a piece of scrap track. The horn, hardy and pritchel holes can be formed with a grinder and some drills and files. You can heat treat the anvil in your forge.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2008 23:07:47 GMT
well would you say that a cast iron anvil is better or worse than the weight lifting plate that i currently use? as of right now i just cant find an anvil that is in my price range other than these.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2008 23:43:14 GMT
They are both the same, cast iron LOL. Don't bother with the grizzly, ASO (anvil shaped object). Matt's right, keep looking, ask EVERYONE about it no matter how annoying, one will turn up.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 17, 2008 18:59:32 GMT
Some people have the sheer lack of decency to use anvils as garden ornaments. You may even stumble accross one this way. Just don't count on it.
Cast iron in any form is positively dangerous as an anvil material. Get a flying shard of cast iron flying at you and you'll agree with me.
Just don't bother with a cheap anvil. Save up, if you can't afford a good one now. It would be a false economy to buy a cheap crappy one.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2008 22:22:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2008 2:06:03 GMT
That's better than nothing.
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Post by Jeff K. ( Jak) on May 18, 2008 3:35:08 GMT
If you're open to that one...scrap railroad track as, Matt suggested, would be a cheaper way to go. One of the guys in the auto body shop I used to work at used one. Worked well.
Right now I've just been using the small 4" X 4" "anvil on the back of my bench vice. Now Im pretty sure, but not positive, that the body and "anvil" is cast steel and not cast iron but it hasn't chipped on me yet.
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 18, 2008 17:56:54 GMT
That railroad track anvil doesnt look bad at all. However, buying a railroad track anvil is silly when you can make one yourself. Why does no one ever want to make a railroad track anvil? Its soooo easy.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2008 22:24:06 GMT
because the people down at the railroads are stingy and dont want to hand over some stuff
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 19, 2008 21:02:44 GMT
How cheeky of them. I asked around (before I got my own anvil) and the chaps at the trainyard I asked at were quite friendly. They respond best when you ask for scrap pieces of track, as obviously asking them to take up sections of in use railroad is a bit cheeky
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2008 21:55:35 GMT
well i have looked high and low and i have been unable to find a steel anvil...... BUT i contacted a steel shop (not sure what catagory to put it in) but they have these left over parts "scraps" of steel so i talked to the guy and got an awsome deal on a block of steel that is 11 inches long 4 inches wide and 4.5 inches thick! well maybe its not a great great deal but im paying 50 cents a pound which is a hell of a lot better than the dollar or two a pound for a real anvil. i was told that the steel is somewhere close to 1035. so it may not be a real anvil but it costs the same as the cast iron crap at my local harbor tools.
think i got a good deal?
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Post by Matt993f.o.d on May 30, 2008 21:56:25 GMT
That's not so bad. Anvil faces are usually heat treated to keep the faces resistant to denting. Steel with around 40 points of carbon should harden. You might want to get your bit of steel heat treated, so that you don't knacker it by working on it. Just be careful that whoever heat treats it doesnt make it too hard and brittle, or you will have the same chipping problem that cast iron anvils have.
I strongly advise that you mount your piece of steel securely to a good stand of some kind. A tree stump is a good choice. It must be sturdy and secure. I use an oil drum filled with sand, with the anvil mounted to a hardwood block. It has proved most excellent in service. Make sure your stand is the correct height. When standing up straight with your arms by your side, the anvil face should be around 1" lower than your knuckles. This will help you hit squarely with the hammer, and should stop you from having to bend to reach the anvil.
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