TIL a cracked anvil face isn't always a death sentence

An oldtimer at a hammer-in outside Nashville showed me how he'd been forging on a $50 anvil with a half-inch crack for 15 years, just grinding it smooth and using it as is. Totally changed my mind about upgrading after I dropped 300 on a new one that chipped on day two. Anyone else work around a busted tool instead of replacing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley4324d ago

$300 anvil chipping day two just sounds like bad luck, not the norm to me.

eva_thompson24d ago

Riley it's not just bad luck. That anvil was probably a cast iron import. Real anvils from Fisher or Hay-Budden don't chip like that on day two even at $300. Check the rebound and ring of that thing. Cast iron goes "thud" and dents easy. Forged steel or wrought with a steel face will hold up way better. If it's chipping that fast the seller knew it was junk.

bettyroberts23d ago

Hell yeah, I got burned same way once. Live and learn.