Anvil

What Is an Anvil?

An anvil is a solid metal block designed to support metalwork under hammer blows. The mass of the anvil absorbs and returns energy, letting you shape, flatten, bend, punch, and cut metal without the workpiece bouncing around. While often linked to blacksmithing, many homeowners use smaller anvils or bench blocks to straighten bent hardware, peen rivets, form brackets, and handle small repairs.

Key Parts and What They Do

Most full-size shop anvils share common features:

• Face: The flat, hardened top surface where most hammering happens. A smooth face leaves cleaner finishes.
• Horn: The rounded cone used for bending and forming curves. Some anvils have a second, square horn for different radii.
• Step: A small ledge between face and horn, often used for light cutting or as a reference edge.
• Hardy hole: A square hole that accepts tooling (called hardy tools), such as cutters, bending forks, and swages.
• Pritchel hole: A round hole used for punching and drifting (enlarging) holes and for clearing slugs.
• Heel: The back end of the anvil, sometimes used for overhanging work.

Understanding these parts helps you pick the right area for the job and avoid damage to the face.

Common DIY and Home Uses

You do not need to forge knives to find an anvil helpful. Practical tasks include:

• Straightening metal: Flatten bent brackets, shelf standards, hinges, and straps by hammering on the face.
• Bending and shaping: Use the horn to curve flat bar for plant hangers, garden hooks, and custom brackets.
• Setting and peening: Form and tighten rivets, peen hammer wedges, or mushroom nail and bolt ends for a mechanical lock.
• Punching and drifting: Start holes with punches over the pritchel hole; finish to size with drifts.
• Light cutting: With a hardy cutoff tool in the hardy hole, you can shear hot or warm steel. For cold work, use a sacrificial plate to protect the face.
• Support for filing and chiseling: A solid backing keeps parts steady for cleaner cuts.

Types and Variations

• London pattern (single horn): The common “classic” anvil with a round horn, flat face, hardy hole, and pritchel hole. Good all-around choice.
• German or double-horn: Adds a square horn for more bending options. Favored where varied radii are handy.
• Farrier anvils: Lighter, with features geared to shaping horseshoes. Useful for general work if weight is a concern.
• Bench anvils and bench blocks: Small, flat steel blocks for light hammering, riveting, and jewelry-sized tasks. Great for apartments or tight spaces.
• Stake anvils and bickerns: Long tapered tools that mount in a vise or stake plate for specialized shapes.
• Improvised/railroad track anvils: A section of rail or heavy steel block can work for occasional jobs. Not as refined, but fine for basic shaping.

Material and Build

• Cast steel: Durable, hardened face with good rebound. Best performance for long-term use.
• Ductile iron: Mid-tier, tougher than gray iron; some are hardened on top.
• Cast iron: Often cheap and heavy but soft. Good as a doorstop or for very light tasks; faces dent easily. Sometimes nicknamed “anvil-shaped objects.”

Weight affects performance: heavier anvils move less and return more energy. For general garage use, 60–150 lb offers a good balance; bench blocks range from a few ounces to a couple of pounds.

Choosing the Right Anvil

Consider:

• Work type: For brackets, rivets, and light shaping, a 60–100 lb anvil or a 2–4 lb bench block may be enough. For frequent forging, go heavier.
• Face quality: Look for a flat, smooth, hardened face with slightly rounded edges (prevents chipping and tool marks).
• Holes and horn: Hardy and pritchel holes expand your tooling options; a clean horn helps with bending.
• Rebound: Drop a small steel ball from a few inches; more bounce indicates better efficiency. Around 70% rebound or higher is a good sign.
• Noise and location: Anvils ring. If you share walls, consider a bench block or a stand with damping.
• Budget and availability: Quality used anvils are great. Check for deep chips, sway (dish in the face), and repaired welds.

Setup and Safe Use

• Mounting: Secure the anvil to a sturdy stand or hardwood stump using lag bolts, straps, or chains. A loose anvil walks across the floor.
• Height: A common starting point is knuckle height with your arm relaxed at your side. Adjust for comfort and control.
• Damping: A rubber horse-stall mat, silicone caulk between anvil and stand, or a chain wrapped around the waist reduces ring and vibration.
• Hammers and tools: Use smooth-faced hammers for clean finishes. Place cutters in the hardy hole rather than striking directly on the face.
• Safety gear: Eye protection, hearing protection, and closed-toe shoes. Avoid striking two hardened edges together to prevent chips.

Basic technique matters. Let the hammer fall and rebound, keep blows controlled, and move the workpiece rather than chasing it around the face.

Care and Maintenance

• Keep it dry: Wipe the face with a light oil film to prevent rust. Store bench blocks in a drawer or toolbox.
• Protect the face: Do cutting over a hardy tool or a sacrificial plate. Avoid missed blows on the sharp edge; use the rounded edge.
• Clean gently: Remove light rust with a Scotch-Brite pad or fine abrasive. Avoid heavy grinding that thins the hardened layer.
• Edge dressing: If the edges chip, lightly radius them with a file or flap wheel to stop cracks from spreading.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Striking directly with a cold chisel on the face—this scars the surface. Use a hardy cutoff or a soft plate underneath.
• Using a very soft cast-iron anvil for heavy hammering—it dents, work hardens irregularly, and transfers marks to your project.
• Setting the anvil too high or too low—fatigue and loss of control follow. Start at knuckle height and adjust.
• Leaving it unsecured—movement wastes energy and invites accidents.
• Overgrinding the face—removes the hardened skin and shortens service life.

Related Terms and Tools

• Hardy tools: Accessories that fit the square hardy hole (cutoff, bending fork, swage).
• Swage block: Large block with shapes and holes for forming and sinking.
• Vise: Holds work while filing, sawing, and bending; complements an anvil.
• Stake/bickern: Specialty shaping tools for specific curves and access.
• Peen: The rounded or wedge end of a hammer used for spreading metal.

Practical Examples

• Form a garden hook: Heat (with a propane torch if needed) the end of 1/4 in. flat bar, bend it over the horn into a gentle S, then refine on the face.
• Straighten a bracket: Lay the bent section on the face and tap along the bend line. Flip and planish (light smoothing blows) for a cleaner look.
• Set a rivet: Insert the rivet, back the head on the face, and peen the tail into a mushroom. Use a rivet set for a uniform dome.
• Peen a hammer wedge: After driving the wedge into a wooden handle, rest the head on the face and lightly peen the exposed wedge to lock it.
• Punch a hole: Start a pilot with a center punch on the face, move over the pritchel hole, then drive a punch through and drift to final size.

With the right size and setup, an anvil can make small metal jobs quicker, cleaner, and more satisfying in any home workshop.