Tried a handmade anvil against a big box store one and the difference was huge

I've been shoeing horses for about 8 years now and always used a standard farrier anvil from the farm supply store. Last month I borrowed a friend's handmade anvil from a local blacksmith in Oregon. The rebound was way better on the handmade one, almost no vibration up my arm after a full day. I could shape shoes faster and with fewer heats. It cost me $450 used compared to $200 for the new one, but I think it's worth it in the long run. Has anyone else noticed a big difference with different anvil brands or styles?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.cameron12d ago

Yeah @oliver_baker49 that story about the Fisher anvil hits close to home. Once you grind the face of a heat treated anvil you basically turn the top layer into soft butter. I've seen guys try to fix dents with a flap disc thinking it's fine but that heat from grinding spreads deep and ruins the rebound across the whole face. The handmade anvil I got was made from 4140 steel and the guy specifically warned me to never grind on it, just use a wire wheel if it gets rusty.

oliver_baker4912d ago

My buddy had this old Fisher anvil from the 1800s that he found in a barn in Vermont. Thing weighed like 150 pounds and had a dent in the face you could fit a quarter in. He asked a local welder to grind it flat and the guy messed up the hardness real bad. Ended up ruining the rebound completely. Now it just sits in his garage as a doorstop.

abby_fisher12d ago

Wait, isn't grinding a heat-treated anvil pretty much guaranteed to kill the temper?