A couple corrections, notes, and theories! Vulcans are cast iron with a steel face, pretty low grade, but still half decent. In my experience they’re pretty soft from the get go, your welder friend may not be completely to blame. It may have been a good thing it got hot, if he was working like a good welder he may have gotten it even hotter on purpose to stop from getting stress fractures as it cools. I have a theory about why almost every Vulcan you’ll find is chipped to hell, the few I’ve seen that are untouched have crazy sharp edges, most makers ground a chamfer at least at the portion of the face near to the horn. So I think because Vulcans were cheap, and made of low grade metal, and unground, those sharp edges were never dressed by the people using them and just like you said sharp edges are weak. As for Peter Wright’s they’re almost all wrought iron with a steel face forge welded on top, some late model ones may have a solid steel tops, but Peter Wright’s smiths did such a good job blending in the welds it’s hard to tell. You’re absolutely right about rounding the edge with a gradient in sizes from one side to the other, that’s exactly how every great smith I know dresses their anvil. It gives you the more options in ways to use your anvil and is best to forge on. Just the way sharp corners make the edge on your anvil weak sharp transition in forging make your work weak. This was even more important in the era that book was written as they were working with wrought iron which has a grain like wood and in many ways must be treated like wood when considering how to forge it so the grain is strongest a sharp edge would cut through the grain instead of allowing it to flow through a bend/transition. An alternative I always give to repairing the edges on an anvil is making a hardy block, just a big ol chunk of steel with a shank to go in the hardy, and the sharper edges you desire. I recently did a forging demo at an art school, they had a fairly new anvil which had never been properly dressed, the first thing I did when I saw it was ask for a grinder since I knew there was no way I was going to be able to forge on it with sharp edges. Thanks for making this video! I think it was something that needed to be said, too many folks are trying to fix their anvils before they know how to use an anvil.

Not a blacksmith, never wanted to be, but your videos informative, entertaining, and they plant a seed of curiosity. Thanks for your content. I've learned a ton, but it's caused me to educate myself too through the sources you offer and others i find. The seed keeps growing. Keep planting

Rounding off the edges reminds me of how woodworkers chamfer legs on furniture to prevent the wood from chipping or being damaged as it gets dragged around. I suppose the same can apply here as the edge of the anvil might be less susceptible to chipping in the future now.

Great video, I have been looking for an anvil and this is timely, truly useful info.

Wow! Great link, years of reading on one page! Thanks for the info. "Get it hot and beat on it!"

I have always forged on what pro blacksmiths would call junk. But it allows me freedom to use,modify,or brake tools on a whim. My favorite "utility" anvil is a 12lb. Sledge head inlet into a big stump. I'll grant that it won't stand up to forging projects like a harty took but for pecking out a knife blade, or making arrow heads it works just fine. If you can make your tools then you can remake your tools.

Really enjoyed the history on the Annville thank you. And a big thanks to the link about the book written back in 1889

That book is my all time favorite blacksmithing book! I love how you get different points of view, it also doesn’t have a particularly booky feel since the writers weren’t attempting to write a book, they were just sharing information with each other (not that booky books are a bad thing)

Very cool video. Love the ideas on making your own anvil helper tools although I am just a railroad tie metal basher at this point. We just got back from a visit to China where jewelry stores would have people in front of the store working away on tiny specialized anvils making jewelry. You'd hear the tink, tink, tink of them working and it attracts attention to the store.

Hi Steven, Excellent video! I had an anvil, same size as your middle one. It was my grandfathers. Also had a BBQ forge, what I called it, cast iron, hole in the middle with a hand cranked blower. I lent it to a guy to use for a few months along with some tools including my favorite early hammer. The guy disappeared with all my tools. My mentor had given me the forge. I still have 2 hand cranked blowers though and some tools. Indeed a bummer. I have managed with a 1" thick block of steel. I see anvils at flea markets and the like for huge prices and poor shape. One day I'll find one reasonable,,,, I hope. I am more the farm smithie as yourself. And being a cabinetmaker by trade, I always round edges of feet and slightly round corners of legs and edges. You can get a nasty knuckle skinned on a sharp edge. You make furniture that is comfortable to use. I even slighty round the underside edges of table skirting to eliminate those sharp and splintery corners. My anvil was perfect temper wise with rounded edges, worked great. My mentor worked in the blacksmith section of a carriage shop. He was born in 1889? He made 13 cents an hour, early 1900s. If you'd like one of the blowers I have you welcome to it Steven. Don't think it would be too much to ship UPS. May be you have 4. If not let me know. Thanks Much! DaveyJO

If you make an anvil or rail, turn it vertical, keep the mass under the hammer. Three together with some imagineering (clip the bottoms & weld tight) and you’ve got a decent ASO.

Good video! The anvil I normally work on has corners basically like the article describes, and while there are times when I really do want a radius of 1/8" on a corner to make tenons or when starting really tight scrolls, I have a block of steel with a shank that fits in the hardy hole and has different radii for those purposes. It lays flat on the anvil so it's more stable than a bickern, and having a consistent radius is good for starting flat scrolls. Since you like reading old articles and such, there's some gems in these old editions of the Machinists and Blacksmiths Journal (digitized): library.si.edu/digital-library/book/machinists-and-blacksmiths-journal There's a lot of discussion of union politics, which is interesting in its own right, but there's also descriptions of trade craft e.g. an oil fired forge ("Water as Fuel" v. 10 no. 9 July 1873)

Skills over gear! Hell yes!

When we repaired our edges we preheated the body to avoid warping. Built the edges up with a specialty rod that ends up with carbon in the weld. I’m not sure that we quenched the face because sometimes you can delaminates the whole face.

Love to see the straw bale house in the background.

I've wanted to get into it for a very long time but I need to do more serious research than I already have. I don't have much room, just a small shed connected to my little miners cabin up here in the North Idaho mountains. I've seen forges that are just fire proof bricks with a torch sticking in the side, probably the most sensible thing to do. That's all I need is a freakin fire.

Nice San Pedro amigo!

Cool video, I've been looking for an affordable anvil for a year or so... I've spread word to everyone I know in town to dig around the back of their barns. No luck yet... but always looking Have you gotten a sunburn on your bean yet? Don't forget you have nice tender skin up there that hasn't seen sun in decades ;) Lookin good, I like it

I don't know if you know of Brian Brazeal or not. He is a master Smith and always recommends using rounded edges that he refers to as dies. He is the major proponent of using the rounding hammer for blacksmithing that has gained favor as of late. Strangely enough he has designed a mild steel (yes, you read that right) die anvil that has a progressive radius all the way down the sides of the anvil along with various steps. Its awesome to watch that man move metal. It's like nothing I've ever witnessed. Check him out if you haven't seen him. You won't regret it.

Hard to find anvils

Got my first real anvil a few months ago,it took me three go's at it with file and grinder ,taking off only a little at a time before the edges were acceptable as fullers.

PS I think the blower wouldn't be much to ship. DaveyJO

Did you get it? Hi Steven, just checking to see if you received the check. There is a tracking number if you didn't. Let me know if you would please. Thanks Steven. DaveyJO

The Vulcan is also cast. cast anvils can be very good quality Fisher for instance is the anvil I use in my shop and they are cast but have a steel plate that Vulcan is not a very high quality anvil and square edges are usfull if you know what you are doing

Back in the day of quality anvil makers like Hay Budden would have came from the factory with a rounded working edge to about 3/8” radius in this A to B section.

Work first, worry later. I showed up at my buddy Kyle's house and he had a hairdryer and gas pipe pushed into wood fire in a hole in the ground with a length of railroad track next to it. I had a forge at the house that I didn't use because of the noise restrictions in the neighborhood during the home hours, so I moved it to his house. Surprisingly, he forges less now that he's got the gear and I forge more because I have the free time to while I'm there. Kyle- FORGE, BITCH!

When I set up my smith shop years ago I picked up an very well used local anvil, it has a dish in it and the edges were very worn just in the middle. Likely from many horse shoes and or oxen. I had it welded in a shop I presume knew what they were doing, to build up the rounded edges. The edge is round still not sure the exact spec, I am now curious and have to inspect it closer. I also am a farmer type of use black smith, the shop can set idle for months then I get some project that really fits. You got three thumbs down on this one, probably the loss of dreds.

Looks like you don't actually use any of those anvils?

Always wanna radius the main working edges, keep a sharp one on the heel or something for a clean 90degree angle. Chips alone may not bother you, but once a crack starts, it grows, and can eventually lead to catastrophic failures.

anvil envy is real.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix