Anvils

The anvil is part of the triumvirate of forging and it is crucial that a high quality anvil is used.

To test an anvil: lightly strike the working face with a hammer. The anvil should give a clear ringing sound and the hammer should rebound off the face of the anvil. Dropping a steel ball or ball bearing on the face is another test. The ball should bounce at least 2/3 as high as the distance from which it was dropped.

Cast iron anvils (most Chinese and Taiwanese anvils) are only to be used as lawn ornaments and door stoppers.
Most cast steel anvils are of good quality (JB, Brookes, Kolswa) Peddinghaus makes some excellent anvils. Another make to look out for is Peter Wright.

A home made anvil of reasonable quality. The body was made of two pieces mild steel, 60mm thick, cut to shape using an oxy acetylene torch. The top is a 50 mm thick piece of tool steel.

The mild steel was cut at an angle on top (both sides) and the top welded on, working from inside out. The hardy hole was cut before the two slabs of mild steel was welded together. The horn was rough shaped using the cutting torch and refined using an angle grinder. The horn is in the German style. The legs were cut from the leftover pieces of 60mm plate and welded on.

A large German style anvil, note the hardy hole at the horn end of the anvil.

Originally a double bick, the bick broke off and was later replaced with a mild steel block with a slight taper, topped with a piece of tool steel.

The anvil most will be familiar with is the London pattern, typically with soft cutting table between the horn and the working face. When viewed from the top the horn of the London pattern anvil scribed by two curved lines (on a German anvil the horn is a true cone). The horn has a straight edge, parallel with the working surface when viewed from the side, with the bottom edge being curved.

Mounting the Anvil

The anvil should be mounted with the working face level with your knuckles when standing in a relaxed position, arms hanging down freely (not stretched). In the two pictures above are two suitable options. The feet of the steel stand are of heavy rectangular tubing, the ends are welded shut with pieces of flat bar to prevent it from digging into the shop floor when hammering. the anvil sits on two pieces of conveyor belting, each about 12mm thick. (The flat bar under the feet and anything such as wood or rubber placed between the anvil and stand should be taken into account when calculating the height of the stand.)

The second anvil sits on a block made up from planed 50 x 75mm blocks, cut to the correct length, glued together and strapped.

Caring for your Anvil

If the anvil is not in use, or will not be used for a while, wipe it with some light oil or diesel to prevent rust.
Wipe the face with the gloved hand (tong hand) to remove scale, clinker, slag or welding flux while the work piece is in the fire. A quick wipe will prevent the face from being damaged by any hard particles. (Scale and slag will damage your work piece, penetrating the hot steel from beneath. Remember that any irregularities in the work face of the anvil and hammer will be imprinted on the steel being forged.)

This page last edited on Saturday, 17 September 2011

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Anvils • Forges • Post vise