My Tools
Central Forge 15 Pound
Tool restoration finally gives me an excuse to buy my first anvil... and naturally, I repaint it almost immediately.
Can you believe it? A man, of a certain age, and this is my first anvil. To be sure, I've never had a tremendous need for an anvil until recently. Since I started to delve into the world of tool restorations, I've hit a point where an anvil would be a nice assist!
Up to now, I've used the little anvil on the back of my vise:
But that's not very convenient as far as positioning is concerned so I would often just need to punch out pins and straighten a piece here or a nail there just wherever I could.
Why I Finally Bought an Anvil
I don't know exactly what prompted me that now was the time to get an anvil, but last week I found myself heading out to Harbor Freight. It didn't take long to identify the one - a nicely shaped 15 pounder. I think it cost about $25.
A Quick Anvil Anatomy Lesson
While mine is shaped a little differently from the traditional London-pattern anvil we usually picture, it has most of the familiar features. The main working surface is the face, while the smaller projection—or bick—can be used when shaping or bending metal.
Traditional anvils also have a square hardy hole, designed to hold various anvil tools, and often a smaller round pritchel hole.
I'm not exactly opening a blacksmith shop here at 173, so my needs are considerably less ambitious. Mostly I wanted a solid surface for straightening small parts and a convenient opening beneath whatever pin I'm trying to drive out. For that, this little guy should be plenty.
As great Pythagoras of yore,
Standing beside the blacksmith’s door,
And hearing the hammers, as they smote
The anvils with a different note,
Stole from the varying tones, that hung
Vibrant on every iron tongue,
The secret of the sounding wire.
And formed the seven-chorded lyre. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Problem
Well, "problem" might be overstating it a little. The fact is, I just don't like the blue Harbor Freight's 'Central Forge' uses for their tools. There's really nothing wrong with the blue itself, but in my mind's eye, I think an anvil should be bare steel (or iron) or black. I dunno - it's probably just me. You know, personal preferences and all.
The Solution
Literally within a half hour of having the anvil in my workshop at 173, I was already taping it off and preparing to repaint it. I'm not sure whether that says more about the anvil or about me. Harbor Freight had apparently spent perfectly good time and money painting the thing blue, and I had spent perfectly good money buying it that way, but in my mind, anvils aren't blue. So there really wasn't much choice.
First, I taped the face, table and name plate:
Pulled out the Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze paint...
And just like that - the anvil was looking the way an anvil should look!
Then I let it bake in the shop oven for about 24 hours.
Even rotating while half baked.
And et voila! Done!
Its Natural Habitat
And here she is in her natural habitat - right on the workbench, within easy reach without taking a lot of space. A nice addition to the arsenal of tools here at 173!
Thanks for stopping by - see you soon!
Only at House 173 does a brand-new anvil need restoring before it's ever been used. 😂
Most guys would've brought it home, put it on the bench and started pounding things.
Not here.
Apparently the factory color was unacceptable, so naturally the spray paint came out.
Twenty-five bucks later, George is officially an anvil owner.
Still not a blacksmith. But we're making progress. - Michelle, Bar Harbor
Keywords
small anvil, 15 pound anvil, Central Forge anvil, Harbor Freight anvil, workshop anvil, anvil for tool restoration, small workshop tools, tool restoration tools, anvil anatomy, hardy hole, workshop metalworking, House 173 workshop