I don't know why I clicked this video... but I am leaving here a smarter man. Thanks ;)

You can tell just how passionate he is about this beautiful craft. Love it!

Thank you for taking the time to teach us all about this topic-I leave here with the knowledge to purchase the proper anvil.

Hello Jeff Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your Basics of Anvils . Your a very good Teacher! I hope to see more Thanks ! Tony.

Your explanation was very informative and the info on the steel differences helped me understand the added energy when working on railway track. I WISH I had kept the short length I gave away. Thanks.

Great video, great clear information, love you charisma: all you can ask for in KZfaq. Keep it up!

Thanks very informative. Good weather too.im in Herefordshire England and great day too.

That was good info, you were to the point and explained things well. Thanks

HA HA. Thanks Jeff. Im an old oft hand, thats oil field trash, and Ive had a couple smithy friends. They always seem so soft spoken and polite. What a contrast to my fellow roughnecks lol. Great video bro.

Excellent advice. Thanks

Thank You. New guy in CT just learning the ropes. your video was a good help.

You know what Jeff,, YOU DA MAN!!!...THANK YOU!!!

I love this video. Helped me select a anvil for my dad! Thanks!

This is a very well done video excellent information for newbies thank you!

Jeffrey...great video. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks man, beautifully done!!

Excellent video, thanks for sharing.

Thank you kindly for very good explanation, it helps me lots

BEST ADVICE! Thanks

A great and informative video. Thanks from Ireland

Thank you so much for your coments and interest in the channel! If you ever have any questions feel free to leave them here or in a privet message. If I can answer it I will, or I may even make a video addressing your question :) Hope to see you around...

Thanks Jeff, yes I'm learning. Hi from Canberra, Australia

Excellent introductory video... Thank you so much for sharing...

Thank you for this video!! Has helped me alot . I really wanna get into smithing

Thank you I learned a few things and I appreciate your help

wholesome and educational thank you so much

Good video. Thanks mate, you've helped me alot with selecting an anvil to start with. Cheers.

Thanks for the teaching Sir

Dear Mr. Jeff sir, thanks for your video. l learned much. Blessings, pierre from New Mexico

Hi, And thank you for your help and info!

I have an awesome weekly auction to go to ... this video will be helpful in my anvil quest.

Definitely helpful, thank you!

That was a good video. You have very concisely answered all my unasked questions on anvils. Many thanks and I've just subscribed. Have a good day.

Thank you for this, very learnful

Thanks for posting, very informative and helpful!. Merry XMas

thank you keep it coming

Great video. Thanks

I've got a 15 inch section of railroad rail as an anvil. Works very well!

thank you for the insight

Thanks for posting your vids. I have learned a lot.

They've become even more expensive in the years since this video was made. A good, properly constructed, new anvil of around 275 pounds, here in the USA, usually sells for around two grand.

The video was very informative, thank u.

great video, thanks.

Very informative video. Thank you.

Thanks! It was an inspiring and helpful video

A very interesting and informative video, thank you.

Jeff nice video and thanks for sharing..

Good information Thanks

very helpful thanks

Hi, thanks for your clear explanation, For my "anvil" even though its a bit of a odd shape, I used a piece of thick steel I cut off an old oxygen bottle, it's the only good steel I have got that has a nice "ring" and does not get dented that much

nice , thanks from Maine!

Great video.

Thanks that was helpful.

Thanks for info

I learned a few things from this, thanks.

Hey nice info thanks!!

Thank you John from ireland

THANK YOU BROTHER..

Thanks I learned a lot from this.

Excellent Video Jeff ! I just Subscribed to your channel. Thank you Sir for the Great content.

Very informative mate, cheers

Thank you!

Just picked up a 18 in by 10 inch 2 inch thick piece of Steel today at a scrapyard I gave the guy 40 bucks for it. Slapped it on top of a maple stump making a forge out of a small wood stove. Been wanting to do this for decades now I've waited till I'm all full of arthritis and s*** but I'm still doing it. very informative video

Thanks Jeff. :)

Very informative and well presented video. Audio and video qualities aren't always going to be perfect but that's where captions can come in handy. Thank you very much for making this video Jeff!

Thanks you. i am so excited to get started

thank you

thanks good video.

@MrJsowa you can weld them together to create a heavier base, keep it from bouncing around on you. As far as the heat from welding changing the properties of the metal... If I am unsure about stresses I do the welding in stages, a few inches at a time. If you keep the temperature in reason you should have no problem... make sure the pieces you want to weld are at least 60 degrees before you start welding and you should be good.

I subbed....what an informative one...

this was really informational automatic subscribe

I have been wanting to learn blacksmithing so I found a 3' section of railroad track fastened it to a log very close to the same width little overhang attached it with railroad spikes and it has worked very well the past 3yrs, I built my forge the same way out of an old gas water heater center tank cut length wise in the middle and 55 gal oil drum as the stand, all still better then you can buy at a store, I found a 3" inch x 1'x1' plate steel that I will temper in camp fire and water, rout out the top of a tamarack log counter sink it in that is my next anvil I am working on... thanks for the share ...

To be a bit scientific and specific for those who wonder, it is not only brute force that shapes the metal, the shock-waves "liquefies" it to a degree, this is how these waves reflected from steel (ringing) helps the process - you get many hits inside of one hammerblow and less loss of energy (absorption)

I'm the 75th like!!!!!!!!! This video was very informational thanks :)

Very helpful, I've been interested in buying an anvil and I nearly bought a cheap one... I guess it would be better to look for a bit of track, at a scrap yard

Good info.

Hi, Over all, the info was good but I would like to say a couple things. I have been blacksmithing for over 30 years, I am an instructor for CBA California Blacksmith Assoc. Please do not try to cut a chunk of RR track to look like an anvil. The result will be on a par with the ASO (Anvil Shaped Object) that is cast iron. There is way too much spring as the web is too thin. If you must use a RR track, stand it on end like a fence post, now you will have a solid mass of steel under the hammer blows. Yes the target area is small but you only need enough for the hammer face. In this position, you will get a rebound to the hammer and you will be much more effective in your blows. A solid block of steel that weighs 75 to 150 pounds will make a VERY good starting anvil. Look for a section of round stock 4 to 6 inches in diameter and again set it like a fence post. Also, a cut piece of plate 3 or so inches thick and 12 inches X 12 inches works well when striking on the 3 inch side with the mass under the hammer, not flat to get a big surface. In anvils, more is better. You need mass under the hammer. A block of steel, smoothed by a grinder with a rounded end at one end will be a better anvil than nearly all smiths in history has had up until the addition of hard plate to the face. You can not add a section of high carbon steel to a block by welding with an arc welder. Even if you make a good, solid weld, there will be a huge un-welded section in the center, this will spring and flex, sucking the energy from your hammer blows, wasting your energy. It is better to just start with a good block of steel, preferably 100 to 120 pounds, grind smooth and don't miss your work with the hammer. If you do, smooth the face with your grinder. Every mark in the face of your anvil or your hammer will transfer to your work like a stamp and it will make cleanup of your work all that much harder.

Hey there Jeffrey, You seem like a pretty cool guy.....thanks for the video .....Ken :-)

It's true that old tools weren't always better made, but on the other hand, something that has been around for a hundred or more years and I'd still in working condition was probably made pretty well, or at least made to be sturdy.

I got a rail track as a first anvil then I got a proper anvil and I can tell the difference from the sound and rebound from the anvil and railway track 😁

Muito Bom!!! Very Good! Brasil!

nice video

thanks for your info here do you any where that is showing how the old ore new style anvils are made i would love to see how they get the ping "into" the anvils :)

god damn, you're a good teacher.

If you live in the United States do a google search for "ABANA" it stands for Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America. They have a lot of people who have a lot of information. Outside the U.S. I would suggest finding living history groups. Most of them have someone around who smiths and may even be willing to take on an apprentice.

dude great video,any recomendations on wether or not to weld a bit of tool steel to a block of softer steel,and if i did would i have to do anything to it like heat it or anything to releive stess.any advice is greatly appreciated.(its a block of steel like 8inx5inx6in(25lbs) and a piece of a gigantic wrench stamped rockwell 50somthin,so decently hard stuff)

@MrJsowa Armor? are you involved in the SCA or MSR at all?

In the old days there were a lot of cast iron anvils with good steel tops welded to them. Most if the time these were forge welded. My only concern with arc welding them would be the cooling of the welds. The steel and the iron expand and shrink at different, it may crack if your not careful. My advice, look up a video on repairing an anvil. If they are arc welding for the repair they would have the same issues you would face adding the hardened surface, give you an idea of what your in for.

Is it possible to cut a piece of railroad with a a demolition blade equipped sawzall?

@jeffreysanto thank you for the reply and advice.im subbing right now.BTW i love that little copper/tinsmithing,vice/anvil,gonna have to keep an eye out for somthin like that.(i am mainly into armorsmithing,but have gotten into forging bars/knives etc)

the block of steal right at the end what type of steal is that? Can it be placed on the end of a stump and used as an anvil? Desperately trying to start Blacksmithing with next to nothing,

I have a similar question to Jsawa. i have a cheap "big box" store anvil smply becaise i cant find anything better at the moment...could i just weld a peice or hardened steel to the top of that in the same shape or the surface? or would it just break because its not one solid piece?

What if you were to buy a big box anvle, and put a piece of cultivator shovel with plow bolts, then heat with a torch, hammer flat, and harden by spraying with water?

Two other very good channels on youtube for blacksmithing are "TechnicusJoe" and "garyhuston" Both of them talk a lot more on technique and traditional methods. You may have run across them already, if not they are both wonderful to watch and I have learned a lot from them. Welcome to the Channel!

Hi great video. So with the steel anvils reflecting the energy back, if i was hitting it with 20 lbs of force and my anvil was 40 lbs would this be a good ratio? Kind of a open question but there must be a certain amount of weight for the anvil to be before returns diminish? Regards

I have a piece of rail that i use to work on, but it isn't flat on the top and that can be a bit of a pain. you said you can grind it flat. where would be a place i could get that done?

HAMMER METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just found myself a 131 pound Peter Wright anvil at an antique store. Got it for $325. It is in great condition, all the corners are great, horn is near perfect, and it rings and rebounds beautifully. However, a small bit of mushrooming on a 1-inch length of the side and there is some scars and stories to tell on the surface... nothing deep, just looks like a bunch of thumbnail intentions. I would think hardened steel wouldn't react that way, but it rings like it. Maybe pounding from the last 130 years could do that? Hoping i got a decent deal.

There's an old piece of railroad in cement laying near my school, and I'm thinking on going with a hacksaw and taking it, the only problem if it is just lying around our if it works for a specific function

I have a cast anvil like the first one shown in your presentation. Can you identify the brand? Mine has the same eagle symbol, and on the front right foot has the letter “E” cast in it.