Recommendation for an Anvil

[esantoro]

I need to get a better anvil for setting caps on tubular rivets for my bags. I currently use a small anvil from Tandy, which is fine for Jiffy rivets but not for tubular rivets and caps. Can anyone recommend a good bench anvil.

Left to my own devices, I'd order this 55lbs anvil from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...?Itemnumber=806

By the way, what is the square hole for in the Harbor Freight anvil?

Thanks,

ed

[Luke Hatley]

ED, i do have the harbor freight anvil, you have seen a 5# one on the bench before.

i like the heavy one( 55#) for setting copper rivets.

the square hole is called a "hardy hole", there are a lot of different items a Blacksmith

will make, too help him make these items he will use a "Hardy tool"

when i bought mine it was 29.99 0n sale....

[Andy]

Esant,

I use a hunk of I-beam as an anvil, works great!

Andy

[gtwister09]

I need to get a better anvil for setting caps on tubular rivets for my bags. I currently use a small anvil from Tandy, which is fine for Jiffy rivets but not for tubular rivets and caps. Can anyone recommend a good bench anvil.

Left to my own devices, I'd order this 55lbs anvil from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...?Itemnumber=806

By the way, what is the square hole for in the Harbor Freight anvil?

, fullers

Thanks,

ed

As Luke mentioned the square hole is called the hardy hole. It is used for swages, chisels, fullers, hold downs and other tools. Here's the first page that I googled...... Information for Hardy Hole

Regards,

Ben

[barra]

I have a length of railway track about a foot long as well as the base from an old fashioned iron.

Barra

[TwinOaks]

If you have acces to a scrap yard, you can take a relatively small hunk o' metal and set it in a smallish bucket of concrete to achieve an anvil.

[esantoro]

Thanks for your responses.

I'd love to snatch up the Harbor Freight anvil on sale for $30. HF is extremely kind on the shipping for a 55 lbs anvil.

I like the railroad track idea and I'll keep on the look out.

Ed

[barra]

Oh and I use one of these but disregard the artsy fartsy paint scheme (it's just the only example pic I could find). They are really handy and easy to come by. You will find them in bric a brac stores and get used for door stops. They have multiple surfaces for different applications.

Barra

[Art]

Hi Ed,

I have the small Tandy, a real small (but very nice) Heritage, a 33 lb from MSC or Grizzly. For serious work I have a 288lb Hay-Budden. The Hay has a hardened face with a wrought iron body and is good for knife or blacksmith work, the others except the heritage are hunks of cast iron and are plenty good for rivets and the like. I also have a two foot piece of 20 inch H-Beam which is mild steel and can take a pretty good walloping without cracking. I wouldn't trust the cast iron ones for anything serious, but then leatherwork isn't very serious in anvil terms. I have set #8 Brass burr rivets on the 33 lb without a bit of trouble, and that's about the toughest thing you'll ever set. Also a lot of the big vises (the inexpensive ones from China) have an anvil type platform that I have occasionally used to set things; they're big and heavy and work well.

Art

I need to get a better anvil for setting caps on tubular rivets for my bags. I currently use a small anvil from Tandy, which is fine for Jiffy rivets but not for tubular rivets and caps. Can anyone recommend a good bench anvil.

Left to my own devices, I'd order this 55lbs anvil from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...?Itemnumber=806

By the way, what is the square hole for in the Harbor Freight anvil?

Thanks,

ed

[SCOUTER]

Art...

"I have a 288lb Hay-Budden."

Sweet!