Thread: Anvil

I've got a little baby horn anvil. You can find them at craft stores for under $10. I used a hammer before that.

I have 1 of those Tandy anvils I use to set length and for dooming and polishing washers. I used to use it for everything but then realized I have a Wilkinson 115lb. sittin' right next to my bench. It doesn't move much at all and I kind of like that solid feel. :<0)

Came back to add : I started out with a piece of round pin I had from my backhoe days. Think it was about 2" in dia. and 2 1/2' tall. Gave it away to somebody that needed it more than I did. Made another for somebody else out of cull flat stock I got at my steel guys yard.

As with Everything involved with this age old art Personal Preference always will prevail!

For years i've used an old block of steel that my dad had used in the fields. I had it cleaned up with a vertical mill then filed and sanded until it was smooth and polished. Just today I tried something new that Geezer had brought up and it worked quite well. See here/Post #83;
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ml#post1597938

For the time, money etc buying a Jewler's block from Amazon would be the easiest way to go. You will also need a small hammer with a ball on one end. You can see mine at the start of the above thread.

Enjoy the Ride! It's a long strange trip but well worth the journey!

Those little jeweller's anvils are great, but I've just never got around to buying one. I use a small tungsten-copper alloy block that started life as a radiation shield in a soil moisture density gauge. Years ago I was in charge of the regulatory branch that inspected these things and picked up the pieces after accidents. This is one of them.

Originally Posted by ZeroCool

What type are you using for peening and which would you recommend?

I use a chasing hammer in a vise as an anvil. I like to keep things as simple as possible. The KISS principle. The face is slightly crowned and is polished. It's easy to rotate your work around as you peen and maintain contact with the face. An anvil for pinning a razor is way overkill in my opinion and just takes up space on my bench. Any hammer with a crowned polished face will do.