anvil question for Todd *LINK*

Not Todd but

Bob Hackett

>There`s a chance that it was meant to be used in a bench plate or to be held in a leg vice to do smaller work.

There are tools that look like long skinny anvils that are called bickerns or "bicks" that were used to do work that required a longer, thinner horn than most anvils come with.I found them especially handy for tinsmithing.

Anyway,my guess is that smaller anvil=smaller work.I`m curious what Todd has to say though.

Mainely,Bob

Re: anvil question for Todd

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Maybe you could also put it in a big dog hole?

Pam

Re: anvil question for Todd

Todd Hughes

>I am sure this anvil was ment to go into the hardy hole of a larger anvil, I have more then a few that while I think they are older are very simular. Occasionaly you will see an anvil like this that has a tapered shaft at the bottom and these are for stake plates or holder like Tinsmiths and coppersmiths may use. You never want to put one of these tapered stakes in your anvil because during use they can get wedged into the anvil.To put a non tapered tool like this Anvil in a stake plate would probably damage the plate when it was used.

There are many times when a 'smith would want a smaller Anvil to use then his normal large one. Few examples, making a double bend like in a staple which you could do over the table on the small anvil, tighter curls over a small horn or to use the small horn to form a socket if you were making a tool like a chisel.The advantage of a anvil like this that fits in a large anvil is that it is held securly and you can have it right at your regular work station close to your forge.

A story....Years ago when i was just getting into blacksmithing and i went to this auction of a old shop up in Penn.One of the things there I wanted was a simular small anvil which I got outbid on, think it went for $25. All the way home I complained to my wife how I should have went higher etc. etc. and who knows when I would find another. Just bothered me to no end , about dislocated my leg kicking myself. Few months later I saw an add for a guy selling a collection of anvils off , called and he had a 250lb anvil I was interested in. When i get there I see in with all the anvils guess what? yup the exact little anvil I missed out on at the auction and it is actually in the big Anvil's I wanted hardy hole! After much haggling I got him to throw it in with my big anvil.Used it a lot and I always grinned when i got it out thinking about how i guess it was supposed to be mine after all.....Todd