Old school anvil vs my fancy new one with the hardened face

I spent 6 months trying to get a clean forge weld on a new $600 anvil and then borrowed my grandpa's beat up 80 year one and nailed it first try, anyone else find newer gear just doesn't hold heat the same?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisak262mo ago

Man, older anvils just have that mass and density dialed in perfect. The new ones might be harder but they don't hold the heat steady like that old cast iron does. Stick with grandpa's anvil, it's already proven itself.

grantadams2mo ago

Yeah I definitely feel that... spent a pile on a "professional grade" hammer and went back to my grandpa's old one with the handle held together with tape and it just feels right. Maybe the old stuff was made different or maybe I'm just bad at buying tools lol.

william_carter1mo ago

The old anvils have a tighter grain structure from being forged under a trip hammer, not cast. That matters a lot for heat retention. Your new one is probably cast or welded and just doesn't have the same density. Try putting a thick steel plate on top of the new one, that helps even out the heat sink a bit. Or just keep using grandpa's anvil, some things can't be improved on.