HARBOR FREIGHT ANVIL!!! Is it horrible?

Many an "expert" has warned new and inexperienced blacksmiths to not touch a Harbor Freight cast iron anvil with a 20 foot pole. Is this warning justified?!?

Short answer: ....yes.

Longer answer: ....If you have no other options, it will get you buy while you learn, but it is just too soft to really consider as a legitimate anvil.

The best attributes of this anvil are the price and the ring. For $50 with a coupon, this is hard to beat, even compared to large scraps of mild steel. And the ring... many smiths will tell you that the ring of an anvil tells you whether an anvil is good or should be sold as scrap, but the ring of an anvil is very hard on ones ears. A dull ring makes for a much more enjoyable forging experience (filling the legs of an anvil stand with sand and wrapping chain around the waist and placing a large magnet under the heel or horn of an anvil also reduce ring).

Unfortunately, these two attributes tell the story of why you should pass this anvil by: You get what you pay for, and that dull ring is the sound of a very soft chunk of poor quality material.

I mentioned above how one can reduce anvil ring... every method mentioned has something in common: moving parts. Grains of sand are free to move and shift thus reducing vibration. Chain is made of individual links which move and transfer energy and vibration poorly between each other. A magnet is held to the anvil tightly, but is not mechanically or chemically affixed to it, it can still move, and thus it reduces vibration much like a heavy hammer resting on the face. CAST IRON has enough carbon in it that the grain of the steel can no longer contain it and it becomes free carbon. This carbon exists as flakes and platelets of graphite. Imagine having flakes and grains of very soft and lubricating graphite, which shears and cleaves very easily, inside a piece of steel. It will shift, it will compress, it will will absorb vibration my not transmitting that vibration, and it will shear and fracture. When a crack starts to form, it will follow these flakes of graphite and cause a catastrophic failure. (My knowledge of graphite structures within cast iron is from reading forum posts on bladeforums and other smithing and tool related websites)

Considering other affordable options out there such as NC Anvils, a section of railroad rail, a large scrap of mild steel, or even Alec Steele striking anvils when he has them in stock, I cannot recommend this anvil to anyone. Save your money and put it toward a better tool.

Видео HARBOR FREIGHT ANVIL!!! Is it horrible? канала DragonHide94