How to choose blacksmith anvil?

By their design, anvils are of the following types:

• Hornless
• One-horned
• Two-horned
• One-horned console
• Beakirons

Hornless anvil on GOST 11396-75 is a massive rectangular anvil weighing from 96 to 200 kg.

One-horned anvils on GOST 11397-75 have a conical ledge, located on one side and called a horn. It is applied for bending and straightening rings, bends of metal bars with various sections, profiles or metal strips. The opposite side with a flat surface is used for right angle bending. The mass of one-horned anvils varies from 70 to 210 kg.

Two-horned anvils on GOST 11398-75 are the most spread type, as this form is of the greatest functionality and convenience. They have 2 conical ledges on the opposite sides, one is a horn, the other is more pyramidal in shape and called a tail. Using the tail, closed workpieces are straightened or bending at right angles is produced. The mass of two-horned anvils is between100 and 270 kg.

One-horned cantilever anvils on GOST 11399-75 weighing up to 95 kg.

Beakirons on GOST 11400-75 are mini-anvils weighing up to 30 kg. They are used to perform small metalwork in the workshop.

The upper anvil part is called fingerplate or face. To perform high-quality work, it must be strictly located horizontally, perpendicular to the sidewalls. The top and side surfaces should not be damaged, chipped, dented or cracked, as this can lead to defects on metal workpieces. The surface must be grinded to full slickness.

The front side of the anvil provides a special through hole for installing a tool or beakiron anvil. Also classic type has a second, round hole, located by the horn and used to punch holes on metal sheets or plates, and to fix the wire when curling it.

The anvil bottom is called the base or shoe.

To damp performing sounds, the anvil is installed on a rubber gasket about 1 cm thick.

Special oak or birch blocks are commonly used for installation, which may help to adjust the convenient height for work. It is estimated by the height of the master's thumb with the hand down.

The choice of anvil depends on the works to be performed on it. For small work, mini anvil is suitable, which can be table mounted. Professional anvil is required to deal with bulky and massive workpieces.

We recommend paying attention to two-horned anvils of the American manufacturer Ridgid, which are produced at the oldest German plant PEDDINGHAUS. These are anvils made of high quality forged steel with a perfectly ground top surface and induction hardening. During work, these anvils do not lose their smooth surface for as long as possible.

The manufacturer offers to choose from three options:

• No. 5 - weight: 35 kg, base size: 170x195 mm
• No. 9 - weight: 75 kg, base size: 235x275 mm
• No. 12 - weight: 125 kg, base size: 270 x 345 mm