You, and a few thousand others...
They usually don't last a half-day at the used tool place I frequent, and
go for $200-plus.
Same with swage blocks that are going for $250 or more.
Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E.
Race Car Chassis Analysis & Setup Services
Harbor Freight had a 110lb cast steel Russian anvil, item no. 46707, for
$79.99 but they have discontinued it from their Web site. However, they
have *not* been discontinued from local retail (according to the manager
of the Tacoma, WA HF store) so call your local HF retail outlet (find it:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/retail_stores.taf) and check stock
before you drive down there. These are real steel and work well. I know three
guys who have them and they all like 'em. This is an excellent bargain.
Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington
Byron wrote:
I have one of these, and concur.
I've heard a few hard core Blacksmith types don't like the way the horn
is shaped and finished... but it can be cleaned up if necessary. They
even recommend them as good Blacksmithing starter anvils. YMMV.
Erik
There are at least two styles of anvil horns. One is tapered, like that
on a London pattern anvil. The other has a constant radius on the top. That's
what the Russian anvils have. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you've
ever forged a curve on a tapered horn you know it will want to curve to the
right because of the taper, unless you are aware of this tendency and are
skilled enough to deal with it. The constant radius horn is easier to forge
a curve over--unless, that is, you need to do a real tight curve. So there
are trade-offs. I haven't seen one of these anvils yet that doesn't have
some casting imperfections visible on the top of the horn. I've taken a flap
wheel and cleaned one of these anvils up and really, they aren't too bad.
Especially when you compare the price to -- well, anything else! - GWE
Grant,
I checked out the Russian anvil on display in the Tacoma store. As a
test I wacked the top of it with a fairly light blow using one of the
smaller display anvils because I couldn't find anything else to hit it
with.
It put a nice dent in the top surface of the Russian anvil. Based on
the number of dents in the top surface it's fair to assume other
potential buyers had performed the same test with the same results.
Maybe the display model was a reject? My intention was to buy one,
but not the way that one dented with such a light blow. Do you
suppose that's why they've discontinued it?
BTW, I had also heard good things about these anvils.
The counterweight on my 10K hyster forklift makes a great anvil, many
different curves and flat areas come in handy. Come to think of it, a few
holes in it would be nice. Gotta work on that.
Shawn
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