# Can I use my cast iron anvil for blacksmthing?



## ome (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi Guys,
i have a small 50 dollar anvil and goy it from grizzly or harbor freight. Will it shatter and is it safe to be using it until I get a decent 100. -550 lbs. 
thanks, 
any help would be greatly appreciated because I am a total beginner and been reading and researching as much as I can want to get a small list together of the basic minimums that I need I already have my propane gas tank so that's the start 
thanks 
Jon


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## f350ca (Jul 12, 2014)

Surprisingly cast iron anvils have been around a long time. I ended up with my grandfathers anvil, about 80 pounds, couldn't figure why it had no ring. Did some research and cast iron ones don't ring of course.

Greg


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## buggyman (Jul 16, 2014)

The simple answer is yes!

These anvils seem to last quite a while and do better job of rebounding the hammers energy than just a piece of steel on the ground. With all this said you will be QUITE impressed when you do find a good anvil; happy anviling!


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## ome (Jul 16, 2014)

buggyman said:


> The simple answer is yes!
> 
> These anvils seem to last quite a while and do better job of rebounding the hammers energy than just a piece of steel on the ground. With all this said you will be QUITE impressed when you do find a good anvil; happy anviling!


Hi, 
this is a cheap big box store anvil that files easily and scratches and dents on face easily.will this not crack when using a bigger 2.5 lb hammer. I was only using a regular hammer. 

Jon


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## owl (Jul 16, 2014)

It's a shame that they don't seem to still do it, but maybe 5 years ago (maybe longer, I can't remember for sure) they used to import a cast steel version with a flame hardened surface for about $10 more than the cast iron version.


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## Andre (Jul 16, 2014)

Well for 50 bucks I say just see what happens. If it dings have a welding shop braze on a piece of hard steel.
Good luck finding a larger anvil, I guess people collect them... Might be hard to find.


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## george wilson (Jul 16, 2014)

Non ringing anvils made for professional use have been around for a long time. They usually have a 3/4" thick tool steel top welded onto them. I had one many years ago,which was in perfectly fine shape. Thinking it was no good,I sold it,unfortubately. Later on,I learned about non ringing anvils.

A cast iron anvil will NOT last too long. The top will soon get compressed,messing up the structure of the cast iron.And then chunks of the fractured cast iron will begin to fall off. Sure,it will last a while,depending upon how hard you hammer on it. You really need a real anvil,or at least a piece of railroad rail.

I now have a solid tool steel anvil. It will ring like crazy. You don't want the anvil to ring as it will make you deaf!! I chained my anvil down TIGHT to the stump it sets on. Some other anvils require different deadening methods,like tightly wrapping an innertube around their waists. Go to a blacksmithing forum to find out more ways.

By the way: The value of an anvil is determined by how high a ball bearing ball will bounce when dropped on it. Cast iron is not going to give as good a bounce as a proper steel top anvil.


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## AlanR (Jul 16, 2014)

george wilson said:


> Some other anvils require different deadening methods,like tightly wrapping an innertube around their waists. Go to a blacksmithing forum to find out more ways.



Reddit has a good one: http://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/

People are always asking and talking about anvils there.


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## f350ca (Jul 16, 2014)

The top face of gramp's cast iron anvil has had some nickel  weld added at some time to flatten it out, but its still in pretty good shape.
A friend knew I wanted to set up a black smith shop and I was looking for a better anvil. He tracked this gem down for me.



Its a Hay Budden made in Brooklyn , pretty much silent, but has a great bounce. I offered him a dollar a pound for it, he thought it was about 250 pounds so all was well. After checking I guess I unknowingly stole it. Can't find this one in they're old catalogue but by the hardy hole size its at least 300 pounds.
Greg


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## astjp2 (Jul 17, 2014)

I use large rail road rails, they are easy to form and cheap to find....Tim


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## John Hasler (Jul 17, 2014)

astjp2 said:


> I use large rail road rails, they are easy to form and cheap to find....Tim



Where do you find them (other than on a railroad)?


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## astjp2 (Jul 18, 2014)

I know that there are many rail yards that sell it, I found a 4' chunk one time along the road that fell off a "truck", it took 3 men and a small boy to lift it.  I think It was about 130# per foot, the 90# is a little shorter.  TIm


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## ome (Jul 18, 2014)

astjp2 said:


> I use large rail road rails, they are easy to form and cheap to find....Tim


Railroad rails are hard but they are narrow on top, i have only seen one size , wide on bottob and narrow on top 
jon


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## John Hasler (Jul 18, 2014)

ome said:


> Railroad rails are hard but they are narrow on top, i have only seen one size , wide on bottob and narrow on top
> jon



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_profile#North_America


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## sniggler (Jul 19, 2014)

I think it should work just fine to getting started with the harbor freight anvil but wear your glasses in case of chips and when black smithing anyway. 

Finding a good old anvil may be difficult but if you like blacksmithing it is a must.  

You should have found plenty of online info on mounting height but generally the top of the anvil should be even with your knuckles with your arm hanging at your side mounting on a stump works best. A four pound hammer is about right for messing around with but you need bigger and smaller too good gloves tongs ect... 

Do you have a propane forge set up already? You can make a small coal forge pretty easily from and old truck brake drum and a cheap blow dryer for the blower soft coal is the thing for fuel but i have used barbecue charcoal as well. 

Good luck

Bob


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## GK1918 (Jul 19, 2014)

John Hasler said:


> Where do you find them (other than on a railroad)?



No problem, when the rail lines came through our property around 1800 or so my grand father simply took it--they left it there over nite.  It is in
this shop rite now.  about 200 lb class....(with attachments too)//////////////////



samuel


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## John Hasler (Jul 19, 2014)

GK1918 said:


> No problem, when the rail lines came through our property around 1800 or so my grand father simply took it--they left it there over nite.  It is in
> this shop rite now.  about 200 lb class....(with attachments too)//////////////////
> 
> 
> ...



I assume you mean 1900 (or else you are a *lot* older than I am, and railroads have been around in Massachusetts longer than I was led to believe).


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## ome (Jul 20, 2014)

GK1918 said:


> No problem, when the rail lines came through our property around 1800 or so my grand father simply took it--they left it there over nite.  It is in
> this shop rite now.  about 200 lb class....(with attachments too)//////////////////
> 
> 
> ...


Would you sell a foot ?  About 65lb 
jon


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