Anvil rebound... is it just me?

[Noellaflamme]

So, about a month ago I got an old American star anvil, it had had some serious weld repairs to the edges(not too well done it seems) but it was a great price and a little bigger than my peter wright at around 145 vs 120ish. So i set it up on the stand it came with(just 4x4s on end) and tried using it, not bolted down to the stump, a little lower than ideal but useable, I had mostly wanted to try it out. Once I tried it though, besides being quieter, which I had expected, it feels like it is so much more efficient at moving steel! My peter wright I thought had decent rebound, rings like a bell and feels like it had no dead spots where the face may not have welded, but I have been noticing that the face dents way too easily. Could it be that a previous owner did something to make the face soft enough to make it less efficient? is that a common issue with old peter wrights, or is it just me?

 

[Kevin R. Cashen]

I have seen anvils that I had to wonder if they had survived a barn fire, when they behave like this. What I always teach my students during the anvil orientation part of class is that ringing is overrated, rebound is what you really want, and they are not necessarily connected. I tell the student to stand at the anvil with their arm loose and let the hammer just fall under its own weight to the anvil face and observe how close to the original height the hammer returns, an anvil that will put that hammer head back to almost the same position is what you want. I love my Fisher anvils, they have good rebound and they don't ring, which saves on headaches from listening to that all day. But my Fishers also seem to have slightly softer faces that require greater hammer control to keep clean. I have a Trenton that rings like a Church bell and it has a markedly harder face.

Regardless of the anvil, the base and how it is mounted can play a huge role. I know we need to do it for convenience and portability, but metal frame stands are probably the least efficient in maximizing hammer blows. The more rigidly mounted and massive the base, the more efficient your forging will be. I have always preferred a 24" oak log section for my anvil base. Moving from a metal frame stand to a solid base of any kind you will notice a big difference, but if you take that log section an bury it about two feet into the ground, the difference will be even greater. I keep my base on my concrete floor so I can't do this, but I am building a new primitive forging area behind the shop where I plan on taking advantage of the dirt floor to treat myself to a very solidly mounted anvil.

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

I'm happy that you found an anvil that has been welded on and survived. Most who try to "repair" anvils by welding, literally wreck them. So count your blessings in that respect.

I have purchased and sold a fair number of anvils over the years..... ALWAYS take 1/2" or larger ball bearing to "test" the rebound before buying. In several cases, I used the test on an anvil.... the sound was very dull, and the rebound very little. The sellers were not well versed on anvils, so I asked.... "has this anvil been through a fire?" The seller said, "Yes! How did you know?" Because of the sound and rebound issues. That is ONE of many possibilities.

I guess Kevin and I were typing at the same time!

 

[Chris Railey]

he anvil with their arm loose and let the hammer just fall under its own weight to the anvil face and observe how close to the original height the hammer returns, an anvil that will put that hammer head back to almost the same position is what you want

Amen and Amen. Accept nothing less.

 

[Noellaflamme]

I'm happy that you found an anvil that has been welded on and survived. Most who try to "repair" anvils by welding, literally wreck them. So count your blessings in that respect.

I have purchased and sold a fair number of anvils over the years..... ALWAYS take 1/2" or larger ball bearing to "test" the rebound before buying. In several cases, I used the test on an anvil.... the sound was very dull, and the rebound very little. The sellers were not well versed on anvils, so I asked.... "has this anvil been through a fire?" The seller said, "Yes! How did you know?" Because of the sound and rebound issues. That is ONE of many possibilities.

I guess Kevin and I were typing at the same time!

ironically the quieter one is the one with much better rebound haha, but yeah I fire would make sense for the peter wright, I bought that years ago when I hadn't had a chance to use a good anvil yet, so to me the rebound seemed good... Ignorance is bliss I guess haha
and yeah... they did leave some small gaps along the weld edges(along with someone making serious cuts into the face) but as long as its not finish forging passes it works haha.