Thread: Anvil-vise anyone seen one?

That looks like something made for railway maintenance. It would be next to useless with that stand (unless it was secured into the ground)... To me, It looks like it was added by a previous owner
On a metal workbench or something big and heavy then it would be worth while owning.

I love old stuff like this.

Originally Posted by Ueee

Hi,
Just looking around and found the pics below. I have been interested in blacksmithing for as long as i can remember (at least since i was 10) and I've never seen or heard of anything like this before. Have any of you?



....

Just another thing i'd like to own.......

Ewan

Originally Posted by Marc

So tell me my friend Uee from Canberra age 27.

What is your view on old anvil versus new?

Are old anvils better than new, do they improve with age? or perhaps being bashed by a hammer too big for their weight makes them somehow better?

That is the topic.
I am not.

My View is also not the topic....it was whether or not any one had seen an anvil vice. I made no comments as to there usefulness, i was only interested in them as i had never seen one. If i got hold of one it would only be for historical purposes. For what i do a real anvil and post vice is what i need.

Do you have a preference for german style anvils for a reason? yes an upsetting plate would be useful but many thousands of people have successfully used london pattern anvil for a long time.
As for old versus new, well i don't really see it that way, its really good vs bad or anvil vs aso.
If you think you can make a good anvil i'm sorry, but unless it is made from either a single piece with a forge welded top or fully forge welded from pieces then it will have small voids that will create bounce. Maybe not noticed by some, but anyone with experience will beable to tell that somethings just not right.
I must admit, for the past 3 years forging has not made up any part of my income stream as i do not have a forge set up at our new house, however it will be once i have the time again. (i currently have 2 children under 2,and sacrifices must be made for them)

I have also met many smiths in my possibly comparatively short years, the only ones that have used gas forges are farriers that have tried smithing. The rest have used Coke, Charcoal or (mostly) a mix of both.

As for the carpenter with the timber hand plane analogy, as some one who has worked on many building sites, if you you went onto most sites with any hand plane you'd be laughed at....

Ewan

Anvil preference is mostly dictated by what the person had available and what he got used to in the past, what some would call cultural inclinations and not practicality.

I started learned blacksmithing on a 100 k Kohlswa double horned when I was 15 and for 30 years produced wrought iron in the form of bed heads, tables, doors, balustrades outdoor furniture to supply my father's antique reproduction store. I used exclusively double horned anvils not by choice but because everybody else did.
However now that I have different styles available, I still find the conical horn of the German anvil better than the oval one and miss the cornered horn in the London pattern, yet the step is handy.
If I had to make a choice of a single anvil today, I would probably choose the Hofi anvil for "artistic" wrought iron work. We use to weld a small triangular section of steel on the edge of the anvil to roll the end of a flat bar and hook the scroll on the pattern easier. THe Hofi takes care of that
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8mkuvssLZs]Hofi-Anvil (1) Introduction - Einfuehrung Hofi-Amboss - YouTube[/ame]

Hiya Marc
After having a bit of a sticky here on Ueee's original post about an Anvil Vice, and if anybody's seen one, I'm struggling to understand your response.
He asked a question of Forum members, and you've done Bugger all in response but take the and slag off at him, and the gear he was asking a question about.
I think your in the wrong post mate.
Yours should be in the Legend Blacksmiths That Know Better Than Anybody Else.
I'm sure even the most polite on this forum will help you on directions as to how to get there.
Ueee, I reckon the old Handyworker's a cracker bit of gear.
If you've got one in your Backyard/Shed?verandah, there's lots of us that'll be proud of you ( and probably jealous too, ( as most of us are Boys Toys Junkies )
Don't let any negative old sourpuss/y get you down mate, pass up owning something like that and you'll regret it later, even if your missus does roll her eyes at the thought of it ;-)

I can help you with your struggle.

My answers are in response to the idea that old tools are some sort of sacred cow, and certainly not to detract from the value of a piece that may be worth collecting.

Old tools are not better because they are old.
Particularly in the area of anvil and vice.
They are usually crap from a practical point of view if they show signs of extensive abuse as they usually do. Forget the contraption in question, look at the anvil on the ground next to it. What is THAT? Not worth a dollar a kilo, yet put it on ebay and call it an anvil and quote the year it was made and you will sell it for $500.
Why? because of the ignorant blanket concept that an anvil made in 1812 is better than one made in 2012
I suppose that if you like to collect, the practical side is irrelevant and the value is given by the market or how much you like it for show piece

Promoting the use of museum pieces for use in a workshop is a mistake. Ueee did not but others did, and ergo my reply.

However I understand that my point of view would only be shared by those who are making a living with their tools or that have done so in a not too distant past.
Have a look at the video promoting the Hofi anvil and tell me you want to buy and old beaten up anvil instead for everyday work.

Marc, you have helped me immensely in my struggle to understand your response.

35 years on the tools ( all sorts of them too ) around the country, and having met and worked with many people of sometimes vast knowledge and experience, and of course many differing attitudes and opinions to go along with it.

I've met a few probably very similar to you.

I certainly agree with having the right tool for the job, which has stuff all to do with Ueee's original query on whether anybody had come across an old Stuart Handyworker before.

Nowhere did I see him mention anything about would it last if he used it to be a pro blacksmith trying to make a living from it.

Perhaps you could read peoples comments carefully, and should you reply, carefully craft your comments and keep them relevant.
You don't need a Big Hammer and Monster Anvil to do that.

The Old Fraggle
Owner and Purveyor of excellence in tooling, and lover of Old Stuff

what he said
Pete