I told my dad I needed to buy an anvil. So he went out to the garage and pulled out a small anvil my great grand father had cut from a piece of rail road track (he was a machinist). He said when he was a kid he remembered my great grand father had it polished to a high mirror shine and the bottom painted red. I see why he made it out of a railroad track because that is some seriously strong and hard steel. Perfect for what I needed.