Visited a forge in rural Vermont last weekend and the anvil setup blew my mind

Stopped by this old barn forge up near Montpelier run by a guy named Hank who's been at it 40 years. He had this massive 300lb Peter Wright anvil sitting on a stump that was buried 2 feet into the dirt floor, no bolts or straps holding it down. The ring off that thing was like a church bell compared to my noisy harbor freight anvil. Anyone else think anvil mounting is half the battle?

4 comments

4 Comments

emery_white28d ago

Oh man, you went and buried a stump in your shop floor. That's commitment. @clairen85 would probably say my anvil setup is a crime against blacksmithing, but I've got mine sitting on three stacked cinder blocks with a layer of old tire between them. Sounds like a dying moose when I hit it. Maybe I should just dig a hole in my driveway and call it a day.

julia_anderson28d ago

The cinder block and tire setup honestly sounds like something I would have tried before I knew better. That dying moose noise you described is way too real I've heard that exact sound from some janky setups at hammer-ins. It takes guts to admit your anvil sounds like a wounded animal lol. But honestly if you're actually thinking about digging a hole in the driveway just go for it. The difference between a bad mount and a good one is literally night and day like blair_webb said. A stump in the ground is so much better than any metal stand or pile of blocks.

blair_webb28d ago

That Peter Wright on a dirt-packed stump sounds like a dream. I had a similar revelation with my old Fisher anvil. I was using this wobbly metal stand from the hardware store and the ring was just awful, like hitting a tin can. One weekend I dug a hole in my shop floor, dropped in a locust stump, and buried it deep like Hank did. The difference was night and day. That Fisher now sings loud and clear, no vibration lost into the stand at all. Mounting is at least half the battle, probably more.

clairen8528d ago

Small point but Fisher anvils are cast iron, not forged like a Peter Wright. They DO ring nice on a good stump though, just a different kind of tone.