c/blacksmiths

Paid $140 for a used anvil and it turned out to be a cast iron fake

Been hunting for a decent anvil for months around the Ohio area. Found one on Craigslist, old paint, some rust, looked legit in the pics. Drove 2 hours and handed over $140 without really checking the rebound. Got it home, hit it with a ball peen hammer and it just thudded, no bounce at all. Cast iron, not forged steel. Lesson learned, I guess. Anyone got tips for spotting fakes before you hand over cash?

1 comments

blake_williams•16h ago

I finally trusted the old guy who said to hammer hot, not hard

A retired farrier in Flagstaff told me to focus on timing my hits when the steel just turns orange, and after 6 weeks of fighting my own stubbornness, my scarf joints finally line up without gaps, has anyone else found that the heat does the work if you just wait for it?

1 comments

olivia_morgan8•1d ago

The shift from coal to gas forge changed my hammer control

I ran a coal forge for 14 years until last spring, then switched to a gas setup at my shop in Boise. The steady heat made me stop rushing my strikes, and now my scrollwork is cleaner than it ever was, anyone else find their rhythm changed after swapping fuel sources?

c/blacksmiths

Paid $140 for a used anvil and it turned out to be a cast iron fake

I finally trusted the old guy who said to hammer hot, not hard

The shift from coal to gas forge changed my hammer control

Rant: That $260 propane forge kit I bought was pure junk

I finally stopped using those cheap coil springs from Big Box Hardware

Got yelled at by a retired farrier at a hammer-in last spring

Wasted $200 on a 'premium' anvil that was just rebranded cast iron

Had to pick between a $200 coal forge on Craigslist or building one from a brake drum for $40

Vent: Why do people keep using mild steel for knife blades? Stop it.

The anvil stand I built collapsed on me last Tuesday

Went to a reenactment village and watched a guy try to forge a knife from a railroad spike

Had a retired farrier call out my forge welding at a demo in Boise last fall

Tried a coal forge for the first time after using propane for 2 years

Old timer at the shop told me my hammer swings were wasting heat on the anvil stand, not the steel

Finally bit the bullet on a $400 propane forge

Had a talk with an old timer about welding that made me question everything I learned in school

A 70 year old guy at the farmers market made me ditch my power hammer for a hand hammer on hooks

Tried quenching in hot oil instead of water on a railroad spike knife

Finally got a forge weld to stick after 6 months of trying

Got told my anvils face was too smooth, and it got me thinking

Got burned on a cheap anvil from a flea market outside Cincinnati

Okay so is the quench oil temperature actually critical or are we overthinking it like I did with a blade in Phoenix last July

Shoutout to the guy who told me to try a propane forge instead of coal

Just noticed the difference six months of proper quench oil made

PSA: That $15 crud brush from the big box store is actually worse than a $3 steel wire brush