How to make an anvil - types of structures and assembly stages

To work in a forge, you must have an anvil. They come in different sizes, depending on their purpose. For a professional workshop, blacksmiths purchase a large anvil, which is permanently installed near the forge. For a home craftsman, this size is not needed; you can make it much smaller. A purchased anvil is expensive, and it is difficult to deliver it to its destination. If you order online, delivery will be expensive, since the weight of the goods is significant (minimum 35 kg). The best option would be to make an anvil yourself.

Do-it-yourself mini-forge: a budget option

Sometimes in the lives of people living “on earth” there are moments when you want to do something with your own hands, without putting it off.
Someone is thinking about carpentry, someone is engaged in the manufacture of decorative products, and someone is literally passionate about forging. Moreover, real, i.e. - “hot.” So, in this article:

What is the minimum set of tools and equipment needed for forging.
How to make an anvil from an old rail.
What can you use to construct a portable forge?

How to make

The mass of the anvil must be at least 10 times greater than the mass of the hammer, otherwise unnecessary vibrations occur during forging, reducing the convenience of making deforming transitions. In order to increase the durability of its use, a do-it-yourself rail anvil should not have connecting parts, and therefore is made from a single piece of rail, taking into account the length of the horn (or horn and tail).

Work on obtaining a one-horned anvil is carried out in the following sequence:

A horn is being made. To do this, one of the ends of the workpiece is sequentially peeled off on a cutting machine or “grinder” in order to obtain a sharp conical part. The final finishing is done with a file; however, for safety reasons, the top of the horn should be slightly rounded. Grinding the horn is mandatory: this will not only subsequently increase the accuracy of forging operations, but will also give the structure a marketable appearance (for example, a souvenir from a rail - an anvil, and a functioning one - will be a wonderful and original gift for a home craftsman).
Volumes of metal are cut out from both sides of the workpiece in the middle part of the neck, and thus the anvil legs are formed. Four mounting holes are drilled in the legs for bolts or self-tapping screws (for a fixed connection) with a diameter of M16.
The tool is mounted on a stump/shoe, after which the face is ground “flat” and a blind hole is drilled in it. If the anvil is used frequently, it is worth installing a thick (at least 10 mm) plate made of tool steel grade U12 or even X12M over the face. Dovetail grooves can be milled into the plate to make it easily removable. It is convenient to make 1-2 through holes of different diameters there.
To make the rim, it is necessary to make three flat grooves on the face with a depth of at least 10 mm using a cutting wheel. The opposite ends of the rim must be strictly parallel to each other. The width of the rim is determined locally, but usually does not exceed 25...40 mm. The prepared surfaces are polished.

The homemade anvil is ready. All that remains is to maintain it in working condition, and during long breaks between regular forging works, lubricate the working surfaces with a conservation thick lubricant.

A basic set of tools needed for metal forging

The method of imparting plastic properties to metal by heating has been known to mankind since time immemorial. Unlike the so-called “cold forging”, in which the metal is not heated, during “hot” (and, as is considered, “real”) forging, the metal is heated in a forge.

Due to its plasticity, heated metal can be given a wide variety of shapes, which is what masters of artistic forging use.

In addition to experience, which is accumulated over the years, forging requires the appropriate tool. These can be special pliers, mandrels, bending templates, etc., but the hammer and anvil remain the most important “assistants” of a blacksmith for many centuries.

Any person who is thinking about taking up blacksmithing is faced with the need to purchase the appropriate tools. A high-quality and heavy anvil weighing under 100 kg is not a cheap pleasure.

I bought my anvil by weight at a secondary metal shop. From work experience, I can say: what I couldn’t flatten on a rail, I managed to do on a real anvil.

Vtorchermet may be a “gold mine,” but a lot depends on luck. Our price for a used anvil is approaching the cost of a new one. Although I managed to acquire a powerful vice and anvil weighing about 30 kg in this way. Her “face” is, however, dented, but it can be fixed.

So, what to do if you want to forge, but the family budget does not allow such expenses? Moreover, if it is unknown whether the business will be to your liking, or in a few months all the expensive equipment will begin to gather dust in the garage.

In this case, you should take advantage of the experience of FORUMHOUSE participants and acquire a mini-forge made from materials that are at hand. Moreover, even with this “dacha” option, you can make a lot of different things that are needed on the farm, and which you cannot buy in a store or on the construction market.

There are few good blacksmiths and, as a rule, they are loaded with orders, and the farm often needs specific products, for example, a forged nail or some kind of “tricky” rivet. In order not to rack your brains with finding a specialist and ordering, and also to save money, it’s easier to do everything yourself. After all, you can’t just buy nails like the ones in the photo below.

Mastering the "blacksmith's craft"

But, of course, it’s not enough to just craft this piece of metal. You still need to learn how to use it. Repairing a tool involves placing two objects in the anvil interface area. At the end of the day, the repaired tool will be about seven percent stronger than the original two combined. Starting from a certain version, you can make repairs in Minecraft using the materials from which the broken item was crafted. With this approach, it is necessary to place the tool itself in the left cell, and the material in the right cell.

In Minecraft, as you know, you can put enchantments on objects. So, to be able to use an anvil means to be able to change the effects of these enchantments cast on certain categories of objects. These include armor, enchanted books, tools, and weapons. To make changes, you need to place two enchanted items of the same type plus two books (also enchanted) and any item. As a result, the item received will be one level higher than those listed.

As already mentioned, this block in Minecraft makes it possible to rename items. This can be done by sacrificing five levels of experience. But subsequent renaming will be more expensive.

How to make an anvil from an old rail

The experience of a portal user with the nickname DIMDIM is interesting. He tells you what can be achieved when making homemade products if you apply your ingenuity to the matter.

I decided to take up forging. I watched a lot of videos online and came to the conclusion that I could make the entire instrument myself. First of all, I need an anvil, a forge, and various accessories. To save money, I will make everything from what I have in my “bins”, i.e. from scrap materials.

From the Internet, the user learned that most often a homemade anvil is made from a railway rail.

Because there was no rail in the “bins”, DIMDIM involved all friends, relatives and acquaintances in the search for the “donor”. Soon the search was crowned with success, and the user became the owner of an old but strong rail.

All that remains is to cut off everything unnecessary from the workpiece and give it the desired shape. Having uncovered the metal cutting machine, the user began to work.

Experience

Experience helps you repair objects and combine spells. The experience level must be increased in order to use more powerful magic when forging. Forging can be done with a wide variety of materials. You will not be able to combine items if it requires 40 levels or more. But this does not apply to creative mode.

When you transfer an enchantment to another item, you can spend less resources on it. But this is only if you need to create a more powerful item in the first slot, and not so powerful in the second. Let's look at this with an example...

The first slot takes the sword that needs to be repaired and is combined with sharpness one. In the second slot, the sword is combined with sharpness four. The severity of four is transferred in this case. Basically, you can create anything by combining items with different enchantments.

Do-it-yourself mini-forge: a budget option

Sometimes in the lives of people living “on earth” there are moments when you want to do something with your own hands, without putting it off. Someone is thinking about carpentry, someone is engaged in the manufacture of decorative products, and someone is literally passionate about forging. Moreover, real, i.e. - “hot.”

So, in this article:

What is the minimum set of tools and equipment needed for forging.
How to make an anvil from an old rail.
What can you use to construct a portable forge?

Connection with experience

To repair items or combine enchantments, you need experience. The more powerful the magic involved in forging, the higher the level of experience you must have. The materials used in forging do not matter. It should be noted that merging may not be available if the crafted items require over 40 levels (this limit does not exist in Creative mode). Another consequence of "carrying" enchantments is that if you create a more powerful item in the first slot and a less powerful one in the second, you will spend much less. For example, if you combine a damaged sword with Sharpness I in the 1st slot and the exact same weapon with Sharpness IV in the 2nd slot, a Sharpness IV transfer will be made. If on the contrary, then only repairs will be made. This feature persists when combining items with different types of enchantments.

A basic set of tools needed for metal forging

A forge is an open-type furnace in which metal is heated to high temperatures for subsequent forging.

Due to its plasticity, heated metal can be given a wide variety of shapes, which is what masters of artistic forging use.

Any person who is thinking about taking up blacksmithing is faced with the need to purchase the appropriate tools. A high-quality and heavy anvil weighing under 100 kg is not a cheap pleasure.

Vintik (FORUMHOUSE Member):
I bought my anvil by weight at a secondary metal shop.
From work experience, I can say: what I couldn’t flatten on a rail, I managed to do on a real anvil. Olger73 (FORUMHOUSE Member):
Although Vtorchermet is a “gold mine”, a lot depends on luck.
Our price for a used anvil is approaching the cost of a new one. Although I managed to acquire a powerful vice and anvil weighing about 30 kg in this way. Her “face” is, however, dented, but it can be fixed. So, what to do if you want to forge, but the family budget does not allow such expenses? Moreover, if it is unknown whether the business will be to your liking, or in a few months all the expensive equipment will begin to gather dust in the garage.

Tools we will need

Standard 16 oz hammer
Measuring tape - your boards will already be cut, but you will need to offset them for this design
Wood glue
Nails - I used 21/4" (7D) decking nails to secure 2 x 12's
Ear Protection - I've had tinnitus for many years, so I wear protection even when I'm just working with knocking.
Eye Protection - We've all heard horror stories about how a bad hammer sends nails back into your eyes. Be sure to protect your eyes
Shims - if you want to play it safe
2 10' 2 x 12 pine boards - No need to get fancy here with luxury hardwoods as you will be applying pressure to the bottom of the board which ends during nailing

You may notice that I did not include a circular saw for cutting wood in the list. I did this in order to accommodate guys who do not have this equipment. My method relies on the cutting services of your local hardware store, as well as being able to load sawdust into the trunk of your car

How to make an anvil from an old rail

The experience of a portal user with the nickname DIMDIM is interesting.

He tells you what can be achieved when making homemade products if you apply your ingenuity to the matter.

DIMDIM (FORUMHOUSE Member):
I decided to take up forging.
I watched a lot of videos online and came to the conclusion that I could make the entire instrument myself. First of all, I need an anvil, a forge, and various accessories. To save money, I will make everything from what I have in my “bins”, i.e. from scrap materials. From the Internet, the user learned that most often a homemade anvil is made from a railway rail.

Because there was no rail in the bins, DIMDIM

To search for a “donor” I involved all my friends, relatives and acquaintances. Soon the search was crowned with success, and the user became the owner of an old but strong rail.

All that remains is to cut off everything unnecessary from the workpiece and give it the desired shape. Having uncovered the metal cutting machine, the user began to work.

According to DIMDIM,

It took 4 hours to cut the rail, made of high-carbon heat-treated steel, into two parts and trim it, with regular stops of the cutting machine to allow it to cool.

Then came the turn of making the so-called. “horns” of the future anvil. Because The sawn-off part of the rail did not fit at the required angle on the cutting machine bed, so we had to disassemble the clamping device and connect the bed to an additional table.

The user had difficulty cutting the rail into a triangle, then the tedious work of giving the anvil “horn” the desired shape began.

The work was carried out alternately using an angle grinder, a cutting machine and various fasteners and pads.

FORUMHOUSE member suggested DIMDIM

assemble an anvil on a frame, which was used as a steel counterweight from an elevator.
As the author of the idea, Movik
welded all the parts into a single structure.

The next stage is the production of a square hole in the “tail” of the anvil, which is necessary for fastening various devices - mandrels, staples, bending forks and cones, the shank of which has the same cross-section as the “receiving” hole.

When making an anvil on their own, craftsmen make the “square” in different ways. The hole is burned with a welding machine, drilled and then finished with a file. The user simplified his task - taking a grinder, he cut a groove in the rail, and then welded a corner made from a T-shaped guide from an elevator to the end.

When assembled, the anvil took on the following appearance.

The user also made a set of attachments for the anvil.

Processing the metal surface of the anvil

Use a sanding wheel to remove any traces of rust from the metal pad. After processing, the metal surface of the future metal anvil should be smooth and even.

After using a power tool, use a hand metal file. The surface should be treated with compounds that protect the metal from rust. You can purchase them at any specialized store.

Perform final grinding of the workpiece surface. Sand the metal with a fine grit wheel again. Perform the grinding process as many times as necessary to obtain a perfectly smooth, horizontal surface of the anvil.

Important! To ensure the evenness of the workpiece surface, use a level. Remember that if the surface of the anvil is uneven, the parts processed on it in the future will also have defects. lantern

If there are no glimpses of light and there are no gaps between the level and the surface of the workpiece, the work is successfully completed

In order to make sure, using a level, that the surface is really perfectly smooth and even, look at it from the side “into the light” using a lamp or a regular flashlight. If there are no glimpses of light and there are no gaps between the level and the surface of the workpiece, the work has been successfully completed.

Place the rail on a vise. Using a grinding machine, process all other surfaces of the anvil working platform, giving the workpiece an aesthetic appearance. The result should be a shiny arrowhead.

Cover the lower part of the rail, which is covered with rust and has not been treated, with protective black paint for metal. It will protect the material from corrosion and additionally give the anvil an attractive appearance.

Your homemade anvil is ready to use. As a support for it, you can use, for example, an ordinary strong stump. Remove surface defects and bark from it, firmly secure the “craft” created with our help.

Homemade portable forge

A forge is necessary for heating metal workpieces. The fuel most often used is charcoal or coal. In order to reach high temperatures, air is supplied to the forge. To make the simplest open portable forge, you need a “hearth”, or, as it is also called, a “forge nest”, as well as a base and a device for forced air supply.

DIMDIM:
To understand how to make a forge, I started studying the Internet again.
The search turned up a bunch of ideas for making a homemade forge. As I understand it, everything comes into play. Most often, forges are made from auto parts from the chassis, sets of pipes, fittings and electric fans. In addition, forges are made from what is “underfoot.”

Construction hair dryers (heat guns) are often used as pressurization.

Having roughly decided on the design of the forge, the user again reached into the “bins” and dug out an adapter from a steel pipe to a cast iron one, which was used as a barbecue.

Inside, the adapter looks like a pipe with a shelf. Bye DIMDIM

I was thinking about what to insert into the pipe to make a real “forge nest”,
Movik
and brought a brake disc from an SUV that fit perfectly into the pipe.

Next came the components that are used to install the water supply system. This is a two-inch tee, a coupling and a piece of pipe cut from behind the barn. All the “wealth” was docked, and Movik

cooked.

At this stage, the homemade blacksmith's forge began to look like a finished object.

All that remains is to attach the ash pan. A bracket from a heated towel rail was used for this role, which was welded to the pipe in the form of a valve.

The user used an old hot air gun as a “bellows”. To do this, he disassembled it, inserted the air supply mechanism into the rubber coupling and connected it to the pipe.

You can also use an exhaust fan for ventilation.

At the end of the work, an opening was cut out in the wall of the furnace, where a heated workpiece, for example, a steel rod, was placed.

According to the user, he was eager to test the forge. Soon such an opportunity presented itself. On the weekend, after smoking fish, there was a grill full of burning charcoal. After quickly loading them into the forge with a shovel, the user turned on the hairdryer.

The air supply turned out to be so strong that a column of flame flew into the sky, and it became possible to approach the forge only when the coals had burned out a little.

To prevent coal from going to waste, DIMDIM

grabbed a steel rod with a diameter of 1.4 cm and stuck it into the forge. While the metal was heating up, the user took a hammer, an adjustable wrench instead of pliers, and forged a simple poker.

DIMDIM:
After testing the mini-forge, I made the following conclusions for myself: you need to forge with an open flame source away from buildings that could catch fire.
At the same time, just in case, you should have a fire extinguisher on hand. You also need to make a frame (base or “chair”) for the anvil. And most importantly, you need to come up with a way to regulate the air supply or install a less powerful fan. But the most important thing is that I liked the forging, I will continue! In the topic on FORUMHOUSE you can find out more about the mini-forge DIMDIM,

as well as further modernization of the forge and various options for air pressurization. We recommend a section on the portal where homemade machines and tools are collected that simplify work in the house, on the site and during construction.

Resources

If we are talking about an anvil, then the first steps in the world of Minecraft have already been completed, and nevertheless, we will describe step by step each stage of creating an anvil.

So, since the anvil requires iron ingots, the player will have to work hard in the mines to extract ore.

Since caves in Minecraft are by no means deserted, stock up on food and torches, put on armor, pick up a pickaxe and go underground.

Iron ore looks like a block of stone with orange flecks, it can be found almost anywhere and can be mined with any pickaxe except a wooden one. A stone one will also do, but using an iron and other pickaxes the player will be able to cope much faster. Dig everything you see in caves

Thirty-one ingots are enough for an anvil, but iron is very important in the game and is never superfluous

How to make a reliable anvil for your forge - device and tips

These two concepts are inseparable.
There is no point in explaining that without an anvil it is impossible to process metals using the forging method. It is an indispensable attribute of any, even the smallest, forge. The design of this device is so simple that you will not need any special knowledge or equipment (tools) to make it yourself. In essence, it is an iron “monolith” of a special shape, with planes that must meet certain requirements.

But is there any point in making an anvil if it is not a scarce commodity and is easy to buy? (The only problem is the delivery if it is massive). The price of the simplest mini-device starts at approximately 2,250 rubles. It is clear that it is clearly not suitable for blacksmithing. But more massive models are, accordingly, more expensive.

For example, weighing 35 kg - about 22,000, 75 kg - 43,000, 125 kg - 70,000 (in rubles).

So it turns out that if you need an anvil for home crafts, then it still makes sense to make it yourself (like a blacksmith’s hammer). Even if the business is put into production, the fact that the anvil is of its own production is unlikely to affect the quality of the work.

It is worth making this argument in favor of self-production. High demands are placed on the working surface of the anvil. This is especially true for its edges, which should not be deformed (uneven), which is often observed during intensive use. It turns out that from time to time the anvil will have to be replaced (or reanimated). And although a lot depends on how often it is used and what metals the master works with, it is still more advisable to make an anvil than to spend money on purchasing it again. If only because if you made it yourself, it will not be difficult to repair it.

Now we can move on to the issue of its manufacture. We will not give examples of any specific standard sizes, since there can be any number of options - each master prepares an anvil “for himself.” The main thing is to understand the technology and the main nuances, and everything else will be prompted by your own ingenuity. How it works, what options there may be, is easy to understand from the photographs.

Support

First you need to decide on the installation of the anvil. If it is stationary, then you can use a massive stump or a heavy metal frame dug into the ground as a base. For a portable type of device, a frame is selected that is welded from corners. It should be taken into account that the “stand” will have to withstand serious shock loads, so stiffening ribs must be installed. Although there are other ways to strengthen the structure.

By the way, about the stump. Firstly, it must be securely tightened with metal hoops. Secondly, if you just dig it into the ground, then such an anvil will not last long. Even after treatment with antiseptics, taking into account the loads during the work, the wood will begin to deteriorate.

Therefore, it is advisable to place the stump inside a metal barrel installed in a hole, into which sand is first poured. How much of it is needed, the level of “backfilling” is at the discretion of the master. Naturally, the tree must be a “strong” species. (But this is only suitable for outdoor use).

Experts recommend selecting the height of the “stand” in such a way that at the moment the tool (hammer, mallet) hits the workpiece, the person’s hands are in a horizontal plane. In this case, the master will be less tired.

Material

Industrial production technology involves the use of 35L (alloy) steel. When making it yourself, you can take a piece of rail (railway or crane, KR120 or 140), one side of which will be the working one. So you need to “weld” on it (you will need a welding machine) a steel plate of the appropriate size.

You can do without it. But then you will have to carefully polish the “working” part of the rail. Naturally, you will have to put in a lot of effort to achieve a completely smooth surface.

How to evaluate the suitability of an anvil? It is not difficult. When you hit its surface, the hammer (hammer) should bounce back like a ball. In this case, a characteristic ringing sound should be heard. If so, then everything is done correctly, and you can get to work.

A few notes

You should not use a channel to make an anvil, although it is much easier to process. It does not have sufficient strength, so it will not last long - it will become deformed.
If the anvil should have a “horn”, then it can be obtained by processing the elongated part of the “sole” of the rails. But this process is quite labor-intensive and will require quite a lot of time and consumables (circles for the grinder). It’s easier to weld it, after giving the workpiece the desired shape.

Before you start making an anvil, you should decide for what specific tasks it is needed and with what intensity it will be used. Then the optimal decision regarding the choice of installation location, materials and design will come by itself.

Currently reading:

Interesting Facts

Using an anvil you can fire cannons.
If an anvil in Minecraft falls on mobs or players, it will cause certain damage, the amount of which will depend on the height of the fall. If any player dies, a message will appear: “The player was crushed by a falling anvil.”
An anvil cannot be destroyed by an explosion, although it does not prevent its spread.
In a multiplayer game with an anvil, there is a bug where when repairing a tool or armor, or when exiting the anvil menu, the item and its components (or another similar artifact) fall out, after which experience is wasted. If you gain a little experience by any other method, the lost experience is returned, and things remain in the same state. In order to eliminate this bug, it is necessary to switch the interface language from Russian (or another language) to English during forging. You can also remove the name given to an item or change it using the Latin alphabet.
It is impossible to suffocate in an anvil block.
When an anvil falls due to falling on an incomplete block, there is a chance of damaging it, because the damage is calculated regardless of what it fell on.
No matter from what height the anvil falls, it will not be damaged more than one level.
If you rename an arrow, shoot it, and pick it up, the name given to it will disappear.
If you rename a block and place it somewhere, then after mining that same block, the name will disappear.

Method for making a simple anvil

How to make an anvil without much effort and expense in your home workshop, what material to choose and what you need to take into account - this is discussed in our material.

Even in an ordinary workshop you need a surface that allows you to level, bend a rod, flatten a nail, or perform other similar operations. A home-made anvil or a purchased one is best suited for this kind of work, not to mention blacksmithing.

How to make such a device without much effort and expense in your home workshop, what material to choose and what needs to be taken into account - this is discussed in our material.

Homemade testing

We check the quality of our homemade anvil. We place it on a block with the base down and begin tapping the face over its entire surface with a hammer. A loud blow should be heard everywhere, and the hammer should bounce almost the same amount as the swing and then continue rebounding until it fades completely. “From the master class presented by the author, you will learn how to make an excellent anvil for your workshop from a piece of 30 cm rails. At the very least, every self-respecting craftsman is simply obliged to have a small anvil in his workshop for processing metal with cold or hot forging. Because today the topic of blacksmithing and the manufacture of all kinds of forged objects and tools is becoming very popular, which is quite well appreciated among lovers of handmade work.

Of course, you can buy an anvil at a hardware store, but the price will probably not please you)) So there is an excellent option to make it yourself from a small piece of rail, which will require a gas cutter and a grinder. Initially, the contour is marked, and then the final shape of the anvil is cut out with a cutter, and the cutting areas are polished with a grinder. You can also burn holes in the lower part for subsequent attachment of the base to the block.

So, let's take a closer look at the whole process.

Materials

rail
block of wood
wood screws
graver
washer

Tools

cutting torch
grinder angle grinder
drill
wrench
bus saw
hammer

The process of creating an anvil from a rail.

An anvil is a supporting forging tool that is designed for hot and cold forging of metal by plastic deformation. The anvil is the main and main tool in blacksmithing; it has a large mass and is fixed motionless on a base in the form of a wooden block.

First of all, it is necessary to consider the presented drawings of the anvil. Well, we’ve completely figured out the purpose, and now let’s move on directly to the process of making the anvil itself. The author takes a workpiece 30 cm long and uses a gas cutter to give it the required shape.

Please note that there is also a hole in the middle. The nose part is sharpened in the form of a horn

Using a grinder, the master grinds the surface and removes metal deposits and rust. This is exactly what happens. The working surface turned out to be perfectly flat and smooth, so you can see your reflection. The anvil is ready, now it needs to be installed stationary on the stump and secured with bolts. The plane is attached to the block with 3 bolts on each side. This anvil also has a design feature, and this is the presence of a resonator that dampens the ringing from the hammer hitting the anvil, and it is also made of rails and screwed to a block of wood in a vertical position. That's all, the anvil made from rails is ready for its subsequent use. Now the author can forge small metal products in his garage, and simply straighten metal when cold or straighten nails; in general, a very necessary tool for a craftsman. If you liked the material, then we invite you to join our group.

In this article I want to talk about how to make a small anvil from a railway rail with your own hands. I decided to make an anvil with my own hands because buying an anvil is something unrealistic, especially since they usually sell blacksmith anvils for 12 thousand rubles. and more, I wanted to have a small pocket

Design features of the anvil

Of course, you don’t have to make an exact copy of such a device and simply do all the work on a flat metal plate. However, to simplify many operations, the anvil has its own design features. The device consists of the following parts.

The front part of the anvil is its flat upper part, on which the bulk of all blacksmithing and metalworking work is performed. To perform operations on stitching workpieces or bending them, there may be a blind hole in this part.

Horn - there can be one (on one side), or two (on both sides). This is a cone-shaped protrusion from the end of the anvil. The purpose of the horns is to bend, roll out or roll up blanks; in fact, they are used as mandrels. If the anvil has two horns, then usually the second one is shaped like a pyramid to give the products more complex configurations.

The paws are designed for installing the device. In the case of stationary installation of the anvil, holes are provided in the paws for rigid fixation.

The rim is a zone on the front surface near the horn, used for crimping sheet metal.

Also, some types of anvils may have a bench vice on the side opposite the horn. This is done for the convenience of performing many forging operations.

Depending on the presence or absence of these elements, anvils can be of different types: hornless, one-horned and two-horned.

Typical design

For extended functionality, this blacksmith tool must consist of the following parts:

Faces. It is a flat surface in the center where you can process flat, wide workpieces. Often a blind hole is made in the left or right side of the face to make cavities and holes, as well as to fix a part of the workpiece, the opposite end of which must be bent.
The horn is a cone-shaped process that is adjacent to one of the ends of the anvil. Designed for plastic rolling or rolling of strip metal into a body of rotation. Ideally, the anvil is equipped with two horns, then the second (sometimes called the tail) is made in the shape of a pyramid, and is used to obtain spatial bodies of more complex shapes.
Paws - four supporting protrusions in the lower part of the body, with which the tool rests on the workbench. If the anvil is assumed to be stationary, then through holes are made in the paws for fastening.
Rim - a rectangular or square area of the face, which is located closer to the horn, and is used for crimping sheet metal products.

Anvil device

In the simplest version of the anvil, the rim and/or tail, as well as holes in the paws, may be absent.

Methods for attaching anvils

What is better to make it from?

First of all, you need to decide on the location of the anvil. If a reliable workbench is not available, then you can use a strong, wide stump as a support (oak is the ideal solution: this wood is strong in compression and ideally dampens the vibrations that arise during the forging process). In this case, the diameter of the stump, freed from bark and surface defects, will determine the size of the anvil, in particular its length. It should not be less than 200 mm.

If there is no stump, you can use a high (not lower than 100 mm) wooden shoe, which is rigidly mounted on the end of a barrel filled with sand. The barrel must be buried halfway into the ground.

As a blank for the anvil, it is most advisable to take a suitable piece of a decommissioned crane rail KR-120 or (which is better) KR-140. Unlike railway rails, this option provides the following advantages:

For the production of crane rails, a stronger metal is used in accordance with GOST 4121. This is high-carbon steel grade “steel 63”, which is characterized by a high manganese content and has a standard strength of at least 730 MPa, with a head hardness of 212 HB;
The neck of the crane rails is wider, which will increase the stability of the anvil during forging work;
The profile of the crane rails provides a smoother transition from the neck to the head, which prevents the occurrence of stress concentrators in the tool.

Fixed anvil

The only drawback of crane rails is that there are no mounting holes, and you will have to do them yourself.

Requirements for a blacksmith's anvil

Dimensions and weight. For small-sized forgings, you can get by with relatively small anvils that can be installed on a table or workbench. However, serious forging work will require a massive, securely fastened device. Factory devices have standard weights of 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 kg.
Parameter matches. Simple forging can be done even on an ordinary piece of channel. But, if the work includes forging operations such as piercing, bending, and reaming, the parameters and dimensions must be observed. In this case, the edges of the anvil should be kept at right angles, and the holes should be located at convenient points. The horns should be appropriately evenly rounded, the rim should be an exact rectangle.

At home, it will be difficult to make an exact copy of a factory-made product, but some conditions can be met. So, how and from what is a homemade anvil made?

Types and types of anvils

Types of anvils, their shape and weight can vary significantly.

They are divided into several categories according to the above criteria, namely:

hornless – massive instruments with a large weight, the value of which is in the range of 96 – 210 kg;
one-horned - have only one cone-shaped horn, their weight varies from 70 to 210 kg;
two-horned anvil - a device weighing from 100 to 270 kg;
single-horned cantilever;
shperaks are mini anvils weighing up to thirty kilograms.

The choice of anvil for hand forging is made based on the work that is planned to be performed. Heavier models are perfect for working with large and massive workpieces. Simple, lighter options with one horn are a good choice when working with small-sized structures.

Lightweight models are suitable for small jobs at home. If you need to make any homemade product, there is no better option.

An important criterion is the type of work performed. Here you should decide which option is better: a two-horned or one-horned model. In addition, anvils may have additional elements, for example, a vice, which allows you to perform work alone.

It is worth paying attention to the presence of holes used to place hammers and sledgehammers. Shperaks, small in size and weight, are widely used in jewelry

In this area, products do not require serious impact processing, so they need an appropriate tool

Shperaks, small in size and weight, are widely used in jewelry. In this area, products do not require serious impact processing, so they need an appropriate tool.

Drawing of an anvil for making it yourself.

Quite often, devices for performing jewelry work are made to order. They have various functional elements necessary to solve certain problems.

Sometimes one anvil may not be enough. In large workshops, it is advisable to have two options for devices: one stationary and the other portable.

Don't forget about proper installation. The quality of work directly depends on this

Despite everything, this device is quite heavy, its installation should be given due attention

Falling and tipping over are common problems caused by improper installation. In addition, the stand must fulfill its direct functions: in addition to securely fixing the device, it must be able to absorb hammer blows.

A wooden block is the most commonly used type of stand. Its diameter usually ranges from 500 to 600 mm. Hard woods are used. These include oak, birch, ash, etc.

The installation height is determined by the height of the master. To prevent the wooden stand from creating additional unnecessary vibrations, it is buried in a hole more than half a meter deep. The bottom of the pit is compacted with a sand lining.

It is important that the chair is installed horizontally. This parameter can be easily checked using a level

If buying an anvil is not affordable, then you can replace it with a homemade device. It can be made, for example, from a rail, channel or I-beam.

Such devices, made with your own hands, will last for decades. However, you should not think that they can fully replace a real, professional instrument. Hand anvils will not produce the same quality work as production models.

In this case, it is important to understand: the factory version, produced using casting technology, will be significantly better than homemade ones. Its design contains all the necessary components with a hardened surface

In addition, in this model the horn has the correct shape, necessary, for example, in skillful figured forging. The factory model will last quite a long time.