As much as I agree with most of the comparison points on these anvils, the cheaper one may be better than expected. The 100 years of work hardening on the old anvil is not a real comparison to a non-work-hardened surface. If carefully used the cheap anvil could develop a good work hardening and would likely end up as good as the old one, given the same careful use. It would be interesting to see a controlled work hardening process on the treated steel and the results after. I wish we had the access to such a good and well-priced anvil here in Aus.
My brother got the smaller one and the hot metal left dents on the face. He only got a few months of use out of it before you couldn't make anything without having it textured by the anvil.
@@MadebyKourmoulis yeah I feel like this is really good for a utility/metal shop anvil... But not so much for actual blacksmithing where you need that hard and flat surface
I got the same anvil, but the 55 rockwell black version. I spent an hour or two cleaning up the casting and I can tell you it cleans up real nice. The round horn cleaned up to a near mirror finish, with casting pores only visible in a very few places. All in all I'd say this is a great anvil kit
Another consideration, if in the course of using the ebay anvil it becomes damaged, stolen (however unlikely) or used by others, some people (like this writer) would be far less anxious about the anvils loss / damage than were it a vintage piece.
The Peter Wright anvil has been work hardened over the years, I expect that the less expensive anvil would be as hard in a hundred years as well. Thanks for the review.
I started with a Harbor Freight anvil, a crappy homemade coal forge, and hammers from the local hardware store. Eventually I upgraded to a dual burner propane Forge kit that I got off of Ebay for $140 and I used some 7018 and 11018 to hardface the harbor freight anvil. I used that anvil for about 2 years like that until bought an old 95 lb farriers anvil. I still use that ebay forge to this day. You don't need a lot of expensive stuff to get started, all you need is a way to heat the metal, something to beat on it with, and an anvil shaped object.
So, I recently bought the black version of this 132 lb anvil. Mine did come in a wood crate. Prices have come down. The black one lists for about $350, while the blue one for $285. But mine cost me, including shipping - $276. Yes, according to my testing it is close to the 55 RC it’s claimed to be. The blue version is claimed as 50 RC. The quality seems to be pretty good. By the way, many anvils are made only to 48-50 RC. That’s a really low price for the Wright anvil. They’re usually more than that. Be careful when buying old anvils, particularly the Wright models, as they tend to delaminate the striking face. That’s why the dead spot. There are a number of small manufacturers here in the USA making anvils. If you don’t want to buy an inexpensive anvil like these, look at one if them rather than an old model, which us really overpriced fir what they are, and most are not in great shape. The striking face is usually unflattering, sometimes alarmingly so. The edges are often chipped because of the poor quality carbon steel used in these days, and the horns are soft.
i would imagine the cheap anvil is hardened, but it's hardened to some depth and not through hardened. Kanca mentions the depth of hardness they expect based on the frequency of an induction hardener. I think to go further discussing what happens would require that someone reading would have experience hardening really large items. too much toughness is lost on making a steel that's really really bulky through harden.
Yes it will, but because you are generally not hammering evenly all over the face, but are working in specific areas where your workpiece is well supported, these areas will generally deform most and then get work hardened, but the less used areas will remain softer and un-deformed and the surface will no longer be flat. This happens with all anvils, the difference is that it takes a lot longer to deform a harder surface.. That said, I have one of these and if used for forging, unless you are missing your hammer blows and hitting the face instead of your work, the lower hardness is really not an issue IMO- it's still far superior to hammering on mild steel.. By the time I deform it enough to affect my forging, I'll probably want to reface the anvil anyways.. I also much prefer the wider flat face of the Italian pattern for blade and tool forging work.. The London pattern is better for ornamental ironwork and applications where you're bending and forming vs flattening and drawing.. In terms of mass distribution, the London patterns puts a lot of mass out in the horn and legs, so IMO, the Italian pattern actually concentrates more of the overall mass under the work surface, and even though it is lighter than the London, it is likely the more effective surface to work on, and if you ever get the the point where you reface it with either hardface weld or a hardened plate, it will likely end up better than the antique anvil...
I love that bench. I wish it was readily available. A weld table and a good flat surface on which to repair motors etc is a big help to anyone interested in fixing, building, or playing with design materials.
That " dead spot " on that PW tells you that the tool steel overlay is delaminating ... That along with the fact that the face is also swayback ... Between those two anvils . I'd take the new one every time ...
Nice, thanks for this info! Started blacksmithing over the past year on a cheap anvil and looking to upgrade when I find one - will check out those IG recommendations for sure.
I have the 66 lbs one, works great. Just got my forever anvil about a month ago, 450lb Hey-Budden (basically stole it for the price I paid). Thanks for sharing! 👍⚒🔥
You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing…and to make up for it, you’ll need to give the anvil away…to a righteous man in need…that looks like me. …and lives in my house.
Good job, correctly defines the differences. I kind of doubt many viewers will ever approach the skill level of using a PW or any of the vintage anvils. For that matter, most of the newbies can get their kicks using a chunk of railroad rail. After learning basic metallurgy using cheap indestructible methods, graduate to more focused tooling. This guy should be teaching classes at community college level. The handcraft skill is becoming increasingly rare.
Betting it didn't have packaging to begin with. Amazon and other large-volume shippers have been reducing packaging materials. We've gotten several tires for our motorcycles with either a cardboard band w/the label or the label just taped to the tire *really* well. Easier to inspect, less to recycle, and cheaper for everyone, so what's not to like? LOL! Yes, several of us start out with lower-end commercial or upper-end handyman tools because they fit in the budget while letting us do something better/new. Our Lincoln 175HD MIG was $400 w/bottle on CraigsList and has paid for itself many times over, but other tools keep raiding the $2-3K we're saving for a 200A-ish AC TIG someday.
They come in a crappy wood box, just got mine and the box was in bad shape when i unloaded it. The issue is it's top heavy. They should put them in the box upside down.....
I have several anvils as investments in my 401K....just kidding! Just bought a nice Rigid (German) for a retirement present....It's too good to use!!! just kidding. But might keep one of my old anvils for doing rough work. Thanks for great video, and will be looking into taking a one of your classes. turns out my boat is just across LI Sound from you, at City Island.
I found the 132 vevor for only 120$ on Facebook marketplace lol I’ll admit I haggled him down a good bit, I literally payed less than 1$ per pound and it hasn’t been used yet it was from some liquidation type business
As funny as that is, it’s actually a good analogy to the point he was making. If you’re just learning to drive, the Kia will get you some experience and you won’t be too heartbroken if it gets some dings or your friend spills his monster energy drink on your seats. And with the money you save you can buy lessons to increase your skills until you’re ready for the big leagues.
Get the cheaper anvil and have a 3/4 in to 1inch thick piece of hardened steel plate welded to the top of it if it's done properly it will be just like the old anvil but even better because it's new.
As much as I agree with most of the comparison points on these anvils, the cheaper one may be better than expected.
The 100 years of work hardening on the old anvil is not a real comparison to a non-work-hardened surface. If carefully used the cheap anvil could develop a good work hardening and would likely end up as good as the old one, given the same careful use.
It would be interesting to see a controlled work hardening process on the treated steel and the results after.
I wish we had the access to such a good and well-priced anvil here in Aus.
My brother got the smaller one and the hot metal left dents on the face. He only got a few months of use out of it before you couldn't make anything without having it textured by the anvil.
I had the same thoughts.
@@MadebyKourmoulis yeah I feel like this is really good for a utility/metal shop anvil... But not so much for actual blacksmithing where you need that hard and flat surface
@@WideAwakeHuman let's go Brandon.
@@MadebyKourmoulis exaxtly.... FJB.. Lol
I’d like to see you cleaning up the rough casting.
I got the same anvil, but the 55 rockwell black version. I spent an hour or two cleaning up the casting and I can tell you it cleans up real nice. The round horn cleaned up to a near mirror finish, with casting pores only visible in a very few places.
All in all I'd say this is a great anvil kit
Another consideration, if in the course of using the ebay anvil it becomes damaged, stolen (however unlikely) or used by others, some people (like this writer) would be far less anxious about the anvils loss / damage than were it a vintage piece.
Exactly! I don’t mind letting this thing get smashed by students!
The Peter Wright anvil has been work hardened over the years, I expect that the less expensive anvil would be as hard in a hundred years as well. Thanks for the review.
I started with a Harbor Freight anvil, a crappy homemade coal forge, and hammers from the local hardware store. Eventually I upgraded to a dual burner propane Forge kit that I got off of Ebay for $140 and I used some 7018 and 11018 to hardface the harbor freight anvil. I used that anvil for about 2 years like that until bought an old 95 lb farriers anvil. I still use that ebay forge to this day. You don't need a lot of expensive stuff to get started, all you need is a way to heat the metal, something to beat on it with, and an anvil shaped object.
Bro you are really good at explaining stuff
I've watched somebody do a thorough test on that particular anvil and their horn was not hardened at the tip.
So, I recently bought the black version of this 132 lb anvil. Mine did come in a wood crate. Prices have come down. The black one lists for about $350, while the blue one for $285. But mine cost me, including shipping - $276. Yes, according to my testing it is close to the 55 RC it’s claimed to be. The blue version is claimed as 50 RC. The quality seems to be pretty good. By the way, many anvils are made only to 48-50 RC. That’s a really low price for the Wright anvil. They’re usually more than that. Be careful when buying old anvils, particularly the Wright models, as they tend to delaminate the striking face. That’s why the dead spot. There are a number of small manufacturers here in the USA making anvils. If you don’t want to buy an inexpensive anvil like these, look at one if them rather than an old model, which us really overpriced fir what they are, and most are not in great shape. The striking face is usually unflattering, sometimes alarmingly so. The edges are often chipped because of the poor quality carbon steel used in these days, and the horns are soft.
No law stopping anyone from welding a rectangle of heat treated 4140 onto the surface. Then you can keep it till it's legs break. 😃
i would imagine the cheap anvil is hardened, but it's hardened to some depth and not through hardened. Kanca mentions the depth of hardness they expect based on the frequency of an induction hardener. I think to go further discussing what happens would require that someone reading would have experience hardening really large items. too much toughness is lost on making a steel that's really really bulky through harden.
Wouldn't the face of the cheaper one become work hardened over time so that it didn't dent so easily when hit?
Yes it will, but because you are generally not hammering evenly all over the face, but are working in specific areas where your workpiece is well supported, these areas will generally deform most and then get work hardened, but the less used areas will remain softer and un-deformed and the surface will no longer be flat. This happens with all anvils, the difference is that it takes a lot longer to deform a harder surface..
That said, I have one of these and if used for forging, unless you are missing your hammer blows and hitting the face instead of your work, the lower hardness is really not an issue IMO- it's still far superior to hammering on mild steel.. By the time I deform it enough to affect my forging, I'll probably want to reface the anvil anyways.. I also much prefer the wider flat face of the Italian pattern for blade and tool forging work.. The London pattern is better for ornamental ironwork and applications where you're bending and forming vs flattening and drawing.. In terms of mass distribution, the London patterns puts a lot of mass out in the horn and legs, so IMO, the Italian pattern actually concentrates more of the overall mass under the work surface, and even though it is lighter than the London, it is likely the more effective surface to work on, and if you ever get the the point where you reface it with either hardface weld or a hardened plate, it will likely end up better than the antique anvil...
I love that bench. I wish it was readily available. A weld table and a good flat surface on which to repair motors etc is a big help to anyone interested in fixing, building, or playing with design materials.
That " dead spot " on that PW tells you that the tool steel overlay is delaminating ... That along with the fact that the face is also swayback ... Between those two anvils . I'd take the new one every time ...
Nice, thanks for this info! Started blacksmithing over the past year on a cheap anvil and looking to upgrade when I find one - will check out those IG recommendations for sure.
I have the 66 lbs one, works great. Just got my forever anvil about a month ago, 450lb Hey-Budden (basically stole it for the price I paid). Thanks for sharing! 👍⚒🔥
You should be ashamed of yourself for stealing…and to make up for it, you’ll need to give the anvil away…to a righteous man in need…that looks like me. …and lives in my house.
@@invictusbp1prop143 wouldn't that be nice. HAHA
It isn't just how high the initial bounce is but how much/many the secondary bounces are
Good job, correctly defines the differences. I kind of doubt many viewers will ever approach the skill level of using a PW or any of the vintage anvils. For that matter, most of the newbies can get their kicks using a chunk of railroad rail. After learning basic metallurgy using cheap indestructible methods, graduate to more focused tooling.
This guy should be teaching classes at community college level.
The handcraft skill is becoming increasingly rare.
Betting it didn't have packaging to begin with. Amazon and other large-volume shippers have been reducing packaging materials. We've gotten several tires for our motorcycles with either a cardboard band w/the label or the label just taped to the tire *really* well. Easier to inspect, less to recycle, and cheaper for everyone, so what's not to like? LOL!
Yes, several of us start out with lower-end commercial or upper-end handyman tools because they fit in the budget while letting us do something better/new. Our Lincoln 175HD MIG was $400 w/bottle on CraigsList and has paid for itself many times over, but other tools keep raiding the $2-3K we're saving for a 200A-ish AC TIG someday.
They come in a crappy wood box, just got mine and the box was in bad shape when i unloaded it. The issue is it's top heavy. They should put them in the box upside down.....
Hey Chris great informational video and I am now following the three blacksmiths . We will talk about a railroad track anvil next time we meet.
I have several anvils as investments in my 401K....just kidding! Just bought a nice Rigid (German) for a retirement present....It's too good to use!!! just kidding. But might keep one of my old anvils for doing rough work. Thanks for great video, and will be looking into taking a one of your classes. turns out my boat is just across LI Sound from you, at City Island.
There are a variety of weights available: 55,66,88,99,110,130.
Reverify our range to target.
Give me a ping Chris, one ping only!
I found the 132 vevor for only 120$ on Facebook marketplace lol I’ll admit I haggled him down a good bit, I literally payed less than 1$ per pound and it hasn’t been used yet it was from some liquidation type business
I can't believe you dropped anvils on your fixturing table! Lol. Great video
very great video explaining this.
Would love see a piece of tool steel welded to the top of it
Thst would really make this thing excellent!
Probably have to drill a bunch of holes in the tool steel and plug weld it to get any bounce
Why? This anvil is already hardened steel. Just use it.
Even the junk anvils are getting expensive.
shockingly, the price of this anvil has come down to around $275. I still use it and its a great purchase at that price in my opinion...
@@MakeEverything You would know more about it than me. Let us know how it goes.
Today we are going to compare this kia to this Lamborghini.
As funny as that is, it’s actually a good analogy to the point he was making. If you’re just learning to drive, the Kia will get you some experience and you won’t be too heartbroken if it gets some dings or your friend spills his monster energy drink on your seats. And with the money you save you can buy lessons to increase your skills until you’re ready for the big leagues.
Awesome stuff Chris, thanks for the info! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
would check it with a Geiger counter tbh.
Great video and fair assessment. Love how you find these unique but useful tools. Mahalo for sharing! : )
Mojado??? That’s a strange thing to say…
@@invictusbp1prop143 Mahalo is a Hawaiian expression of gratitude.
@@michaelmontgomery5818 And sarcasm is a particular use of language often lost on people who take everything too literally.
To be fair you're not supposed to hit your anvil with a hammer you're supposed to hit the piece you are working on.
Thank you brother!
Get the cheaper anvil and have a 3/4 in to 1inch thick piece of hardened steel plate welded to the top of it if it's done properly it will be just like the old anvil but even better because it's new.
$685 and worth every penny of it!
Great topic and video!
Amazing awesome content good videos brother 👍💯
I hate the placing of the pritchel hole. It is useless. A pritchel hole is used to punch holes. It needs to be on a flat surface.
What’s a 225# fisher from 1908 worth? Great shape
$5 + a lb seems to be the going rate, but it’s only worth what somebody’s willing to pay!
@@MakeEverything thanks man, I’ve had it for about 30 years and never really used it.
Good video, Thanks!
Didn't I see a 90% rebound on the blue one? (Our narrator had the worst view of all of us.)
You were deprived of the joy of unboxing??? :)
Save up cash and buy the Peddinghaus…
Such a lame comparison.