Italian "Pig" Anvil Restoration and Stand Fabrication

[@avago2day]

No talking, no music, perfect!

[@alistersshop5787]

Black beard project videos are always perfect

[@stanbinary]

No product promo as well

[@avidcollector869]

just like my wife, silent and pretty

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Yup

[@maxbowen6482]

It’d have been prefect if it had gone back on a good bit of lumber instead of a concrete base. Just my 2pence

[@TommyG_0311]

i absolutely love watching anvil restorations especially when they get cleaned up on a mill. it's so aesthetically pleasing

[@robusthedgehog]

It's a shame even really worn down anvils cost a fortune these days. I would love to restore one myself

[@ShainAndrews]

@@robusthedgehog Anvils have NO business on a mill. It's what douches do for the views and kids think it's cool.

[@dragonwing4ever]

@@robusthedgehog "its old so it must be worth a fortune" I'd rather buy a new one for a 1/3 of the price

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

@@dragonwing4ever You get what you pay for. I'd rather pay 3x as much for a century-old anvil over something cheaply made in China you got at Harbor Freight.

[@dragonwing4ever]

@@AndyFromBeaverton yes and no, old anvils are a bit of unknown when it comes to the steel used on the face, while there are many high quality old anvils you can aswell get new ones that are quality aswell, here in aus we have bsl which are cast from 1040 or 1050 i cannot remember which and nordic edge which are cast 6050 steel both are high quality anvils at a fraction of the cost of an old one

[@lewissammons]

Passed the ball bearing test with flying colors, you can barely even measure how little force is lost! Really like the concrete base design and you did a damn fine job dressing up the working surfaces.. Nice job!

[@BlackBeardProjects]

Thank you!!

[@gorillaau]

I had my doubts on the concrete but it seems to be a very clever low cost sokution. Id like to see an update video in a years time on how it is holding up. Perhaps a little more steel reinforcing for next time?

[@sandybarrie5526]

you can also use hardened glass marbles wish will bounce higher than steel ball bearings.

[@jacobshort6528]

I like that you used an engine hoist to pick up and move the anvil. Way to save your back and knees!

[@GeneralJoefish]

Jesus man, I’d never pick up an anvil by hand 😂 there isn’t a chiropractor on earth that could fix me afterwards

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

@@GeneralJoefish there are light anvils that weigh less than 20kg, which is the "safe max weight" for an adult to lift. I'd say it's either or when it comes to a solo workshop.

[@thedazzlingape2006]

or you could get some straps to lift it like an old timer. and theyre still doing it at the age of 80 so...cant be that wrong. I picked up a 50kg benchshear, couldnt lift it of the ground, but with aid of one rope on my back and the thing got lifted like a feather. I was fine. back breaking is for idiots. work smart not unsmart

[@sethbracken]

You have a good instinct for editing. You know when a process should be shown, edited out, played at high speed, shown in slow motion. It’s so good.

[@DavidDeshane-ic4cg]

As an old machinist I was pleased to see you flatten the base first. Good work.

[@jeanladoire4141]

Damn you're lucky that this anvil had a deeply hardened face, usually we NEVER remove steel from the surface beacause the hardened layer is sometimes very shallow. But it looks good as new!

[@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left]

Looking at the chips that came off whilst machining I would guess that it is a Cast Iron anvil, so no hardening is needed.

[@medicbabe2ID]

Probably not luck. Pretty sure he knew what he was working with.

[@jeanladoire4141]

@@medicbabe2ID a case hardened anvil is kinda hard to recognize i'd say

[@roberthousedorfii1743]

@@jeanladoire4141 hardness testing files.....

[@cobre7717]

He destroy the antique anvil. so elegant.

[@AaronBelknap]

I love a good anvil restoration. Using a mill to flatten the feet THEN flattening the top is brilliant and wondered why others don't do it more often. That stand is quite stout. At first I was what's he doing? Brilliant! I love it! That anvil turned out beautiful!

[@IR-nq4qv]

nice pitch and tone, no ringing, the sound falls flat and is absorbed into the base, which is overall great ergonomic height that's tailored to your own comfort, easy on the back and shoulders. All together a great package that you will enjoy for years to come. Good job indeed

[@Sajuuk]

Best anvil restoration Ive seen, and that anvil stand is genius!

[@tomweil9274]

I am always so impressed by individuals who have the talent and ability to bring back to life something that a lot of people would simply cast aside, beautiful job !

[@moseshorowitz4345]

Beautiful result. I expected you would hand scrape it, but the milling machine was a much better solution. I was concerned about the lack of "give" in a concrete stand over the original wood, but I suppose the material you added where the feet would rest would be spongy enough to compensate some.

[@OzanTheWise]

@Jack Young No, less give means more hammering force is lost to the anvil and/or the base when you hit, instead of used to deform the part. You want your hammer bounce as much as possible when you hit the anvil without a part in between. That shows that only a very small amount of force is absorbed by the anvil/base. Because, when you swing the hammer with an X amount of force, you want less of that amount absorbed by the anvil/base and more of that amount absorbed by the part and the rest is recovered (bouncing the hammer back) if not used to deform the part. That way, most of the energy you spend with your swing is used for deformation and most of the energy that is not used for deformation helps you gain momentum enough to raise your swing to the starting height easier with less energy, hence the efficiency.

[@stephenO1870]

So satisfying to watch, great job, what a beauty with an ACE stand…… Have a great holiday, see you in 2023….👍

[@JacobE-23]

Probably my favorite anvil restoration video to date! Love the stand you made for it, and how you attached the anvil to it. Simple but effective.

[@robertmanley7556]

Yes sir very very nice work !! That Advil has a very nice ring and 27 inch ball bearing bounce is great !! Very nice smooth and flat surface and very nice stand as well !! 👍👍

[@ssssrrsv]

Te veo hace muchos años ! necesitamos un Work shop tour . es increible lo que aprendiste y avanzaste en poco tiempo ! te mando un abrazo enorme desde argentina !

[@tazarcher3880]

Satisfaction at the end when you hear that hammer ring on the anvil. Love that noise

[@horstszibulski19]

Finally a non-singing anvil in your workshop! 😉 Sweet thing, the top plate looks gorgeous! That gave me a idea how to make a anvil stand for my own workshop, thx a lot for showing! 👍👍👍

[@lostbuffalo196]

BEAUTIFUL....BEAUTIFUL. Great job. I especially liked the remote control you secretly installed in it to "rotate" while you took the final pictures. ha

[@karcinoma]

that thing is so beautiful I would be scared to put a scratch on it! absolutely stunning!

[@lovejcdc]

Absolutely love that anvil, you did a fantastic job bringing it back to life.

[@campbellmorrison8540]

That base is Brilliant. So when you say pig iron I thought that was pretty soft but that anvil seems to have good ring and bounce and can obviously take a good hammering without denting and yet you were able to mill it flat, I'm impressed

[@tonywatson987]

Very nice build, and an elegant solution to securing the anvil to the base. Well done!

[@endurogubbarna]

I just bought a 176kg Söderfors from 1916 today! Don't have a mill but I will do my best to restore it as nicely as you did with yours!

[@dumpsterfire6351]

Oh thank god! I saw you putting boards down and my eyes got huge…just super duper cement forms 🎉

[@stephenjohnson6841]

What a great restoration of an awesome anvil! Job very well done as per usual! Thanks for sharing!

[@Charlielizard]

Good Lord, this has got to be one of your best restoration videos. Was surprised when I saw the concrete; but after all was complete, the "bounce test" with ball bearing tossed my concerns out the window. Brilliant video as always! Wish you and yours the Happiest of Holidays. Thanks again for a fabulous video.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@rocket8417]

I watch a lot of these anvil restorations and this is by far one of the best ones.

[@Twigglebaron]

Almost seems a crime to hammer on such a beautifully restored anvil, but I suppose that's what they're for. Beautiful restoration.

[@davejustdave4721]

You my friend are an amazing craftsman. Keep up the great work. Bravo 👏 👏 👏

[@williamsforge6263]

Awesome. I used sand in mine. It's nice seeing someone want to have a solid base with a solid mounted anvil. Lots of guys just nail them and the anvil rings like a bell and moves all over the place. 😆

[@JaapGrootveld]

Wow... that turned out so much better than I expected.

[@Stavrakasgr4]

There's nice work, good work, great work and then there's poetry. Thank you for sharing .

[@minnesotatomcat]

That is the best idea for an anvil stand that I have ever seen. Beautiful old anvil too 👍

[@henryguyonnet2963]

Enclume trop haute pour forger.

[@joshsickles1163]

Nice work on that. I have not seen many restorations that get that clean!

[@pabrowncoatbrewer7154]

I couldn’t agree more. It really was damn good work.

[@bradthayer6782]

Nice restoration. I am concerned over time that concrete will crack and chunks fall out without more rebar or reinforcement.

[@fabiogiacomelli3410]

Damn, pig anvil is my dream anvil. You did a awesome job restoring it!

[@Nyghtprowler]

This is amazing man! Best restoration I've seen and did it right with a Mill removing the bare minimum, didn't ruin the heat treat on the surface. The stand is awesome too VERY little ring on that setup. Couldn't have designed it better myself! Excellent work! Subbed on this video alone lol Seeing this tells me what kind of craftsman you are and if the rest of the content is like this, you have a new follower! :)

[@yanm4098]

Concrete basement is a fine solution! I think I will make one for my anvil

[@FlickFreaks]

Will the hammer strikes over time send shocks down to the concrete & crack it?

[@comfort_in_discomfort]

Great rebound. Anvils are a thing of beauty.

[@alanpreston3111]

12.31 minutes of pure craftsmanship….👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻🙏🏻❤️

[@JMS-2111]

As someone who worked in a museum (not as a restaurateur) I will tell you this, this anvil was not restored (that is a wholly different procedure). However this anvil has been repaired and upgraded, which is as impressive to watch and admire as a restauration.

[@javierpaz4689]

La mejor restauración que he visto hasta la fecha. Bravo!!

[@LakshmananLM]

I like that I can never see where your creativity takes the restoration every time. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[@eatenkate]

In the beginning i was like DUDE shouldn't you mill the feet first? And then you turned it upside down and all was well again. This was 100% the exact amount of excitement i needed today so thank you for that (:

[@RH-om1ph]

Just tips from a machinist my friend. The end result was amazing. Good video.

[@alainqueyras372]

Hello and Well done!!! Superb restoration 👍 But this brings me a reflection that has matured for some time. I've been a subscriber to the channel for quite a long time and I have to admit that you've succeeded perfectly in everything you touch. Repair of machine tools, creation of tools, the forge, the cutlery, the foundry, I forget... and it becomes particularly annoying!!! 🤣🤣🤣. In fact, it shows me how bad I am and it's not easy to accept. Finally, it also shows my room for improvement. Let's see the positive side. See you soon in a new video which will be great as always. Sincerely. 👍👍👍

[@clayfree7428]

That will be there LONG after you are gone. Beautiful!

[@BalearicBeatnik]

Absolutely stunning! Best wishes from the uk 🇬🇧 ❤

[@lacaver64]

The best work for the anvil. No vibration and its very heavy

[@MzoughiTaoufik]

The best video without music ❤

[@mjo326]

I need one of those. Brilliant and beautiful work!

[@pcvtintin]

The stand…🤯 Nice job!

[@Smallathe]

A very cool clean-up and refurbishing. Loved the new base - very cool and very heavy :)

[@trainnerd3029]

Trued up and put back in service… That’s better than just a restoration! Hope you can figure out something cool to do with the original stand… Great video!

[@neffk]

That's not a stand.... THAT'S a stand! Nice work. I admit I was a little worried for your mill table but it looks like everything turned out OK in the end.

[@ironhammer3734]

Outstanding restoration. I wish all of them could be restored that well.

[@craigcox1441]

That is a beautiful piece of art music to my ears at the end

[@guyemmott4009]

Hope the floor is upto that point loading weight...Superb work..

[@jameslmorehead]

I love your base. One thing people who copy this might want to do differently, is to add chopped fiberglass to the concrete as it's mixed. You can get the fiberglass online from places like Amazon. I've go with 1/4" or 3/8" length. The fiberglass reinforces the concrete at a much smaller scale, reducing the tendency of the concrete to crack under vibration and shock loads. This base will last 8 to 10 years as is. Adding the fiber, and it would be good for 20+ years.

[@allangibson8494]

Chopped steel wire works too (or some nails).

[@drycreek3204]

Seems to work well, but I'd say that the concrete will dry fully & start to break apart under the hammer blows. Great job on milling it flat for a good working surface!

[@JENNISWISS]

💥 BIG 💥 COMPLIMENT MY FRIND. super nice job and great result🍀🍀🍀

[@neilkloppenborg8399]

Great looking anvil! And knowing your channel, you’ll make good use of it! Cheers

[@simoneboxler1065]

Greeting from the italian alps. I have one of this anvil (porco). Was my grandpa anvil and back in the day (he passed away 10 years ago) he say to me that this anvils are full made of steel. There's not only a steel plate...

[@RH-om1ph]

Also, on a manual milling machine, you need to push the direction of cut of the end mill against the material. Otherwise, you'll rub against the part and burn up the edge of your end mill going back and forth in either direction like that. Not to mention, carbide endmills are far better than high speed steel for most applications.

[@SonoraSlinger]

Been waiting to see this exact video. Our anvils are similar so this was awesome to see and gather ideas from. Looks solid af

[@wookieecantina]

Great work, absolutely loved it! Thanks for creating and sharing.

[@oohhhhh]

What a fun job! Love the base. Cheers, brother.

[@Enigma-Sapiens]

Great job on a beautiful anvil!

[@DarrinBaird]

Do you think the concrete will hold up over time or will it start to crack?

[@superslammer]

I think it needed a lot more support inside for the concete but I think over time the vibration will absolutely begin to chip away at the concrete. Fortunately, the whole thing is easy to disassemble thanks to his messy spot welding :)

[@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left]

It will be fine. Why do people have to pick holes in others' work, just to make themselves feel smart?

[@DarrinBaird]

@@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left no hole picking here. I want to hear thoughts for when I do something similar myself. Thanks for the input.

[@josephcormier5974]

That turned out great excellent video awesome content thank you for sharing this with us six stars brother

[@nikolaroshupkin5410]

The most beautiful anvil in the world !

[@ClintsHobbiesDIY]

Excellent vid, restoration, base and mounting system.

[@tomfalch8992]

Fine video, the stop motion was a nice touch 😊✌🏻

[@kielmeyer1]

Beautiful work love the old world style.

[@richardlangley9066]

That is absolutely beautiful. Excellent job on the restoration!

[@marty01957]

Good job! That should last another hundred years!

[@NightsReign]

I'm fascinated at the dichotomy between the mostly positive and complimentary comments left on this video, as opposed to the almost entirely negative *_absolute roasting_* coming from the comments on the Short advertising this video. So, I'm very curious, based on all of those armchair smithy's concerns (read: concern-trolling), how's the anvil's performance post-resurfacing, and with it nestled on a concrete/steel base instead of a wooden base? The anvil looks gorgeous btw. I commend your ability to resist the urge to pretty up the non-functional surfaces, something I'm sure many others would've done without considering how it might compromise the integrity. Were you using ceramic inserts in your shell mill, to cut through the hardened surface, and if not, how many inserts burned up before you were done? Would a fly cutter have worked better or worse than the shell mill? I'm leaving this comment primarily to point out it's a pretty fitting microcosm (or would it be a macrocosm?) of a bigger issue regarding Shorts comments, which also applies equally to every other social media. It seems like regardless which special interest is presented on here, there's a rather sizable amount of people, regardless their proficiency or lack thereof with the topic, ready to dunk on a creator by regurgitating the same mis/disinformation they heard years ago from some rando online. No matter how many debunks are done, or how many well-known creators collaborate on them, they'll forever persist... I've seen it in every possible field of interest, DIY, machining, welding, smithing, woodworking, electrical, electromechanical, battery tech, STEM, politics, fashion, drama, and on and on ad nauseum. It's really discombobulating... I'll close with an example. Overunity (more commonly referred to as Free Energy) is a baseless concept that any number of fields definitively prove defies physics, but that'll never stop the endless onslaught of videos claiming *_they've cracked the code..._*

[@BrianSheppard]

That was truly beautiful and satisfying to watch.

[@yeagerxp]

Very good restoration 👍👍👍Thank you for sharing. Be safe🇨🇦

[@9Antonian]

Just a beautiful restoration, thank you sir.

[@NathanRodger]

This is IMMENSELY satisfying… ❤

[@kjellski]

Awesome job mate! And a phenomenal rebound for the little money invested in the stand! I don't know if it's of any concern for you, but I found that a big chunky magnet gets rid of any ring the best... by far! :)

[@Triumph2727]

Damn that’s clean! Nice job! I’m super jealous!

[@CapKidd-is4er]

I have the same anvil, but much more ruined, made in 1863 (is very old). How much a similar restoration cost?

[@AsadRind90]

your videos are so satisfying to watch

[@benjaminclifford2095]

That is amazing 😍 I've wanted one for many many years.

[@ابوحلاالحديثي]

Great job. I am following you from Iraq 🇮🇶

[@modzel2481]

didn't the milling destroy the hardened steel layer on the face of the anvil?

[@CamRob_56]

I’ll miss the old stand. It look storied but props on the fab job.

[@bruce150]

Beautiful work as always ! 12:10

[@ДимаФранцуз-щ6ф]

Очень приятно было смотреть на восстановление, спасибо.

[@Justlookingaround24]

Watched three times. Like it better each time.

[@АлександрИванов-к7т1и]

Не бита, не крашена. Пролежала у дедушки в гараже, в промасленной бумаге😂 А если серьёзно, то выглядит шикарно. Хорошая работа 😉

[@RedBeardOps]

Bro... I may need to mail you my anvil to surface... lol - This looks awesome!

[@budilov]

It was very interesting work! ❤

[@roberthousedorfii1743]

I'd love to see a followup on this project. Caulk used, performance since, etc.

[@OriginalMomo]

Beautiful work as always

[@weedwacker1716]

Nice. Maybe if you're going to drag it around your shop you could put a felt pad on the bottom to keep it from chewing up your floor.

[@jacobshort6528]

Felt?! For the weight of this thing, only hockey rink plastic would suffice. High density ABS plastic. Or some ironwood.