Anvil

A blacksmith working iron with a hammer and anvil

For other uses, see Anvil (disambiguation).

An anvil is a manufacturing tool, made of a hard and massive block of stone or metal used as a support for chiseling and hammering other objects, such as in forging iron and steel items.

History

Anvils have been used since early Bronze Age times by smiths of all kinds for metal work, although the tool was also used in much earlier epochs for stone and flint work.

There are many references to anvils in ancient Greek and Egyptian writing, including Homer's works. The anvil was perfected during the Middle Ages when iron working was commonplace.

Anvils have recently lost their former commonness, as mechanized production requires more specialized components for forging. They are still used by blacksmiths producing custom work, and by farriers.

Structure

A single-horn anvil

The primary work surface of the anvil is known as the face. It is generally made of hardened steel and should be flat and smooth with rounded edges for most work. Any marks on the face will be transferred to the work. Also, sharp edges tend to cut into the metal being worked and may cause cracks to form in the workpiece. The face is hardened and tempered to resist the blows of the smith's hammer so the anvil face does not deform under repeated use. A hard anvil face also reduces the amount of force lost in each hammer blow. Hammers should never directly strike the anvil face as they may damage it.

The horn of the anvil is a conical projection used to form various round shapes, and is generally unhardened steel or iron. The horn is used mostly in bending operations. It also is used by some smiths as an aid in drawing out stock, "making it longer and thinner". Some anvils, mainly European, are made with two horns, one square and one round. Also, some anvils are made with side horns or clips for specialized work.

The step or pad, commonly referred to as the table, of the anvil is used for cutting, to prevent damaging the face by conducting such operations there, although most professional smiths shun this practice, as it can damage the anvil.

The hardy hole is a square hole into which specialized forming and cutting tools are placed. It is also used in punching and bending operations.

The pritchel hole is a small round hole that is present on most modern anvils. Some anvils have more than one. It is used mostly for punching. At times smiths will fit a second tool to this hole to allow the smith more flexibility when using more than one anvil tool.

Placement

  An anvil should be placed upon a sturdy base made from an impact resistant material. It should be fastened firmly to the base so it will not move when struck with a hammer. A loose anvil is extremely unsafe as it can fall off the base. Common methods of attaching an anvil are spikes, chains, steel or iron straps, clips, bolts where there are holes provided, and cables.  A smith used what ever was at hand as long as it held the anvil firmly in place. It is a poor idea to weld an anvil to a base or drill holes into it as many anvils are antiques, that when properly used and cared for can last generations.  The anvil should be placed as near to the forge as is convenient. No more than one step from the forge to prevent heat loss in the work piece. 

   The most common base traditionally was a hard wood log or large timber buried several feet into the floor of the forge shop floor. This was done to make the anvil immobile when heavy forging and bending were done upon the anvil.  In the industrial era cast iron bases became available. They had the advantage of adding additional weight to the anvil making it more stable wile making the anvil movable. These bases today are highly sought after by collectors today. When concrete became widely available there was a trend to make steel reinforced anvil bases by some smiths though this practice has largely been abandoned. In more modern times many anvils have been placed upon bases fabricated from steel often times a short thick section of large I-Beam. In addition bases have been made from dimensional lumber bolted together to form a large block or steel drums full of oil saturated sand to provide a damping effect.

Types

Anvil of a farrier

Small anvil

There are many designs for anvils, which are often tailored for a specific purpose or to meet the needs of a particular smith or which originated in diverse geographic locations.

The common blacksmith's anvil is made of either forged or cast steel, tool steel, or wrought iron (cast iron anvils are generally shunned, as they are too brittle for repeated use, and do not return the energy of a hammer blow like steel). Historically, some anvils have been made with a smooth top working face of hardened steel welded to a cast iron or wrought iron body, though this manufacturing method is no longer in use. It has at one end a projecting conical bick (beak, horn) used for hammering curved work pieces. The other end is typically called the heel. Occasionally the other end is also provided with a bick, partly rectangular in section. Most anvils made since the late 1700s also have a hardy hole and a pritchel hole where various tools, such as the anvil-cutter or hot chisel, can be inserted and held by the anvil. Some anvils have several hardy and pritchel holes, to accommodate a wider variety of hardy tools and pritchels. An anvil may also have a softer pad for chisel work.

An anvil for a power hammer is usually supported on a massive anvil block, sometimes weighing over 800 tons for a 12-ton hammer, and this again rests on a strong foundation of timber and masonry or concrete.

An anvil may have a marking indicating its weight, manufacturer, or place of origin. American made anvils were often marked in pounds. European anvils are sometimes marked in kilograms. English anvils were often marked in hundredweight, the marking consisting of three numbers, indicating hundredweight, quarter hundredweight and pounds. For example, a 3-1-5, if such an anvil existed, would be 3x112 lb + 1x28 lb + 5 lb = 369 lb ~= 168 kg.

Cheap anvils made from inferior steel or cast iron which are unsuitable for serious use are derisively referred to as "ASOs", or "Anvil Shaped Objects". Some amateur smiths have used a piece of railroad track as a makeshift anvil.

Top quality modern anvils are made of cast or forged tool steel and are heat treated for optimum hardness and toughness. Some modern anvils are made mostly from concrete. While the face is steel, the horn is not and can be easily damaged. These anvils can be hard to recognize because the gray paint used is the same shade as the steel face. They tend to weight about half as much as a comparable steel anvil.

A metalworking vise may have a small anvil integrated in its design.

Anvils in art and entertainment

Television and film

A typical metalworker's anvil, with horn at one end and flat face at the other, is a standard prop for cartoon gags, as the epitome of a heavy and clumsy object that is perfect for dropping onto the villain. This visual metaphor is common, for example, in Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, such as those with Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.

Animaniacs made frequent gags with this during the 1996-1997 season, even having a kingdom named Anvillaina, that sole national product is anvils.

Gilmore Girls had a scene in Season 4 Episode 18 entitled "Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!" where Lorelai Gilmore has a nearly 3 minute discussion about "where did all the anvils go?", This included a description of what an anvil is and how common it must have once been because of its usage in Looney Tunes.

Musical instruments

Anvils are percussion instruments in several famous musical compositions, including:

• Giuseppe Verdi: Il trovatore, featuring the famous "Anvil Chorus"
• Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen in Das Rheingold in scene 3, using 18 anvils tuned in F in three octaves, and Siegfried in act I, notably Siegfried's "Forging Song" (Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!)
• Josef Strauss: Feuerfest!, op. 269
• Daniel Auber: opera Le maçon
• Gustav Holst: Second Suite in F for Military Band, which includes a movement titled "Song of the Blacksmith"
• Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 3
• Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 3
• William Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
• Edgard Varèse: Ionisation
• Carl Orff: Antigone
• Benjamin Britten: The Burning Fiery Furnace
• Juan María Solare: Veinticinco de agosto, 1983 and Un ángel de hielo y fuego
• Howard Shore: The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
• Albert Parlow: "Anvil Polka"
• Louis Andriessen: De Materie (Part I), which features an extended solo for two anvils
• Fear Factory: "Body Hammer" which features the sound of a hammer striking an anvil as percussion.
• Judas Priest: "Between The Hammer And The Anvil" which features the sound of a hammer striking an anvil for dramatic effect.
• The Beatles: "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" makes prominent use of the anvil. Beatles road manager Mal Evans played the anvil.
• John Williams: film music Jaws
• Kansas: "On the Other Side" featured some use of the anvil. Kansas violinist Robby Steinhardt played the anvil on the track.

See also

• Blacksmith
• Forge
• Silversmith
• Smith

References

• Andrews, Jack (1994). New Edge of the Anvil. ISBN 1-879535-09-2.
• Hrisoulas, Jim (1987). The Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way to Perfection. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. ISBN 0-87364-430-1.
• Postman, Richard (1998). Anvils In America. ISBN 0-9663256-0-5.