Anvil

Sean Jones

Well-Known Member
This anvil is up for sale here locally for $900. 182 pounds. I can't quite make out what it says on the side even after enhancing the photos with GIMP. Does it say Sweden? Or something else? I can't make out that first letter.
anvil.jpeganvil2.jpeg
 
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Would Sweden mark their anvils with Imperial Pounds?
Are you just curious or are you considering a purchase?
 
Would Sweden mark their anvils with Imperial Pounds?
Are you just curious or are you considering a purchase?
Mostly curious. I can't really afford to buy it, but it's the best price on a decent anvil I've seen in a while.
As to whether it's Imperial Pounds I have no idea.
 
OK, I will spare you my speech on buying old anvils then...LOL
I know. I've always thought an anvil with history would be cool to have.
Plus it's way too big for my shop. I'd have to keep it outside, which would mean moving any forge I might have outside as well.
And I'd have to come up with a very tall tale for my wife. :D
 
If you're looking for an affordable anvil, you might want to check out Atlas Knife &Tool. He has a 67 lbs. knife makers anvil for $295. I don't own one, but have been curious about them, mainly due to size.
 
People are just asking crazy prices for old beaters right now. One would be much better off pricing and buying a new anvil from a reputable source. When I started blacksmithing maybe ten or eleven years ago old anvils were good deals because you could get them at $2.50- $3.00 a pound. Now people ask new prices for their old anvils and people are paying them. In short, old anvils break and there is no warranty...
 
sean by the looks of that anvil $900 is not a very good buy .......it looks to me in the picture that besides the edges being bad that the surface appears to be a thin plate of steel on top of a cast body......also the raised letters on the name are a cast giveaway.......i dont think i have ever seen one of this kind of anvil with such a thin steel cap.......usually at least 1 inch thick.......good one to pass on
 
Thanks guys. As you can tell I don't know a lot about anvils. It was mostly curiosity that drove my question.
However I would like a better anvil than what I have now. The Atlas Knife & Tool Anvil is certainly a better buy. Especially with the limited amount of space I have.

Locally here used Anvils have been going for as much as $10 a pound. When comparing against that it looks like a good deal. But you all are right. Not buying this one.

As an aside....
About fifteen years ago I bought the 37 pound 52100 round I use for an anvil now. I paid $10 for it. The guy who sold it to me had a nice 75 pound anvil that I turned down because I thought he wanted too much money. He wanted $35.00 :eek:
Needless to say I've been banging my head against the wall over that for a few years now.
 
Sean, if you tell me how much you are thinking of eventually spending (when you can) and if you are just going to forge knives or other things too. I will save you some research and point you in a direction. I am going to be buying a new anvil in the next year or so to replace my Peter Wright so I have researched the subject.
 
Sean, if you tell me how much you are thinking of eventually spending (when you can) and if you are just going to forge knives or other things too. I will save you some research and point you in a direction. I am going to be buying a new anvil in the next year or so to replace my Peter Wright so I have researched the subject.
Thanks Chris. That's a very kind offer.

I haven't put a firm figure on how much I can spend. But a ball park figure would be around $700, preferably less. I would probably be doing knives almost exclusively, at least at first. I have considered doing some small general blacksmithing such as hooks and other items that could be made with small bars. I don't have any plans to make Damascus at all.

I like the Black Robin that USA Knifemaker has. But I don't know if it would be suitable if I wanted to expand beyond forging knives at some point.
 
In that price range my choices would be the following, Please keep in mind I prefer a London Pattern Anvil because I forge a lot of different things.
1). Kanca 110 drop forged anvil $640 delivered to your door. Link: https://www.centaurforge.com/Kanca-110-lbs-Drop-Forged-Double-Horn-Anvil-50-KG/productinfo/DFA110DH/

2). Emerson 100 pound traditional anvil with turning cams $810 delievered to your door. Same site as above

I have also been researching Holland anvils which are made from H-13 steel and have a good reputation on the forums. They are currently out of stock on everything in your price range but I would surely look them up when you are ready to pull the trigger. I have my eye on their big Sawyers anvil too.

Remember the main reason for getting a heavier anvil is so you can use larger hammers on them. The general ratio for hand hammers and anvils is about 50:1. A two hundred pound anvil will love a four pound hammer. Yes, the work area is larger, but the main reason for the expensive 300+ pound anvils is so you can swing BA sledge hammers on them. If you are like most other people (myself included) I mostly swing a 2.5 pound rounding hammer and sometimes a three pound straight peen. I have a 140 ish Peter Wright which is what I need. If it did not have a sway in it (which Peter Wrights are known for) I would not want for a new anvil. No 300 pound anvil needed.

For about half or less of the cost above, Boss Dawg has the Black Robin (knife work only) or the NC knifemaker anvil. I have not used either of those but I know guys using the NC anvil as teacher anvils in their shop and they like it.

There are other anvils out there but for the money those are MY choices.
 
I too have been thinking about getting one of those Atlas Tool & Knife anvils. It puts most of the mass under the work and has a hardy hole to hold tools. One would also be light enough to use my dolly to move it into my garage to keep it from being stolen like my last two were.

Doug
 
Sean, there is a 70 lb. one on Craigs list in Missoula under tools, looks like it's in pretty good shape. I'd be happy to pick it up for you if it's something your interested in. I think he's asking 375.00, Steve
 
In that price range my choices would be the following, Please keep in mind I prefer a London Pattern Anvil because I forge a lot of different things.
1). Kanca 110 drop forged anvil $640 delivered to your door. Link: https://www.centaurforge.com/Kanca-110-lbs-Drop-Forged-Double-Horn-Anvil-50-KG/productinfo/DFA110DH/

2). Emerson 100 pound traditional anvil with turning cams $810 delievered to your door. Same site as above

I have also been researching Holland anvils which are made from H-13 steel and have a good reputation on the forums. They are currently out of stock on everything in your price range but I would surely look them up when you are ready to pull the trigger. I have my eye on their big Sawyers anvil too.

Remember the main reason for getting a heavier anvil is so you can use larger hammers on them. The general ratio for hand hammers and anvils is about 50:1. A two hundred pound anvil will love a four pound hammer. Yes, the work area is larger, but the main reason for the expensive 300+ pound anvils is so you can swing BA sledge hammers on them. If you are like most other people (myself included) I mostly swing a 2.5 pound rounding hammer and sometimes a three pound straight peen. I have a 140 ish Peter Wright which is what I need. If it did not have a sway in it (which Peter Wrights are known for) I would not want for a new anvil. No 300 pound anvil needed.

For about half or less of the cost above, Boss Dawg has the Black Robin (knife work only) or the NC knifemaker anvil. I have not used either of those but I know guys using the NC anvil as teacher anvils in their shop and they like it.

There are other anvils out there but for the money those are MY choices.
Thanks for all the information Chris.
I looked at the Kanca Anvil's a long time ago and didn't think they had anything in a price range I could afford. That particular one is very nice. So is the Emerson you mentioned.
Gives me something to think about. I doubt I'll be pulling the trigger as you say any time soon. When things in the world have settled down a bit (assuming they do in a few months?) I should have some extra cash then.
 
Sean, there is a 70 lb. one on Craigs list in Missoula under tools, looks like it's in pretty good shape. I'd be happy to pick it up for you if it's something your interested in. I think he's asking 375.00, Steve
Thanks for the kind offer Steve. I believe I will pass for now though. As I mentioned in my post to Chris I want to wait until this whole Covid-19 thing has settled down some. It looks like a decent anvil though.
Curious, is that dip on the one side of the horn by design? I don't believe I've seen one like that before.
 
I too have been thinking about getting one of those Atlas Tool & Knife anvils. It puts most of the mass under the work and has a hardy hole to hold tools. One would also be light enough to use my dolly to move it into my garage to keep it from being stolen like my last two were.

Doug
That's a good point. I left a half bald truck tire out on the side of the house one night (just for the night) and it was gone the next day. And yet I've left a 30 ft extension ladder in our back yard before many times without incident.
On the other hand if the Anvil is heavy enough it's that much harder for a thief to take :)
 
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