Help me decide what anvil to buy

SkagSig40

SkagSig40

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Feb 1, 2001
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I'm a new knife maker and currently doing stock removal but I plan on forging soon. I need a good anvil and I don't know much about them except making sure it has a good rebound. I'm considering this one in the link below from Emerson Horseshoe Supply. It is 200 lbs and made entirely of tool steel hardened to 48-50 RC. As far as I can tell it is very high quality and should last me the rest of my life. It is a pretty penny but I can afford it. What do you guys think and do you have any suggestions for me to consider? http://www.centaurforge.com/Emerson-200-lb-Traditional-Anvil/productinfo/EMERSON200/
 
If you can afford it, she looks like a nice anvil. I don't know what the rebound is like but I wouldn't just assume that it is great. It probably is, but see if they can text/email a quick vid of them bouncing a ball bearing off the face or something so you can see for yourself before ordering. I looked at a 206# Hay Budden anvil tonight. I expected to see a great rebound but the test was quite disappointing. I picked up a 167# Fisher that has much better rebound instead. For the price of that Emerson it's worth asking.
 
Some of the nicest anvils I have worked on had no ring and just ok rebound, yet they were a pleasure to work on and hot (emphasis on hot) steel moved just fine. Some of the highest rebounding anvils I sampled had a ring that would chase you out of the room!
Am I alone in not putting such an emphasis on rebound when it comes to moving metal?
 
Rebound means nothing except good wear resistance. It does not affect how easy it is to forge steel in a practical manner. I'm not saying you want a soft anvil, it just needs to be harder then the hot steel you forging. People say a hard anvil helps rebound the hammer more. If your hammer is rebounding you steel is to cold, put it back in the forge. You want the energy to go into the steel not in bouncing the hammer back up. All this being said means if your just getting started you can use a cheeper good sive chunk of steel. As knife makers we generally don't need the horn or heal of the anvil. Just need a small slag area with a good amount of mass under it.
 
Get an 8X8X12" block of 4140 steel ( just over 200#) and have it heat treated to Rc 48. It will cost a lot less and have four workable sides. When one gets worn out, roll it 90° and you have a new anvil. Have the shop doing the HT drill a 1" hole near the end of each side and you have a place to put hardy tools ( 3/4" square stub will fit with just a slight rounding of the corners).
You really don't nee a traditional farriers anvil. The horn/bick and cut step are almost useless to a bladesmith.
 
I think personally I would go for this one -
Peddinghaus Anvil - 165 lbs (#9)

I like the 5" wider face
 
That Emmerson is nice London style & all round good Smithing anvil. But if you limit yourself to knives, the Stacy Block'oSteel likely be costwise better & just as useful.

Fwiw, I forge much more than just knives, prefer non stepped & dual horn 'euro styles.
 
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Thanks gentleman! So what exactly does an anvils weight cause? Does a heavier anvil forge better? Also I assumed the horn and steps would be a good feature to have? So what exactly are these features for then?
 
Lieblad said:
That Emmerson is nice London style & all round good Smithing anvil. But if you limit yourself to knives, the Stacy Block'oSteel likely be costwise better & just as useful.

Fwiw, I forge much more than just knives, prefer non stepped & dual horn 'euro styles.
Click to expand...

What else do you forge?
 
You can make all kinds of hardy tools to replace a hot-cut plate ( the step), a half round for drawing and fullering ( the horn), a "T" anvil for round rings (stake anvil), etc. The anvil surface that a knifemakeer wants is a smooth flat area at least 6X6"

What an anvil weight does is put mass under the blade. You need much more mass under the hammer strike than the hammer weighs. 50:1 for the hammer weight is a very good ratio. You can get by with less, but the more mass, the better the forging goes. It also maters how much of that mas is directly under the hammer strike. A 400# flat plate of steel that is only 3" thick will not forge as well as a 150 pound block that is 6X8X12 and is set on the long axis ( 6X8 face).

For most knife forging 75# is minimum, 100-125# is good, 150-200# is great, and 200+# is probably compensation for some personal lack.
 
Bending stuff. Flaring. I wouldn't argue that it's necessary, but it is nice to have.
 
I have the peddinghause rigid double horn German style. My wife got it for me as a surprise as it’s more anvil than I would have bought myself. The hunk of steel approach is functional for many things, but don’t discount the benefits of a true anvil either. A better hardened face will hold up (read stay flat and smooth) longer. A surface that isn’t flat or has dings will transfer those imperfections to your work. A horn gives a convenient way to do bends (I regularly use mine to shape handles). A hardy hole gives you a place to add additional options like fullers and hot cuts to expand your capabilities. A hardy hole also gives a place to punch and drift if you ever want to branch out from knives and try some hawks. The double horn style anvils also provide some different face shapes that can be helpful when forging bevels to have more options about how the blade is positioned relative to an edge.
 
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The Emerson is a good anvil. I have used one and they work fine. I do tend to use the horn, especially on full tang knives. The horn is also useful for drawing steel out, by acting as a mild fuller. In my opinion the horn is not a must have, but they sure do come in handy. My forging is probably 80% bladesmithing and the rest general blacksmithing.
Brion
 
http://www.blksmth.com/Refflinghaus_Anvils.htm After about 15 years or so I finally broke down and got a new one after forging on a fellow smith's Refflinghuas. They are pricey, but if your going to spend the money on a new one they are so very worth it. Very nice anvils. That said, for bladesmithing I prefer a hornless anvil.
 
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