duckkisser Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 I want to expand my wood shop to include metal working. I joined a smithing forum looking for help and just got frustrated. I asked specific questions that never got answered, I said I needed a anvil that I could move out of my shop or put in storage as needed so was looking at 70lb anvil and that I had a budget of 500. First response was from moderator who just said I need to do research since this topic has already been discussed. Only thing I found while researching was people doing unboxing of the cheap Chinese anvil with meh it’s ok does the job fine it’s a good enough product for the price. Was told get bigger or just buy used one even though I can’t find used for less then a brand new one. “Antique” And when I put links to the two I needed advice on buying the moderator deleted it without telling me why. Someone mentioned that you can’t add links to companies “I’m not selling need help” . Some guy just said get a chunk of metal to hammer on. I said I want to get a real anvil with hardy holes and horn and I had 3 people give me a lecture on how the Chinese and Vikings used metal blocks as anvils for 3000 years. Ect…. every time I have talked to metal workers I feel like they don’t want people to do this craft. I know it’s just the perceptions from the local area. But Even when I tried to talk to people in person/phone I get the don’t want to be bothered attitude. When I fist started getting into wood working everyone I spoke too was more then happy to give me all the time I needed. Shoot had one guy offer to loan me a lathe till mine got sent to my house. So after my frustrations with the smithing forum I moved back to my first home wood talk. Maybe someone here can help me. does anyone on here own a anvil or do blacksmithing work? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 I wish I could help, but the same circumstances exist in my area. No market for used smithing gear, it's all "antique" and priced at or above new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 My anvil was here when we bought the place, so sorry, can't help you find one. Any that I've seen, regardless of condition, cost real money. Get the biggest one you can afford. Edited to add: I wouldn't do blacksmithing in a woodworking shop. It makes a big mess. When you strike a piece of red hot steel on an anvil, stuff flies off in all directions. It accumulates, and is hard/impossible to clean it all up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 I think Anne of all Trades has some blacksmith videos on her YouTube channel. Perhaps there are some good tips there or people in the comments pointing towards friendlier places to learn more about it. The Guild Facebook group might be a good place to ask too if you're a member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 Other than a college course ages ago and some noodling around with a weed-burner and a chunk of railroad tie I don't have a ton of blacksmithing experience. That said, I've been looking into doing the same as you and researching adding some blacksmithing tools (in a shed off the back). I've seen a number of recommendations for the "Happybuy" Anvil as the sort of lowest priced real anvil (as opposed to an anvil-shaped-object) you can find. Might be the same one you mentioned watching unboxings of. They're hit-and-miss obviously. A vector you might try is looking for local farriers or a farrier-forum rather than self-proclaimed blacksmiths. Farriers are probably the most active professional blacksmiths around these days, and feed stores often sell blacksmithing tools for this reason. I've known a couple farriers that were happy to teach others or let them shadow, and they loved talking shop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 A decent USA made anvil is very hard to find and expensive when you do. There are alternatives like a chunk of railroad track fastened to a large chunk of wood. Check out knife making forums they are usually friendly, The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions - Powered by vBulletin is one that I used to belong to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 6:31 AM, legenddc said: I think Anne of all Trades has some blacksmith videos on her YouTube channel. I was thinking of this also. Maybe her website might have a way you can contact her and see if she can point you to a better forum or learning source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 7:08 AM, Tom King said: My anvil was here when we bought the place, so sorry, can't help you find one. Any that I've seen, regardless of condition, cost real money. Get the biggest one you can afford. Edited to add: I wouldn't do blacksmithing in a woodworking shop. It makes a big mess. When you strike a piece of red hot steel on an anvil, stuff flies off in all directions. It accumulates, and is hard/impossible to clean it all up. That’s part of why I wanted to have one small enough to move outside into driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted April 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 7:08 AM, Tom King said: My anvil was here when we bought the place, so sorry, can't help you find one. Any that I've seen, regardless of condition, cost real money. Get the biggest one you can afford. Edited to add: I wouldn't do blacksmithing in a woodworking shop. It makes a big mess. When you strike a piece of red hot steel on an anvil, stuff flies off in all directions. It accumulates, and is hard/impossible to clean it all up. Ya I know but I have to use the space given. This will be a part time addition won’t be a major part of my shop. Make some handles, knobs, key chains, knives, carving tools ect… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonRothbart Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Long time lurker here, finally bit the bullet and registered with the site. I would check out the Essential Craftsman youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/essentialcraftsman Scott has published a lot of blacksmithing videos over the years. He even offers a paid video blacksmithing course: https://courses.essentialcraftsman.com/signup/ though it's a little pricey. Most importantly, the Essential Craftsman community is very welcoming and generally constructive and helpful. I've been a Patreon supporter of his for years and I consider it money well spent. I'm sure that if you reached out to Scott or his son Nate they would do their best to help you. If you are into carpentry/construction, be warned, the EC youtube channel is a rabbit hole you may never come out of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 @duckkisser, for things like knobs and pulls for furniture, maybe consider "smithing" with non-ferrous materials. Copper and brass can be worked cold in many cases, with occassional annealing to relieve the hardening effect of the hammer. Such work is much more likely to be successful on a non-tradional anvil substitute, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Hey @VonRothbart , welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 A few fire bricks, and a MAPP gas torch can do small stuff. Here is a thread I posted here in 2017. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Can Mapp be purchased anymore? Some research a few years ago led me to believe yellow bottles are no longer Mapp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 I don't know if the cylinders I used then were real Mapp gas or the substitute, but I couldn't tell any difference. I forget how long I'd had them. It's definitely a lot hotter than propane and was good enough for this use. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.