My new baby!

Daniel Macina

Well-Known Member
Well I got a anvil today! It was bittersweet because it belonged to a good friend, boss, that passed away about two weeks ago. He was practically a grandpa to me. He always knew I liked that anvil and said I could have it when he passed, sadly that day came. The anvils not in the best shape especially the edges because he was just a farmer and didn't do any hot work just beat on parts cold but the actual face is nice and smooth. Hardie hole's not in the best shape either. Weights about 150 lbs just based off of lifting it I don't know for certain. Their are some old markings but they are to faded to read. Still got to build a proper stand for it.

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You can dress those edges no problem. That anvil still has a lot of work left to give. I like London patterns the best. I guess that is because I started on one so it's what an anvil should be in my eyes. Mine is from the late 1800’s-early 1900’s I often think about those who used it before me though I know nothing about them its just a cool thought.
 
@Ty Adams no telling what brand it is. I'm going to go out after work and clean off some of the dirt and I'll report back if I find any markings. As far as cleaning up the face all I have is some flapdisc and a light touch would that work to clean up the face?
 
@Ty Adams no telling what brand it is. I'm going to go out after work and clean off some of the dirt and I'll report back if I find any markings. As far as cleaning up the face all I have is some flapdisc and a light touch would that work to clean up the face?
I would do nothing mechanical to the face. I have seen where someone took a flapdisk to one and by the time they were through polishing it up, it was full of gouge marks! They done more damage than good! Wrap sandpaper around a block of wood to assure a flat surface and just polish the face clean that way!
 
Condolences for loosing a friend, and congrats on the anvil.

The first thing I would do to start cleaning up the anvil would be a once over with a powered steel brush on an angle grinder. I'd do further clean up with a hand held belt sander which is your best bet to keep things flat and level.

I cringe when folks take a flap wheel to an anvil. Although its much quicker then a hand held belt sander, a flap wheel will leave the surface(s) rippled, sometimes significantly, depending on how aggressive you are with the flap wheel. Although the new anvil I just got is in excellent shape, I still wanna do some work on it...... last Monday I ordered the following.....

https://www.harborfreight.com/65-Amp-3-in-x-21-in-Heavy-Duty-Belt-Sander-69859.html
and then ordered belts from 120-800 off Amazon

I also thought I'd give these a try.... https://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-4-inch-polishing-wheel-set-65287.html

Might be overkill, but I'm pretty anal about the working surfaces finish on an anvil. The smoother and cleaner, the better your work comes out. :)
 
Thank you both for the help! I was definitely nervous about using a flap disc. I will clean it up the way Mr. Caffrey suggest.
 
For a dedicated knife making anvil, I would clean it up like Ed said. If you intend to do general forge work on it and knife forging on something else I would make the edges how I want them and go to work on some hot steel. I went through this a couple of years ago so shoot me a message if you want a couple of websites to visit where there is more detailed info on anvil care or conditioning.
 
For a dedicated knife making anvil, I would clean it up like Ed said. If you intend to do general forge work on it and knife forging on something else I would make the edges how I want them and go to work on some hot steel. I went through this a couple of years ago so shoot me a message if you want a couple of websites to visit where there is more detailed info on anvil care or conditioning.

Thank you sir! I will definitely get in touch when I'm ready to mess with it. Helping my folks move out of state so everything's kind of on hold. Lol. I'm ready for some shop time!
 
For a dedicated knife making anvil, I would clean it up like Ed said. If you intend to do general forge work on it and knife forging on something else I would make the edges how I want them and go to work on some hot steel. I went through this a couple of years ago so shoot me a message if you want a couple of websites to visit where there is more detailed info on anvil care or conditioning.
Chris, you got some info on anvil care and consitioning?
 
Not really on care or conditioning but on dressing an anvil based on the type of work you intend to do on it. Like Ed mentioned above if knife forging is primary concern you are going to want the face clean and pristine to keep from transferring negative images of divots to your work. If you do more general blacksmith work that is not as important. The edges are another thing to consider but those are mostly personal preference. I have one edge of my anvil with a graduated radius all the way to the heel. The other side I have sharp for half and radius half. That is all due to the type of work I do on them. I forge way less knives than I do ornamental iron and tools so I use my edges to perform tasks from marking cold steel to bending a proper radius on a pigtail steak turner to forging tapers quickly. As far as sites go, "I Forge Iron.com" has a wealth of information period. Be warned though they are not overly tolerant of newbies asking the same old questions instead of using the search function and finding the numerous threads that address that question which already exist. You can use their search function without being a member so if you choose to remain anonymous you can. Most of the guys there really know their stuff but they can be crass with newbies especially the members who designate themselves as "curmudgeons". Anvilfire.com is also a good site. I would do some research before altering the anvil too much but really, it's yours I would make it fit your work. It's amazing what one can accomplish with an angle grinder and a blending disc...
 
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Not really on care or conditioning but on dressing an anvil based on the type of work you intend to do on it. Like Ed mentioned above if knife forging is primary concern you are going to want the face clean and pristine to keep from transferring negative images of divots to your work. If you do more general blacksmith work that is not as important. The edges are another thing to consider but those are mostly personal preference. I have one edge of my anvil with a graduated radius all the way to the heel. The other side I have sharp for half and radius half. That is all due to the type of work I do on them. I forge way less knives than I do ornamental iron and tools so I use my edges to perform tasks from marking cold steel to bending a proper radius on a pigtail steak turner to forging tapers quickly. As far as sites go, "I Forge Iron.com" has a wealth of information period. Be warned though they are not overly tolerant of newbies asking the same old questions instead of using the search function and finding the numerous threads that address that question which already exist. You can use their search function without being a member so if you choose to remain anonymous you can. Most of the guys there really know their stuff but they can be crass with newbies especially the members who designate themselves as "curmudgeons". Anvilfire.com is also a good site. I would do some research before altering the anvil too much but really, it's yours I would make it fit your work. It's amazing what one can accomplish with an angle grinder and a blending disc...

Thanks Chris. I think I'm going to try and forge some ornamental and tools(fire pokers) and of course knives. My anvil does have a little sway to the top face of it but not sure if you can do much about that?
 
Thanks Chris. I think I'm going to try and forge some ornamental and tools(fire pokers) and of course knives. My anvil does have a little sway to the top face of it but not sure if you can do much about that?
My Peter Wright has a sway too there is not much you can do about it. You can get a chunk of any steel that is flat to use for straightening. Or make a plate to put on top of you anvil to straighten only.
 
Good call....
My Peter Wright has a sway too there is not much you can do about it. You can get a chunk of any steel that is flat to use for straightening. Or make a plate to put on top of you anvil to straighten only.
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Good call on the flat piece of steel....why did my brain not think like that. In the finishing stages of forging a knife I won't need alot of force to straighten.
 
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