Talked to an old timer at a hammer-in last weekend and he changed how I think about anvil setup

This guy who's been forging since the 70s told me I was wasting time trying to get my anvil perfectly level on all sides. He said the real pros actually tilt their anvil slightly forward by about 5 degrees to help hammer strikes flow better toward the workpiece. Anyone else ever tried running an anvil at a slight tilt instead of dead level?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_chen212d ago

Oh man, that's wild! I actually tried tilting my anvil a few years back after watching some old blacksmithing videos from the 80s. I had it tipped forward maybe a hair too much and kept dropping hot steel right onto my foot. But I stuck with it for a week and realized it did help with hammer control a bit. The guy you talked to sounds like he knows his stuff from back when people actually had to work fast without modern tools. I still keep mine pretty level now because I'm clumsy and value my toes, but I totally get the idea behind it. There's something about how the weight transfers that feels more natural once you get used to it.

val_ramirez12d ago

Ngl, I think the whole tilting thing comes down to what kind of work you're doing, not just personal preference. Like if you're doing a lot of heavy drawing out or tapering, that forward tilt really does let the hammer do more of the work. But for light stuff like scrolls or finishing work, level is way easier on your wrist. Honestly, I've seen old timers who tilt their anvil so far forward it looks like it's about to fall off the stump, and they swear by it. But I tried that once and nearly sent a red hot piece flying across my shop, so I keep mine at maybe a 5 degree tilt max. Tbh, the real trick isn't the angle itself, it's how you set your stance to match it. If your feet are wrong, no amount of tilt is gonna save your back or your toes.

emma_baker6112d ago

Gotta jump in here and gently push back on the 5 degree thing a bit. I mean, 5 degrees forward is actually a lot more tilt than most people realize. If you picture a full 90 degree angle being a wall, 5 degrees is pretty noticeable once you put it on a stump. I think what that old timer meant, and what a lot of guys from that era actually did, was maybe just a couple degrees or just enough so the face feels like it's leaning toward you. Not a full 5. I've messed around with it myself and found that even a tiny shim under the back foot of the anvil, like a popsicle stick or a thin piece of leather, gives you that same feel without sending your work flying. Its more about the feel than the actual angle number.