PDA

View Full Version : The making of an anvil



Marc
8th Nov 2013, 07:34 AM
A small article on the making of an anvil by Refflinghaus.

http://www.ernst-refflinghaus.de/mediapool/45/458182/resources/3903923.jpg

Amboß (http://www.ernst-refflinghaus.de/amboss.html)





The elaborate hand forged double horned anvil is efficient for the blacksmith and is in itself an artform. In the middle ages a simple steel block was the typical anvil.
With the development of more artistic blacksmithing in each village, a more efficient and better quality anvil was required.
Many attempts were made to make anvils from cast iron and steel. These early attempts failed due to poor quality of the castings.
Up until 1956 the blacksmith anvil was made of many parts forged and fire welded together.
The various individual parts comprising the horns (2), the feet (3), the side shelf (4), and the heel (5) were all fire welded to the main body called the Luppe (1). For example, the Luppe was heated in a main coal fire and the foot was heated in a separate fire used just for individual parts. After both reached welding temperature the pieces were put together and forge welded by the sledge hammers of 4 to 6 blacksmiths.
Up to this point, the anvil was made of iron which could not be hardened and was called “puddeleisen” ,puddled iron, or wrought iron.
Now came the most importand and heaviest part of the forging work, the forge welding of the steel plate (the anvil face (6)). This work was done by 6 to 8 anvil smiths each with heavy sledge hammers hitting around the plate in turn. The plate had to be welded without stop in 15 minutes. It was better to have 8 men as then each man had a little longer to rest between blows. After completion of the face welding, the men flattened and straightened the anvil with their hammers.
The last shaping step was the filing of the round horn with a 2 meter (6 foot) long file. This was held by two men. All this was done hot as it was easier than if it were cold.
The next major step was to plane/polish the anvil face. This was done on a stone wheel 6 feet in diameter.
For all this work the machinery was powered by waterwheels. One waterwheel ran the drop hammer used to forge the various parts, one waterwheel ran the stone wheel, and one waterwheel ran the blower for the fires.
The last part of the work was to harden the anvil-face by cooling the hot anvil in water. 20 tons of coal were used every month for their daily forgings. Using these methods and factory, they made anvils up to 550 kg. or 1215 lb. The only devices the men used to manhandle the big anvils were iron rods used as levers. They also utilized leather rags to keep the heat from their bodies.
Due to improvements in casting iron, since 1956 the old forged anvil body was replaced by a one piece cast iron forging. The casting was still faced by the fire welding of a top plate using the traditional method. Since 1975, technology improvements have allowed anvils to be made entirely of cast steel. The face is still hardened in the traditional manner, ie heated in a coal forge, and quenched in water. This process allows for an anvil of a consistent quality that is superior to previous anvils. It also results in a face that is as hard as the fire welded plate, but hard to a much greater depth.

292550

Marc
8th Nov 2013, 12:23 PM
Stories of old time workshops are always fascinating yet probably not a picnic working in that forge.

One thing is clear from this article though. Old is not better than new. A modern full cast anvil with no added bits and pieces is far superior to an older anvil put together by welding the different parts.

So perhaps you can help me here, why is it that so many people pay a fortune for older abused mongrel anvils?

son_of_bluegras
8th Nov 2013, 02:41 PM
Some people will pay for the romance of yore.

Ron

BobL
8th Nov 2013, 03:23 PM
Marc, what do you think of these new cast steel Anvils ?
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/A020

Marc
9th Nov 2013, 03:23 PM
Bob, I was asked that before and I wish I knew the answer.
It is cheap for a 70K anvil and the shape is not bad, although you will have to fiddle a bit to fix it to your stand with those legs.

Anvils are meant to have a softer body and a harder work surface.
(From a Blade Forum)
JHM Anvils have a face hardness of HRC 48 to 52.
Kohlswa Gjuteri Anvils are HRC 55
Refflinghaus are hardened to 1" deep to HRC 59

If this anvil is too soft it will get damaged and rough. About 40 years ago I bought an anvil from a hardware store for not much money. It was cast steel and it was too soft. It soon become covered with hammer marks. I was making wrought iron beds at the time, and the work was mostly hammering flat bar with a texturing hammer and making scrolls, so the rough hammered surface did not bother me. However to my surprise with all the work the surface soon became flat and polished and even it seems a bit harder. I lost that anvil in the migration and it is probably gathering dust in my brother's shed or perhaps in his living room shelf as a center of conversation ..."we old timers..."(who never struck a blow) hehe.

Sorry, back to your, probably Taiwanese anvil. If you can get the hardness and if it is anything close to 50RC it should be OK. ONe possible solution would be to take it to a place to harden the surface. I have done that with a Doug Slack anvil, taken it to Gearco in sydney Welcome to Gear Co - Gearco Engineering (http://gearco.com.au/)
with very good results.

Of course one could try to do this in house, if you have a forge and a chain pack over the forge, or you can get one of those contraptions used to pull the engine out of a car, you could chain the anvil upside down and lower it on the forge, heat it to ?C and then drop it in ?? (water?) Perhaps someone with real knowledge in flame hardening may be able to give some directions. I thought that Gearco was not bad value for about $100 a few years back.

Marc
9th Nov 2013, 03:50 PM
Some anvil on e-bay today
The good, the bad, and the ugly Antique Good BK Sydney Australia Blacksmith Anvil NO 160 LB | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTIQUE-GOOD-BK-SYDNEY-AUSTRALIA-BLACKSMITH-ANVIL-NO-160-LB-/151158249459?pt=AU_ToolsHardwareLocks&hash=item2331bbd7f3&_uhb=1)
Blacksmith Farriers 132 Pound OLD Anvil Very Heavy 60 KG Antique Forge Tool in Ovens-Murray, VIC | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BLACKSMITH-FARRIERS-132-Pound-Old-ANVIL-Very-Heavy-60-KG-Antique-Forge-Tool-/281200832211?pt=AU_HandTools&hash=item4178e02ed3&_uhb=1)
Vintage Anvil BK Sydney Aust 224 LBS in Melbourne, VIC | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-Anvil-BK-SYDNEY-AUST-224-lbs-/271312978369?pt=AU_ToolsHardwareLocks&hash=item3f2b8381c1&_uhb=1)
Pick UP Only Bendigo Swap Blacksmiths Anvil 254lbs 112 KG BIG Mother | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PICK-UP-ONLY-BENDIGO-SWAP-BLACKSMITHS-ANVIL-254LBS-112-KG-BIG-MOTHER-/271313359540?pt=AU_ToolsHardwareLocks&hash=item3f2b8952b4&_uhb=1)
Pick UP Only Bendigo Swap Blacksmiths Anvil 116lb 52 KG | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PICK-UP-ONLY-BENDIGO-SWAP-BLACKSMITHS-ANVIL-116LB-52-KG-/271311655397?pt=AU_ToolsHardwareLocks&hash=item3f2b6f51e5&_uhb=1)

BobL
9th Nov 2013, 05:36 PM
Some anvil on e-bay toady

Blimey those prices are insane.
My 112lb in fair condition its age for $300 is starting to look like a good deal.

In Perth the prices are held to ransom by a collector who has hundreds of anvils rusting in his back yard. He buys whatever comes up in the classifieds at a fair price within hours of advertising.

Currently there are 2 old anvils in Perth classifieds at over $1000, and one in very poor condition at $700. The trouble is someone will buy them eventually.

Corin
16th Nov 2013, 05:19 PM
I tried to organize a bulk shipment of anvils some time back but when push came to shove only a few people were willing to put their hands in their pockets to buy a new Anvil.

I have two myself. 1 is very old but not too badly beat up weighs 125kg . on one side is stamped 2 2 2 on the other 1867. My father won it at Auction in the late 80s for $40
The other is a 150KG BK Anvil, very nice anvil. I traded a knife for that on.... the deal was the first knife off the Anvil, I made sure it was a good 'un :;