Just realized not all anvils are forged the same way

I read on anvilfire.com that most antique anvils were wrought iron with a steel face, but modern cheap ones are cast iron all the way through. That explains why my $150 anvil has a dead spot after 2 years of light use. Anyone else notice a big difference between cast and forged anvils in practice?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakeb811mo ago

Man that Really stings. I feel your pain on cheap tools.

keith_bennett1mo ago

Did you see that article online about how some of the cheap tools are actually made in the same factories as the expensive ones? It got me thinking, sometimes you're just paying for the name and the warranty, but the metal itself is the same junk. I've broken more than a few cheap wrenches myself, it's like they know exactly where to put the weak spot. The worst part is when you're in the middle of a job and the handle snaps off, then you're stuck with a broken tool and a half-done project. Makes you wonder if it's worth saving twenty bucks upfront just to cuss at the thing later.

ward.kim1mo ago

Oh man, that's a tough lesson to learn... but actually, that article on anvilfire is right about most old anvils being wrought iron with a steel face, but not all cheap ones today are full cast iron. Some of the budget ones are cast steel all the way through, which is different from cast iron. Cast steel can still dent and chip but it won't crack as easy as cast iron. I had a cheap cast iron anvil once and it started flaking after a year, sounded dead as a log. That dead spot you're feeling might be from the face plate coming loose from the body underneath, not just the metal quality itself.