Blacksmithing Guide. Blacksmith's Anvil.

Blacksmithing Guide. 

Blacksmith's Anvil.

Today’s “economy of waste” presents craftsmen with an abundance of scrap steel from which to forge useful and beautiful things.

In the light of today’s renaissance of handicrafts the ancient art of blacksmithing takes on a new interest . The modern blacksmith must to perfect their forging skills and knowlenge, learn to do by himself what the old-time blacksmith and his helper did as a trade. Anyone who is dexterous by nature can become Experienced Blacksmith. Reveals secrets, How to use the basic techniques and tools to make “things” out of “nothing.” The equipment, tools and the procedure for work are described in this manual.

An anvil (fig. 9) is the piece of shop equipment next in importance to the forge. The names of the parts of the standard anvil are shown in the illustration. Anvils are usually made of two forgings or steel castings welded together at the waist. The table (or cutting block) is soft so that cutters and chisels will not be dulled by coming in contact with it after cutting through a piece of stock. The face is made of tool steel, hardened and tempered, welded to the top of the anvil; it cannot be damaged easily by hammering. Anvils are designated by weight, a No. 150 weighing 150 pounds, and range in size from No. 150 to No. 300.

The edges of the anvil are rounded for about 4 inches back from the table to provide edges where stock can be bent without danger of cutting it. All other edges are sharp and will cut stock when it is hammered against them. The hardy hole is square and is designed to hold the hardy, bottom swages, and fullers. The pritchel hole is round and permits slugs of metal to drop through it when holes are punched out of stock. The anvil is usually mounted on a heavy block of wood, although steel pedestals or bolsters are sometimes used, and at such a height that the blacksmith's knuckles will just touch its face when he stands erect with his arms hanging naturally.

Some hardware stores will still take special orders for anvils, but prices run high.

During patriotic frenzy in past wars, anvils that had been neglected in farmyards and old shops were given to the government to be melted into weapons, making it almost impossible to find one secondhand today. (Already, however, the blacksmith had practically been replaced by mechanized industry.) The limited number of available used anvils are often quite worn, or severely damaged, and have to be refaced. Consequently, you may have to make do with any hunk of scrap steel (35 pounds or more) that is suitable to forge on.

The illustrations show the shapes of makeshift anvils.

Make shift anvils.

It is also possible to make an anvil from a section of large-gauge railroad rail. 

Anvil made from scrap railroad rail.

Therefore, the lack of a professional anvil is no reason to postpone your first experiences in blacksmithing.

Secure the anvil, or a substitute, with bolts or spikes, on a block of wood or tree stump. The height of the block plus the anvil should be such that the knuckles of your fist, with arm hanging freely, just touch the face of the anvil. At this height a hammer blow can strike the steel at the end of a full-length arm stroke.

Always keep in mind that whatever is used to “pound” on can never be too heavy. An anvil must never be so light that a hammer blow can move it.