That $50 anvil I found at a garage sale cost me more in headaches than it saved me

I picked up a beat up anvil at a farm auction last spring for 50 bucks. Looked fine at first, but the face was way softer than I thought. After a month of work, I noticed dents and mushrooming on the edges. Ended up buying a proper 112 pound anvil from a shop in Ohio for $400. Has anyone else gotten burned by a cheap old anvil they thought was a steal?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_jones1d ago

A cheap anvil is often cheap for a reason, and that reason is usually that it's been abused or made wrong. Soft faces, cracked heels, and ring issues are common with beat up old ones that look like a deal. You paid $50 for a lesson, but $400 for a tool that will actually work is still a bargain in the long run.

keith_rodriguez20h ago

Yeah, "a cheap anvil is cheap for a reason" is exactly right. I grabbed a $40 one off Craigslist once and the face was so soft I could dent it with a hammer. Ended up using it as a doorstop.