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Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil

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Bob

02-08-2000 16:54:14

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I'm looking to buy an anvil for my shop. Northern and Harbor Freight both sell a 50LB cast iron anvil for about $50.00. All the steel anvils I've seen for sale at auctions and stuff go for over $200.00. Will I have problems with parts breaking/chipping off a cast iron anvil?? Thanks for the help!

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Tony from FL

12-02-2004 02:20:41

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Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Bob, 02-08-2000 16:54:14

Alright, so you know, anvils have been made 3 basic ways since the middle ages.

1 The body was welded together from several (about 6 usually) peices of WROUGHT iron, not to be confused with mild steel, and then a face plate was welded on. Until the 1860's the face plate itself was made out of 2 or more peices of carbon steel.

2 Later an american found a way to cast a (mild) steel body into a mold with a preheated (tool) steel plate already in place, allowing the face plate to be welded to the steel body.

3 some anvils are made out of solid cast tool steel, and then tempered accordingly to give a hard face, and a soft body (for durability)

There where many refinements over the years, for instance, peter wright patented a process in england that allowed him to make a solid wrought anvil using only 2 peices and the face plate.

Cast steel anvils can be very good, but a cast iron anvil will never be.

Tony

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John

02-11-2000 10:02:28

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Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Bob, 02-08-2000 16:54:14

Try this link.

Centaur Forge

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Tom from Ontario

02-08-2000 19:37:11

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Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Bob, 02-08-2000 16:54:14

Most anvils were/are a cast iron body with a very heavy steel plate welded to the top. Pound hard enough on cast iron, it will break. The steel and cast combination cushion the hammering somewhat and remember your blacksmithing etiquette. An anvil is for shaping, cutting and light hammerwelding. It is NOT for all-out smashing, 5 lb hammer max. Any body that comes into your shop and pounds on it to hear it ring should be pounded on with the same size hammer. If you do enough work on it, you will have to dress the top steel plate so the chips don't fly off and nail you, same as you would dress a chisel or punch. A rule of thumb seems to be at auctions about $ 1.25 per pound or better depending on condition. Good Luck. Tom

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Fred Martin

02-09-2000 08:47:47

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Re: Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Tom from Ontario, 02-08-2000 19:37:11

Tom you have a good post on the anvil but I always thought that the anvil itself was cast steel with a tool steel top welded on it. Cast iron wouldn't take too well to welding the top piece onto. I think the poster would be just as well off and save some money to get a foot and a half of good railroad rail and shape it like an anvil with a blue wrench and disk grinder. Then drill four holes in the bottom flange and chain it to a decent oak stump. If you use lag bolts, they'll work loose. If you use small lengths of chain (3or4" long), that will let it move a little and not loosen. Flat iron straps across the base lagged to the stump will also work. The only thing you wouldn't have is the hardy hole attachments. These could be made on the anvil as needed but square holes present a problem, but you can drill a square hole if you know how. I'll let you think about that one for a while.

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Tom from Ontario

02-09-2000 17:41:03

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Re: Re: Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Fred Martin, 02-09-2000 08:47:47

Fred: You're probably right, but I worked on an anvil for a few years that had been made in 1868 and I don't know if they had steel available in that quantity at that time. The top plate had been replaced three or four times by then. Beware the railroad iron. That's what I had for my first anvil at home, but it literally started to shatter after a few years and alot of work with the swinging press. Tom

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Doug Scott from Ontario/Louisiana

12-24-2000 20:53:19

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Tom from Ontario, 02-09-2000 17:41:03

Interesting reading the two of you guys? You both know more than the rest of us. What was the original question, Cast vs Steel? Well, I guess we agree they are all cast with a welded plate. The Rail road iron good but limited life. If the original questioner is not as gung ho as you two, he or she might try a Cast iron anvil from Canadian tire. I know they have two sizes a 11 AND 24 LB anvils. They are both under 25$. Pluss they have the bolt slots to attach to a work bench something many of the anvils I have been looking for lack. I hope to get one soon even down here where I now live in Louisiana. They have a nice horn and Flat surface. And like one of the comments it is only for shaping. not too many people are doing shoes these days so it is probably for minor repair work. These would be more than adequate unless Jewelry were the items being worked on and a 1lb would do.

Doug

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Fred Martin

02-10-2000 11:08:23

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Cast Iron vs. Steel Anvil in reply to Tom from Ontario, 02-09-2000 17:41:03

Thanks Tom, I still wouldn't want to arm wrestle with you. I've had a little of it and the first day you think your arm is gonna fall off. They used steel back in the 1800's but that 'ol bridge iron wouldn't cut or weld very good. Probably due to the composition of it. Sounds like you must have work hardened your railroad rail. They made some of them out of manganese steel that didn't work, they had to re-formulate their metal. I bet that would be brittle. Would you like to have that 1868 anvil for a doorstop or have you seen it enough?

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