Thread: Anvillo Vise

Hi,

I have two Anvils but have never
used one but if I had that one I
would have it on my bench instead
of my Record vice. It is about the same
size but much handier than just a Vice.

Martin.

Graeme, my first thought was "What a great idea, why hasn't someone thought of it before?" But on reflection, I decided there may be good reasons & it's possibly not as good a compromise as you might think. Anvils for serious smithing are usually mounted so their tops are well below typical bench-top height, so you can get a good swing at the object being struck. Mounting this gadget on the bench for best use as a vise is going to make it awkward to use as an anvil, & vice versa if you fixed it at a more typical anvil height.

Point two is that the top is level & flat (no doubt to make it more practical as an anvil), whereas a typical vise has a rounded top profile to the jaws. There is no clearance on the anvillo for sawing close to jaw height.

So my considered opinion is that it might be a case of neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring....

And something odd I noticed from an enlarged pic, it appears the jaws are made as single pieces, without the typical machined rebates for replaceable inserts?? That would not suit folks like me who like to use different types of jaws for different jobs. Yes, I know you can get the temporary, clip-on types held by magnets, but I have enough trouble with iron filings as it is, without having magnets scooping them up by the teaspoonful! Because I work with brass quite a bit, I replaced the steel inserts in my metalwork vise with aluminium ones long ago. These tend to stay there & get rather chewed up, but are easily replaced every now & then when they get too mankey.

That said, it would be better than the very small "anvil" area on my current metalwork vise which I do use for peening & other small jobs, so if somebody gave me one I would be happy to give it a good trial, but at $300US (plus freight, which would be double that again), I don't think I'll order one just yet......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

... I don't think I'll order one just yet......

Me, either; must admit I did not think too critically about it before posting.

Also, having the horn over the bench seems sub-optimal positioning.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

...must admit I did not think too critically about it before posting.

Also, having the horn over the bench seems sub-optimal positioning.

Yes, unless you mounted it on a very narrow stand so you could get at it equally from back or front.

No, thanks for posting, it's an interesting concept, & well worth a look. I didn't mean to dismiss it out of hand, my criticisms were prompted by my own style of work & things I do, this gadget may well suit some folks very well.....
Cheers,

These
Anvil vices pop up in the second hand world fairly regularly, i have two an like them.
There not for trying to re shape a 25 mm iron bar()that’s one inch for you oldies [emoji6]).
But for light work there great, i wouldn’t leave home with out one.

If i had the room i would mound one on a log about 200/300 mm diameter in a corner.

Ps i like metal work so may have been biased [emoji6].
I can’t justify a “real Anvil yet but I’m working on it”

Cheers Matt.

Do an image search for "anvil vice" and you will see plenty.

Here's just a few.
The last one includes a grinder
Screen Shot 2021-12-08 at 4.47.31 pm.jpgScreen Shot 2021-12-08 at 4.47.38 pm.jpgScreen Shot 2021-12-08 at 4.47.45 pm.jpgScreen Shot 2021-12-08 at 4.47.58 pm.jpgScreen Shot 2021-12-08 at 4.48.22 pm.jpg

Strewth Bob, this morning I never knew such things existed, now you show us they're everywhere - a couple of those look pretty ancient, so it's not some brand-new idea!

And Matt's got TWO of 'em - not fair, Matty boy, you'll have to learn to share......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Strewth Bob, this morning I never knew such things existed, now you show us they're everywhere - a couple of those look pretty ancient, so it's not some brand-new idea!

And Matt's got TWO of 'em - not fair, Matty boy, you'll have to learn to share......

Cheers,

Settle down Ian, its ok I’m fairly certain at least one comes from a country that the world seems to be turning there back on.

They are actually quite common, hence i have two [emoji6] an both have ok anvils.

If you type in “jewellers anvil vice” in to auntie Google you should come over heaps of pictures.
They seem to be really common in the jewellery world,an that kind of makes sense when your only working soft precious metals, in the very small scale.

Cheers Matt.

Before and after shots of my;

Anvil - sourced from gumtree
Anvil.jpg
Anvil.jpg


Blacksmith vice (a freebie from the men shed)
Electrolysis stripped the bulk of the rust and 4 layers of paint.
Followed by multiple (7?) coats of Tannic acid and then linseed oil and left in hot sun for a week to dry hard.
FinalBSvice.jpg

More expensive than the vice was this swage block.
Sorry - I don't have a photo of the original block - it was VERY rusty.
The LHS photo was after several coats of oxalic acid rust converter.
RHS side is just after a coat of linseed oil- its now dry.
I've used this less than half a dozen times.
IMG_5839.jpg IMG_5843.jpg

Jest winding you up, Matt. We both have a habit of sticking our heads up & drawing fire....

Well, it all seems to hinge on your definition of "anvil vise"! I was too narrow-minded, thinking an anvil should have a horn and a hardy-hole to qualify for the name, but I followed Bob's instructions & googled "anvil vise" and one of the first things to pop up was this: vise.jpeg

...which is just what I have on my bench, 'cept mine has a swivel base, but it's the same colour & yes, I think it was made in a large, populous country somewhere to the north of us. I've always thought of it as just a vise with a flat at the back for bashing stuff on, but it seems like it's an "anvil vise", so I've had one for at least 30 years without knowing it....

Cheers,

I may have more than two, I think I have one in Ballarat as well [emoji851].



Cheers Matt.

BobL

Tannic acid? What does it do as a coating on metal?

Chers,
Yvan

Originally Posted by IanW

Jest winding you up, Matt. We both have a habit of sticking our heads up & drawing fire....

Well, it all seems to hinge on your definition of "anvil vise"! I was too narrow-minded, thinking an anvil should have a horn and a hardy-hole to qualify for the name, but I followed Bob's instructions & googled "anvil vise" and one of the first things to pop up was this: vise.jpeg

...which is just what I have on my bench, 'cept mine has a swivel base, but it's the same colour & yes, I think it was made in a large, populous country somewhere to the north of us. I've always thought of it as just a vise with a flat at the back for bashing stuff on, but it seems like it's an "anvil vise", so I've had one for at least 30 years without knowing it....

Cheers,

Ian, sorry my response may have sounded defensive,but I knew you were just winding me up.
Certainly wasn’t offended by any means.

Cheers Matt

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Ian, sorry my response may have sounded defensive,but I knew you were just winding me up.
Certainly wasn’t offended by any means.

Cheers Matt

'Sokay Matt, I didn't think you were offended - I wouldn't take cheap shots at you if I thought you were the type to get huffy. And I've noticed what goes around comes around, eh?

avagooday,