Anvil Inbound :)

Josh Dabney

Josh Dabney

Moderator
Hey fellas,

I wanted to thank everyone once again for providing advice and helping me decide what to do about getting an anvil.

I decided to go with this 148# Peter Wright from Matchless antiques on E-bay.

At $3.27 a pound with shipping I probably could have waited and got one for a little less but I liked this this perticular one because it appears to be in great shape compared to many of the others that I've seen. I did save quite a bit over geting a new 150#'er so I'm happy about that.

It's still going to be awhile before I'm set-up completely for forging but I'm sure excited to have taken the first step :D

Let me know what you guys think- Josh

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anvil

2thumbs Hi guy looks great don't think you will ever wear that out forging blades cost seems right in there.
 
Ray, it was already named Peter. Duh!! :D

Congrats, Josh! It was one of the happier days I've had in my shop when I purchased my anvil (also from ebay). Defining moments I've had in my shop: KMG arrival, Evenheat arrival, anvil arrival, forge setup.

If you don't have any stand ideas, here's how I mounted mine:

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Everything is secured with long decking screws and construction adhesive, and the main stack is all glued together and compressied with 4 lengths of allthread.

--nathan
 
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Thanks guys

Ray- I haven't even picked a name for my daughter yet, LOL . She's due to arrive May 5th. I'll have to give it some thought. Are Anvils typically given girs or boys names? Off the top of my head I'm thinking about naming her The Iron Mistress (the anvil not the daughter). I'm sure that would end up being both a descriptive and appropriate name :D

I've never been a giant history buff or anything but there is something that just feels "right" about owning and using a piece of history.

Nathan- I almost feel like I'm cheating copying all your equipment, LOL. IMHO you've made intelligent choices so It just makes sense and I've yet to be disappointed in any tool purchases.

I haven't totally made up my mind for a stand yet and I do have a Palm stump in my yard I could cut for this purpose. I do like that your base is comparable in size to the anvil base to allow being close to the actual work surface so I may just have to copy you once again, LOL. Thanks for providing the pics here so I won't have to go hunting them down :D

I've never been so happy spending so much time completely broke before, LOL. I know what you mean about reaching tool milestones. I was so broke after buying my evenheat that it took me 5 weeks to get the wiring to install the outlet for the oven and switch my grinders over to dryer cords.

There's no end in sight but I do have some nice tools to work with, LOL.

Forge is gonna be next on the list after saving up for Texarkana food and gas.

I really am stoked to have another tool off my list 2guns

-Josh
 
Josh, I'd really like to get to Texarcana at some point as well. When are they offereing classes? With me teaching so many classes right now at work, it's going to be hard to get away. As for copying, I'm only picking odds and ends from what I've seen others do. We're all just big copy cats in the end ;). If there's anything I've done that can help anyone else along, I'm extremely pleased. That's one of the reasons I try to keep pics of things. You're more than welcome to any of the limited ideas or tips I have.

After I bought my anvil, it sat in my shop on its new stand for the good part of a year before I finally pounded hot metal on it :D. One thing at a time, and it took a while to get the forge. I have a new shop table and a new grinder coming in this week, but I won't be able to afford a motor for the grinder until next paycheck :). Ah well....if only I hadn't run up so much dept when I was young and dumb, I'd have a lot more of my paycheck available. I know where my tax refund (if any) is going :(.

BTW, on that stand, the carriage bolts securing the tie downs for the chain are a full 8 inches long and are sunk fully into the heart of the stand. There's also a bed of silicone under the anvil to dampen ring.

--nathan
 
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I got my PW from Matchless, about 5 years ago. I overpaid but I live in the anvil wasteland so that's just the way it goes.

Mine's about 238# and I love it.

I wrapped one of those rubber tie-down straps around mine and it dampens things considerable. (The rubber straps with bungie-like ends) Haven't melted it yet. It's also lag-bolted to the stump.

Congratulations! Um, welcome to the Matchless PW club? ;)

Dave
 
Josh, I posted this for Murph earlier:

In my opinion this is the best stand that you can build. You can get up close to the anvil, get your feet under it and brace your hip against it. That gives you 3 point contact, just like shooting a rifle, which equals better hammer control. The base of this stand is about 1" thick and when chalked to the anvil the weight of the stand is added to the anvil. The legs are thick walled rectangle tubing.
You can view a larger picture at http://www.euroanvils.net/customer.php
 
Nice anvil. No visible sway at all. the step hasn't been too cut up - not that that is a big deal... the edges are pretty crisp with only a couple chips. It looks like it has seen quite bit of use from a farrier judging from all the marks on the horn. I have a peter wright myself. The mouse hole I've never found a good use for. The hardy hole is smaller than some but it doesn't get in the way either.

Now I need to make a nice 3 leg stand like Wayne shows in that picture but it is going to have to get another 50 degrees warmer here first.
 
Thanks for Chiming in with another stand type Wayne. I imagine being able to to get close to your work saves alot of stress on the wrists, elbows, and back and probabally also assists with hammer accuracy. Purely theory at this point but it seems to make sense to me.

Boss- Shoot I didn't know you were into forging. I don't recall seeing any non-stainless knives from you but I haven't really been around all that long.

-Josh
 
Congrats on the fine anvil purchase! And on the daughter!

Don't bother with the palm stump. It'll come all to pieces under the pounding. My traditional anvil is mounted on a big chunk of red oak, and my post anvil is in a bucket of cement. I really like the looks of that three legged one posted earlier. Might do mine that way one day.
 
Big congrats Josh

Peter Wright is a good anvil. We have one at work. Definately not as loud as my Trenton. I recommend a three leg stand like Mr. Coe showed you. You can get up nice and tight with the anvil with that design. If you need help welding one up come on down and we'll get to work.
You're well on you way now.
-Rob
 
Thanks alot fellas.

The Iron Mistress is In House now ! She got delivered yesterday. Maybe I've got a jaded opinion but she looks even better in person than in the pics. Maybe the cameras flash highlights the chips and chisel marks and makes them appear deeper than they really are but in person she's barely been dinged at all... just enough to show she can handle some serious work.

Todd- I was a little leery of exactly what you said. Queen Palms are known to mushy wood and not good for much so I'll be steering clear of that for sure.

Rob- One step at a time but I'm on my way for sure :) My pal DCknives gifted me a 110v mig welder recently but I havent welded anything for years ! I still gotta get wire and gas for it but it's at least a step in Fabrication direction. I figure at minimum though I'll have the ability to tack my projects together and take you up on your offer to weld it up. I think my first Fab project is going to be a knifemakers vise or two.

As for the anvil stand I probably will go with what you and Wayne recommend and build it nice and stout. Next month I'll probably make a trip to the local metal recycler and see what kinda scrap I can score for this project.

Stabber- Yeah she's in real good shape. Good enough that I won't feel at a dis-advantage over having a brand new anvil that's perfectly clean. Thanks for the Hammerhead welcome and reminding me that I'm gonna need some hammers ! I may be a little crazy for a beginner but I may just make a hammer or two.


Here's a question for you guys- Which Hardy tools are the most used for bladesmithing ? I'm assuming that a cut-off hardy and spring fuller are at the top of the list but other than that I have no idea.

Thanks again for the advice and encouragement fellas !!!!

-Josh
 
I don't use a cut-off hardy very much when bladesmithing (I used to use one a good bit doing ornamental ironwork), because it isn't much faster than using my bandsaw, which leaves a better cut without an angle on one side. (That sounds confusing, I know.) A spring fuller is great, almost a must have. You can make a lot of hardy tools without welding them to square stock by simply making them to fit diagonally in your hardy hole. My spring fuller and my cut-off are like this.
 
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