What to Look For when Choosing your first anvil!! Tip for anvil selection!

[@danielmoss2089]

Please Post your Tips on what you should be looking for when buying or making an anvil below please!!!

[@broadusthompson1666]

Daniel Moss Not /ALL/ cast iron anvils are trash. In the states there were a couple makers who made fantastic to decent anvils. Namely, Fisher, Vulcan, and Southern crescent. Fishers are often top of the line anvils if in good condition. Vulcan and SC are on the lower end and rarely in good condition, but will still do the job. Though I’ll agree that cast iron door stops pretending to be anvils are absolute rubbish though.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Congratulations Dan on 7k subs :-)

[@danielmoss2089]

@@ChristCenteredIronworks thanks dude we are getting the and to be honest it's picking up lol

[@sethcarson5212]

I dont normally got to the comments before finishing the video but 150 pounds? In the US that anvil would be a steal at $700. They are just so rare here that i know blacksmiths who have been in business for years and still havent found a proper anvil. If youre an American looking for an anvil id suggest the book Anvils in America by Richard Postman. Expensive book but well worth it for identifying, dating, and valuing anvils. Also has quite a bit of info on refurbishing/welding up anvils. Thats handy because often if you actually find one thats for sale and affordable it wont be in great shape. I paid $300 for my first anvil, a 120lbs trenton, and it only had half of its face left on it.

[@ronaldcubero8268]

Ok, when i buy i look for 100-150 pounds anvil, cause is something i can move all alone, at least one hardie hole, pritchel too if have it,.double horn in german style, and of course steel over cast iron, being in an anvil poor country when I made my first rr anvil I looked for the bigger gauge, crane track is the better cause the thick net, but I didn't catch one yet, when I got any steel chunk I prefer squarish over round stock cause straight edges and corners are really handy right now im finishing one die style anvil from A36 plate 2.5" in thicknes, 13 x 14" and 125 # a lil welded hardie from square pipe, half horn,.is mild steel so im not afraid to mess it and I can upgrade it by add some hard facing rod on the surface and grind smooth again, thanks for your videos im learning a lot

[@brettsayers7768]

I started with a sledge hammer head vertically in a stump, then apiece of light rail track already shaped for $50. Now i have a little cast steel anvil that a friend gave to me. i enjoy using them all for different purposes now. Great video Dan really helpful.

[@luukderksen8810]

Started with a cheap rusted railroad track, forged a year on it, learned to make the thing better for my needs at the time (lots of edges en horne grinding!) made a little money, saved some money and then i upgraded to a double Horn, mounted on a wooden base, but outside in the weather the wood "worked" so i made myself a metal box, feet touches the inside of the box, filled it with white sand, Couple layers of lead. No magnets needed, no chains, no Bolts, not a loud ring, tool holders welded to the base, wheels to move it. Proper sollid base with a small footprint.

[@0885jason]

In the process of making my first anvil from old rail at the moment, it has a nice ring when hit, looking forward to smithing, very helpful vid, thanks.

[@sirJaymanz]

thank you as a new blacksmith. great to learn anything to hone the craft

[@garyboardwine3349]

Started blacksmithing about a year ago on the path to bladesmithing, started with a gas forge, and a 2" plate anvil shaped object, been watching your videos since day one, built a coal forge, found a 100# fisher which I use now, my dream anvil would be a 400# traditional, used a lot of your advice thanks!

[@Zippr123]

First Anvil, A rock Second Anvil, A ledgde hammer Thrid Anvil, A piece of rail road Fourth Anivil, A small/cheap crappy one like 12 pounds for 40 dollar, It had a horn. Now I use 2-3, The sledghammer for a hole, the railroad as main Anvil, and the cheap one for the horn. Works ok/I'm getting by, Beginner.

[@billygildark4565]

I once had the pleasure of running into a older large one. Claimed 200pds but was closer to 260. The face was severely beaten and cracked, the waist was heavily bellied and one of the feet had broken off. But enough about my personal life this videos about anvils...

[@jonahesselmann4609]

Today i got a 125 kg peddinghaus anvil and I think i fall in love Such a good anvil

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Great tutorial Dan :-)

[@whilomforge3402]

I can’t believe how cheap anvils are over there. Here in the US, that swayed Fischer would cost an arm and a leg...

[@deathguard12]

...not anymore

[@dracul1986]

Was thinking the same thing, here in the Netherlands you pay about 350 dollar for a 110 lbs anvil that is in even worse shape

[@laparfitt]

I love the voiceover section dude! And you know I love all those anvils! I started on a block of granite! :)

[@danielmoss2089]

A block of granite???????? Love you too dude hehe should have T-shirts at the end of the week?????

[@KevinSmith-gh5ze]

That's awesome! I know that's how the first blacksmiths did it, but that's some serious commitment!

[@pennybrown689]

Great info! Also... Anvil envy!!!😍

[@joefallon7288]

I cant believe you got that Kohlswa for £130! What a score. I just picked up a 40kg kohlswa to upgrade from railroad track and i am in love with it. It really makes working so much easier. Cheers Dan

[@20mcarroll02]

I hope you do a video of the anvil repair. I started on a rail track anvil. And still use it occasionally. That being said, i wouldnt trade my two old fishers( 70# 1904 and 125# 1901) for a brand new anvil of any make. Cheers!

[@mtyson9004]

Really awesome information Dan! Thanks very much! Looking forward to that anvil repair! God Bless you sir!

[@bryanrobinson1980]

Would be great to see how you fix the sway in the last anvil you showed. Would give us a sense of what's involved if we purchase one ourselves. Cheers!

[@MauledByBears]

I know your comment is old, but I had an anvil that had 1/2" of sway and I filled the dip with 7014 welding rod. It's softer than the original steel face, but with a preheat to ~300C te weld sticks. There's no need to weld it up with hardfacing rod, mild steel rod works fine. If the anvil is severely swayed, a flat mild steel face is FAR better than a swayed and slightly harder face.

[@BrianDaleNeeley]

I think it's more important to get ANYTHING that you can use as an anvil soonest, and if you have the desire you will eventually get a "proper" anvil, if that's what you really want. Glen (Glen GS Tongs) runs a full-time professional business with what some might call "shaped blocks of steel". I don't think any of his anvils are more that 60-80 pounds apiece (and he doesn't even bolt them down!).

[@lookcreations]

All good stuff Dan, when you doing the refurb on the small anvil , been waiting for that. Keep well dude. Mat

[@Moondog-wc4vm]

I started with railway track anvil. There's a guy (only the same age as my own son) who makes them close to where I live. He's been smithing since he was about 11, following in the footsteps of an older family member. It has a pritchell and a hardy and a pretty flat face along with a pretty well shaped bick. It isn't hardened, although being a section of railway track it has work hardened over it's life. It is about 12 inches long in total and weighs about 12 Kilos. I mounted it to a log and fixed it down well with carriage bolts. That reduced the ring and made it very secure. It is a great little anvil for small mild steel projects. I'm an amateur learning as I go along for a hobby but recently I have begun to try a few more difficult (for me) projects so I began to look for a heavier anvil with a hardened face. Everything I could find on the likes of gumtree or ebay waas way overpriced, or was for pick up only but too far away for me to get to. I chased down a few that would have been worth the price, biut they were always sold before I contacted the seller. Then the smith I take lessons with suggested that I take a look at a German company who sell new anvils made by another German manufacturer. He has two of them (out of eight stations available in his teaching forge) I had already used them a few times (they are in the southern German pattern with a bick and a pointed heel with the the hardy just behind the bick and a pretty large pritchell just before the beginning of the taper on the heel) I chose to order the 35kg option as it will be large enough to make any project that I will be capable of for a few years to come, maybe for the rest of my life! It is cast steel with a hardened face and I have seen two of the 50kg versions that have been in use by everyone from rank amateurs to quite skilled hobbyists for the last seven years and they have hardly a ding in the face so I believe they are quality. My 35 kg delivered from Germany to the UK cost less than £300. I have not named the seller or manufacturer as I'm not sure if KZbin rules allow this. If Dan wants this information to be placed on this channel I'll pass it to him on request and he can put it out for his subscribers to see, if he thinks it's worth it.

[@Moondog-wc4vm]

Thanks for the like! I've been bingeing your videos and really enjoy the information I get from them. I especially liked your advice at the end of this vid about normalising a hammer head for safety. Next time I'm at my teachers forge I want to try the ram or dragon head you showed before. It will be my first fire weld so I'll probably ruin the first attempt, but hey ho! If I don't make a mistake I'll never learn anything new. Really looking forward to your new content as it comes out. And thanks again sir, for all the vids!

[@mbarker_lng]

I get that an anvil is a niche product, but it is quite amazing that when you recycle steel, you get something like .05$ a pound but if you buy an anvil you pay 5-8$/lb and its essentially a big chunk of metal. A V8 engine, full of precision machined parts, costs less than a 275lb anvil and weighs significantly more as raw metal (a basic engine, not a top-tier NASCAR motor). Wild.

[@danielmoss2089]

agreed its crazy

[@g.j.9556]

thanks for the tips and what to look for.

[@CleaveMountaineering]

When you're starting out (like I am) you may as well not wait for the perfect one, just get something anvil or ASO. Gets you going and is cheap enough you can use it for miscellaneous fabrication, tinkering, and mechanic work whether or not you continue blacksmithing.

[@ianlowe4666]

My first anvil was a length of railway line, then I got hold of a mint 2 cwt Brooks London pattern anvil. It's in a few of my video's I think. Fell in love with them and over the years picked up another four or so in different weights. Plus a 3+ cwt no name for stuff that really needs the beans. Still waiting to find my perfect Yorkshire pattern anvil though :) Kholswa are beautiful anvils, as are Grunsfors and Soderfors (sp?). In the states there are a few good brands like Peter Wrights, Hay Budden and so on. Nimbus are supposed to be very good as well on the new made front. Anvil's in America by Postman would be the go to reference for buyers there. Local library should be able to order it in. One other thing that's useful is the ball bearing test. Some sellers might not like the idea of you beating on their item with a hammer (sounds mad I know, but its happened to me... 'What? It's an ANTIQUE!!' ) so a little ball bearing can help you suss how lively the anvil is. It's just a quick and dirty rebound test really.

[@MrJamesjustin]

Top video mate. Thanks for that.

[@Regdiggs]

I have found an old Peter wright anvil weighing 388lbs that has some pretty significant damage on one side that someone has tried to grind out. I was thinking of welding a plate of tool steel on to give it a new face and to repair the damaged area with built up weld. Is this the proper way of repairing an old wrought iron anvil or is their a better way?

[@randomrhec-ness6783]

my anvil stand is just an angle iron table cut to the right height, a piece of 11 gauge sheet metal as the top, and some square tubing with some more angle iron welded to it, all welding to the frame of the original angle iron table i have a chain i want to wrap around the anvil itself to reduce the ringing and weigh it down more so it doesnt bounce, i think its a 140 pound anvil, it doesnt weigh much less than me

[@KevinSmith-gh5ze]

By first "anvil" was an 8 Lb sledge hammer strapped to a stump. Then I "upgraded" to a 17 Lb cast iron anvil. I finally just bought an NC round horn 80lb anvil and it's in transit right now. They're not huge, but I'm in the military and I don't really want to lug around some huge historic anvil every time I have to move, so I think it will be prefect.

[@lenblacksmith8559]

Dan I see you were trying to fit some angle against the slope of the bottom of the angle, you could maybe bend some flat bar to come across the front and back of the anvil and have that screw down at an appropriate angle. Or use chain around it with hold downs on the side of your stump, that works really good for me.

[@danielmoss2089]

Thanks dude yeah sound advice. I was trying to get the screws to pull the anvil in tight at a slight angle. sames good at the moment and better than the last straps. Thank you for the great comment.

[@sirtblairjr]

Hey Dan, I really like your channel and videos. I have learned alot from watching you. But I have question: can you or do you reface the corners(for square corners) on the avail? You see alot of avails with Nick's in them? How do you fix the? Hit me back ,thank you, keep'em coming.

[@willywantoknow2563]

My choices are new $300 with shipping 88# acciaio that i could build mass under, a

[@jamysmith7891]

Find a big steel machine shop, they have all sorts of cubes, cylinders and rings make great anvils and swage blocks

[@jarlove]

anvil is life ;) have had a 100 pound for years, and have just come over a 700 pound one!! just need to make a stand for it, so it is possible to maover around ;)

[@ISOSAILING]

how do you tell what the anvils are made off? think mine are forged, they have holes around the throat i was told they were used to hold them when it was getting forged don't know how true that is though, all i know is they both ring like buggery!! got a weeee 30kg one and a 80 odd kg one i think it is i can lift it but it's a struggle lol

[@jojomama4787]

I chose my first anvil by someone who had one and wanted to trade it for my pocketknife,I said OK and got a 110lb.(approx.) English anvil.My next one is a 350lb.or so English anvil from a demolition job,so I guess it's salvaged.Either way,no money changed hands

[@therealamerican99.76]

Lucky

[@cartercustoms4600]

Anvil prices in the states are crazy. People act like their made of solid Sterling silver. Some get lucky and find one at a good price. I just gave up and bought a drop forged Kanca 35Kg anvil. It''s no 300lb beast but its a huge upgrade from the 20lb stake anvil I started on. Just don't ask what i paid for it. *cries* I... don't like to think about that. Lmao

[@bartweijs]

Your kohlswa anvil is a newer cast steel type; which is pretty much the same as the söderfors anvils; cast steel; quenched by a metered water column; => this means; wheel the mold with the fresh cast anvil inside in the parking lot and dump X cubic meter of water via a garden hose on it once the top is broken out of the mold. The X is determined by the weight of the anvil. Once the water has been converted to a nice cloud of steam; the residual heat of the body "tempers" the face. At Söderfors they take a grinder on it quickly to see the temper colours run. Kohlswa tend to be simple high quality medium carbon steel like C55 (same as most bahco/sandvik woodworking tools...really great quality steel)., resulting in a HRC 55 to 57 face; gradually softer body & feet. . Söderfors tend to be harder by using on average C75 steel, resulting in a HRC 60-ish face. Your asymmetrical line on the anvil is in fact where the mold broke open ... the part below will have been "protected" from the cold water; while the part on top will have hardened. If it was a milling line, it would have been completly straight. Great anvils that will last for generations; even in daily use.

[@hannemannironworks1651]

Great video Dan!

[@Keith.Turner]

Great job as always Daniel. Couldn't help but notice you stake anvil looks like the head of a Unicorn (just needs some googly eyes)

[@bentoombs]

Good info dude and nice and anvils. I hope to get a bigger one someday but my 1902 #100 trenton is great for now. I only outweigh it by 4lbs lol⚒on!!!

[@kennymiller4428]

Working on building a bigger anvil, around 200 pounds. Would fork lift fork material survive welding it to the base of the anvil without loosing all of its heat treatment?

[@SL-ez7qn]

Good bit of information. Many thanks. The prices you mentioned are a bargain. I can’t find anything of that quality for those sort of prices. May be I’m looking in the wrong places. Where would you suggest are the best place to look for reasonable priced anvil.

[@broadusthompson1666]

My advise I always give for beginners looking for anvils is to forget about the London pattern shape. Focus on just the big chunk of steel at the heart of all proper anvils and you’ll find you’ll be tripping over tons of anvils. Tons can be done on just a simple block. And they don’t need to be huge. Especially as a block you’ve gotta consider that without a horn heel or feet a much lighter block will function similarly to a much heavier London pattern. And lastly the anvil face only has to be a bit bigger than your hammer face, don’t think a dinner table anvil will be better, it’s not, it’s a pain in the ass and gets in the way. In my opinion around 3-4 inches wide is ideal for most work without a striker.

[@danielmoss2089]

Sound advice dude thank you.

[@Bartyron]

Another obstacle to buy an anvil is the weight. If you don't have access to a forklift and/or trailer, it's quite difficult.

[@Ukenick]

Hey Daniel. Love your channel. I would love to send you a picture of an anvil I have been offered, but don't know how to do that. It would be my first anvil and don't want to screw it up.

[@wild_willy_from_twin_city4526]

It's crazy in the US $5 to $7 per Lb. for a old anvil. Found one just like the $80 anvil you pointed out.($500)

[@Zonkotron]

Heavy Railroad track can be up to 0.8 points carbon and high manganese. That is some seriously tough steel.

[@CountyLineForge]

If you're anvil heavy, I would take a couple off your hands gladly haha...just drop one or two in your carry on in September lol. Great video man and I'm digging that stake anvil you made. Looks great.

[@danielmoss2089]

Can never have to many anvils dude. If your up for making some thing when we are at johns let me know I would happily swing a hammer. Thanks dude hat video will be up next i think

[@davephillips7550]

Nice Dan. Still here just got busy😎

[@danielmoss2089]

Nice to have back lol hope your well dude?

[@danielcrawford7315]

Daniel Moss, sirSir reckon if your top face of anvil was fork truck tine 8" wide by 3 in thick or 200mm x 75 mm would that be sufficient or would it need to be hard faced or topped w a 100% welded on took steel facing?

[@danielmoss2089]

It depends on where you took the piece of tine from. the heel to the toe of the tine is often very hard. this is for 2 reasons. Tine is a work hardening steel and this is the area of the tine that is heat treated its needs to be hard well springy at lest. but the saddle area is often in a normalized state and relatively soft. so i would heat treat it in oil should see you good. As you uses the tine it will get harder. no need for hard facing dude. good question. thank you for the comment.

[@danielcrawford7315]

@@danielmoss2089 thank you very much. These come from large loaders, 950 cat, 644 JD, 921 case. I've got now 6 full ones 8ft long b4 the shoulde bend n 4ft above. Some w welded eyes for 5" thru pins. Very glad to know and exceedingly glad your sharing w us. Blessed days sirSir, Crawford out

[@KevinSmith-gh5ze]

@@danielcrawford7315 the problem with track is that you are perching a big block of steel over a thin springy web. This essentially reduces the effectiveness. You would be better off just welding the rr track horn to the side of a big chunk of steel and placing it directly on a good solid stump.

[@danielcrawford7315]

@@KevinSmith-gh5ze , yes sirSir I understand that from watching lots of more learned men than I. Thank you for sharing this with me/ us. My intent is to build an actual anvil in the 400lb plus range by 100% welding these pieces together . My intended final shape is going to have a flat horn on one end and round horn on the other. I believe that is called a French patter or north German pattern. If you know of Roy Adams of Christ Centered Ironworks, my plan is to build mine in the patter of his. One might ask why build it just buy one. The answer is, I have the steel already, a few thousand pounds worth, and have apx 35-40lbs of rods plus the use of the welder at the yard. As such the only expense is grinding supplies. Plus it will bring the satisfaction of building my own and the learning experience of doing it...plus the burns n what not from learning lmbo. I have a gentleman who is a master class welder w so many certificates I dont even know what they are who has offered to instruct me along the way, for the price of a few beers and a bbq brisket lol... what could possibly go wrong lol lol. Again thank you for sharing with me on this. I may be an old dog in reality but I do like learning new tricks...especially from people who want to take time to say hey this is what I know let me share it. Blessed days sirSir and feel free to help us new guys out anytime, Crawford out

[@KevinSmith-gh5ze]

@@danielcrawford7315 well in that case, I hope your anvil is a great success. One thing is for certain, you should be a pretty good welder by the time you're done!

[@886014]

That's another great video, thanks very much. A couple of questions if I can? Firstly why is it that few anvils are designed with a method of securely fastening them down to a base? They all need to be secured, yet seem to rely on the user coming up with some bodgy way to keep the thing from going mobile. I wondered if there was some specific reason. There's generally not even some flat or other feature cast in to make it easier. The other question is, would hard facing an anvil edge affect the hardness of the surrounding parent material? I'm very interested in seeing any anvil repairs you do. If you're interested, this is what we pay down in Australia for anvils. www.magnetics.net.au/product-category/blacksmith-welding/anvil/ ie an anvil your size would be circa 800 GBP. Used are generally no cheaper, with people asking at least that or more for something that is little more than an antique boat anchor. Meanwhile there are "collectors" who buy them just to boast how many they have. It's a shame for people like myself just starting out, but that's life.

[@jamesbannister8470]

Could you not have posted this yesterday, you know, before I bought my first anvil?? 😆

[@danielmoss2089]

Like I said at the end the only thing that really matters is you have something to forge on. what did you get?

[@danielmoss2089]

also sorry!!

[@jamesbannister8470]

It’s a 1cwt (50kg) single bick made of cast steel. Second hand off eBay and looks really clean on top. Been using a piece of rail track for a while but it was so small so felt ready for and upgrade (and a hardy/pritchel!). Can’t wait to get it home and get forging! What would you suggest as a stand?

[@danielmoss2089]

sounds like a great buy and a good progression. I like wood and I made mine from blocks of 40x200x500mm sapely. stacked on top of each other. A steel frame is cool. Uses what you have.

[@jamesbannister8470]

Daniel Moss awesome, thanks for the advice! 😁

[@priestleyharker4046]

In Australia that anvil would be 1500 even in that condition. 3500 in good condition

[@coffeesstudios2122]

330 lbs anvil for under 200 dollars that would be awesome. Can't find them for that price around here.

[@christopherconkright1317]

why not heat up the angle iron and let it take the shape of the angle of your anvil?it would fit tight and right against the anvil the whole way?

[@BK_blacksmith]

Wax or paste on the threads will help sink them. Just in case you have to do it again.

[@danielmoss2089]

nice thank you for the advice dude will try next time. The older style bolt had no issues. not sure why

[@philmenzies2477]

@@danielmoss2089 Yeah quality of fasteners really sucks now. I always put a dob of grease, (cos its handy) on mine. You will still snap them off if you use the gorilla setting on your socket drive but at least they will be firmly embedded by that stage and no hope of removing the broken stub

[@grandadz_forge]

Quad State. My goal is to get one at Quad State!

[@tomk3732]

I think UK pricing is a bit different then Canada and US. If someone wanted $100 for that swayed anvil (USD) I would have paid out immediately - its more natural selling price is CAN / US is 800. A 640 lbs massive anvil sold recently for 14000 USD (nice condition used).

[@HopeForTheBestUG]

If your anvil is moving around when you hit it and you have to bolt it down. Wouldn't that mean you need a heavier anvil?

[@danielmoss2089]

A have anvil on a free stand will still move.

[@neiljoseph1126]

Nice video Dan. How would you repair the sight edge damage on your main anvil? I have similar damage on my only anvil, 51 kg Brooks

[@danielmoss2089]

I will be buying some hard facing rods for the john forrest anvil re build so i could show you in a video then if you think that might help?

[@neiljoseph1126]

@@danielmoss2089 That would be great, thanks 👍

[@harrisonfoster1889]

Biggest anvil I can get is a 50kg one because of the trolley it gets stored in when not in use 😅

[@ffcrick9144]

The just get going is so true . A hammer something hard & and some hot steel and have A good time make your stess go away . thank you and God bless Dan

[@stanervin6108]

Good advice, Dan. Did you watch the vids I linked on my comment on your last video on the anvil rebuilding project? If so, what did you think?

[@danielmoss2089]

I think I did. Was it the boys forge welding a face on? Thank you and thank you for the great comments and help epic having you as part of the team.

[@stanervin6108]

@@danielmoss2089 yes, yes it was. Intense heat and teamwork. Quite an undertaking it is! Would help but am in NC, USA!

[@stanervin6108]

@@danielmoss2089 As an aside, my first ALO was a section of railway track, ground flat on one side with an angle grinder with a welded horn of dubious steel. Gave it away a few years ago to an apprentice. Have an inventory of 3 anvils now. It's a disease I guess. Never too many! Tried to buy one a coupla years ago that was a Peter Wright weighing over 460 pounds(210 kg or so) but $1500USD evidently wasn't enough for the chap! Oh, well. G'day.

[@jaimecoss4812]

Where can i find one because i want to buy one

[@kevdotf]

Thanks

[@dadegroot]

Wow, anvils are cheap in the UK. Here in Australia, a 100lb anvil can easily go for $1000. For a 300-400lb anvil you could be looking at between $2,000 and $3,000 easily (used). I consider myself lucky to have got my little 82lb Peter Wright anvil for $250.

[@wadestewart9891]

Would say minimum weight 70 lbs ,dents and dings can be welded and ground out and any usable shape should do for your individual needs

[@danielmoss2089]

thank you wade sound advice as ever.

[@ЯнаШарикаева]

У вас очень хорошая тумба для наковальни 'никогда такой не видел.

[@lewiselliott9038]

I recently bought a pristine 280kg Wilkinson anvil for £250

[@colbydean1515]

I didn’t know one could choose their first anvil. Seems like usually you get what you can find. Good content though

[@ghostforge3303]

whats Cheesium

[@danielmoss2089]

Its cheese spray painted to look like metal. lol Its a term i have been using to describe bad metal that brakes easy lol

[@danielmoss2089]

@Melvin Gillham I got these bolts form my normal place and the always have good stuff just couldn't seem to get on with these things. there was no grading on the heads of the bolts so assumed they must have been below 8.8. thank for the advice. what sort of diesel fitter. I did my apprenticeship with liebherr and worked for CAT for about 3 years. earth moving equipment mostly.

[@danielmoss2089]

Pleasure dude always happy to help. thank you for your great comments

[@danielcrawford7315]

@@danielmoss2089 leibherr, the king of cranes. Love getting to run one when I do get too. 200ton, 240 ton n a 350ton so far, just not much seat time as yet. Not really a fan of the groves, seems like theres constant issues w sensors n wiring. Thanks, blessed days sirSir, Crawford out

[@danielmoss2089]

Dude once you go liebeherr yellow you can't go back. German engineering at there best. will you be at johns coffees this year? cause i have some storys!!!!!

[@PaintingtheRosesRed]

First!!!! Hey Dan!

[@Andrew-qo6br]

In my neck of the woods, anvils are overpriced, very scarce, and often beat to snot. The anvil chooses you, you don't choose the anvil. Even pieces of train track are hard to come by. People get creative and even reperpose old, damaged welding tanks (filled with sand or concrete, use 18 wheeler break drums or use ASO from Harbor Freight. Our steel recycler stopped selling to the public - the tweekers even steal old copper phone lines (that are still servicing houses/businesses).

[@grandartsdesign]

Yea I have no Anvil 😢

[@blakehorton8110]

You know man , in a couple of vids you released about John switzer I made a couple of rebuttals pertaining to if he's an master blacksmith or nhee, I wanted to not like you dude I really did idk why but the more I watch your vids you really I feel like are trying to help people and not just get one over on them to get views , i think you may be the real deal man and for that I tip my hat brother , keep on keepin on and sorry for weird comment but kinda had to

[@danielmoss2089]

not a weird comment dude. Thank you for your honesty and talking to me like a real human. I think me and John are friends and I have made him a hammers and we talk often. My point was to work on johns statement and build on his comments not put him down. Johns an epic smith and has real skill and like me we both feel that we are a long way off being masters of are craft. As we both look up to other smiths in are community that seem sooooooo far away from our current location in the craft. hope that makes sense and im stocked you like the videos thank you for your great comment.

[@blakehorton8110]

@@danielmoss2089 gotcha , who do you consider or maybe at least an honorable mention if you were to say suggest a smith that you look up to or consider top tier if don't mind me asking ???

[@danielmoss2089]

@@blakehorton8110 Well if you would like to see a blacksmith that is considered a legend here in the UK whom also has a couple of videos on KZbin check out Bruce Wilcox. You also have Mark Aspray he has a couple of videos on KZbin also. My tutor at Hereford was taught by Mark. Mark is a bit of a don all over the world. Roger Lund has some cool videos also but if your not into epic power hammer skills not for you. Also Glen Moon rocks not much he can't do lol. After that the videos get a bit slim on the ground but Brian Russell and Alan Evens also kick ass and if I'm a 10th as good as these dudes by the time i hang up my hammer i will be happy. I can think of more but these guys will prove my point I hope. Alans stuff might be hard to find.

[@jaimecoss4812]

I'm looking for an anvil can somebody tell me where can I find one near to sterling Co.?

[@broadusthompson1666]

Ah! You poor brits don’t have many fishers! They gave cast iron anvils a good name over here. Not /ALL/ cast iron anvils are trash. In the states there were a few anvil manufacturers that made absolutely usable anvils, only thing dead about them is their lack of ring. Also, as far as I’ve heard, in the states at least, railroad track is a 1070 ish steel with extra manganese for weather resistance.

[@danielmoss2089]

Nice to know. I have always been warned away from them. I had one for a while and it was horrible and I honestly felt i put my forging back. great point dude and thank you.

[@danielmoss2089]

Would you pop this comment or something similar to this on the pined comment on the top would be epic dude.

[@broadusthompson1666]

Daniel Moss yup, Fisher’s especially are great, plenty bouncy and hard. Fisher used top notch material and also built the anvil’s accordingly, they’re much thicker and chunkier than their steel counterparts. Though fisher did put a steel face on their anvils so they aren’t pure cast iron.

[@danielmoss2089]

I see that make more sense lol

[@20mcarroll02]

Fishers are the best. I love mine...and they dont ring like a bell either. Would love to find a 250#....

[@wadestewart9891]

PS make sure it has a solid mount wobby anvils are a sin lol

[@danielmoss2089]

too true. Was going to go over that bu the video was getting long lol like to keep them as close to 15mins as possible. thank you for the great comment again.

[@kelltrad6127]

85+ kg is a massive anvil

[@JF-fx2qv]

Anvils $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ + $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. The ring is just a thing. No bling to the ring.