holly_williams•1d agoProlific Poster

Talking with an old farrier changed how I treat my anvil face

He said he never grinds his anvil flat, just hits it until the face settles, and after 30 years of forging I'm starting to think he was onto something - anyone else just let their anvil wear in naturally?

2 comments

2 Comments

henryf531d ago

You said he never grinds his anvil flat, just hits it until the face settles" - that old farrier knew something, but I'd gently push back on never grinding at all. A truly uneven face can mess with your hammer control and make it hard to nail down consistent shapes, especially if you're doing fine work. I'd say let it wear in naturally, but hit it with a fine stone if you get a high spot that starts throwing your hammer off.

wren6521d ago

Hang onto that attitude and you'll see it everywhere once you start looking. My buddy's a woodworker who refuses to sand his workbench flat, just hammers down any high spots as they pop up. Same deal with an old carpenter I knew who never level-checked his framing square, he'd just tap it on the corner of the bench until it felt right. It's like the whole "let the tool tell you what it needs" thing versus "measure everything to the thousandth." Both work, but one way can make you a better feel for the metal or wood in the long run.