Category: Anvils

Anvils can be expensive. In this post, we’ll talk about how to finance an anvil at zero percent.

No gimmicks. You can do this today and have an anvil by next week.

How to Finance an Anvil at Zero Percent

Part of the mission of Brown County Forge is providing high quality information to aspiring blacksmiths.

Critical to that goal is providing good information on obtaining equipment.

We talk about anvil pricing and where to buy them every week in class.

Here is how to buy big anvils without huge up-front costs.

Step One: Qualify for Financing

This might sound intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward.

The most common company you’ll deal with to get financing for online purchases is still PayPal.

They offer a service called PayPal Credit to people with relatively good credit history.

This service makes it easy to purchase large items for no or low amounts of money up-front and 0% interest if paid within 6 months.

They will do a credit check. Be prepared for both soft and hard pulls on your credit history.

To qualify: Go to PayPal Credit

Step Two: Find an Anvil You Want to Buy

You have a lot of choices in anvil brands today:

• Atlas Knife and Tool
• Cliff Carroll
• Emerson
• Kanca
• Mathewson
• NC Tool Company
• Peddinghaus
• Scott Anvils
• TFS – Texas Farrier Supply

Not all of these anvils are for sale with PayPal Credit as an option.

Here are two blacksmith suppliers that use PayPal payments:

• Blacksmiths Depot
• Texas Farrier Supply

Blacksmiths Depot carries Ridgid-Peddinghaus, Refflinghaus, Kanca, and Perun anvils.

Texas Farrier Supply only carries their range of anvils in the following weights:

• 30 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 100 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 150 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 200 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 250 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 300 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 400 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
• 500 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil

Step Three: Purchase the Anvil Using PayPal Credit and Pay it Off in 6 Months

Paying it off in the six-month time frame is the important part here.

If you fail to pay off the balance, the APR is 28.49% for new accounts.

That starts to add up very quickly on an item that costs between $500 and $3600.

Note: If you struggle with budgets, please don’t use this method.

Blacksmithing is an amazing craft. But you shouldn’t risk your financial health to get started.

If you have a hard time keeping a monthly budget, financing large purchases may be too risky for you.

Please act accordingly.

How Much Do Anvils Cost in 2022? – Updated for 2024

Anvils usually go up in value over time. The same anvils I purchased in 2015 and 2016 for $280 a piece, now go for $450 (up from $360 in 2022).

These anvils, made by NC Tool Company, are high quality, lighter weight anvils that sit at the bottom of the mid-range for anvil price.

In fact, their low cost and durability were the main factors in my decision to purchase two of them.

I use them weekly in classes at the shop and for forging ironwork for customers.

Anvil Prices Range from $70 up to $2575

At the low end, you’re going to find cast iron anvils from Harbor Freight and similar companies.

At the top end, you’ll find small anvil manufacturers like Nimba Anvils in Port Townsend, Washington.

Why the big difference in price?

1. Quality
2. Size
3. Production capabilities

Lightweight Harbor Freight anvils are mass-produced with heavy machinery. Nimba Anvils are made one at a time in a small production facility.

Prices come down when manufacturing can be done at-scale.

Should You Buy An Anvil On Facebook?

Short answer: It’s not recommended.

In the current climate, blacksmithing is enjoying an upswing in popularity.

When a thing becomes popular, prices for associated items go up.

As prices go up, more sellers enter the market. Some of these sellers have dubious assets and even more dubious motives.

There are better options than Facebook for purchasing anvils. Directly from a manufacturer or from respected retailers.

To Avoid Overpaying for Anvils Online:

1. Follow a rule of $7 per pound or less. For a 70-pound anvil, you want to pay under $490. You can absolutely do this.
2. Adjust price based on the Age and Condition of the anvil.
   1. If it’s old, but severely damaged (missing the tip of the horn, for example), I’m dropping my offer by a few hundred.
   2. Some old anvils are worth the price based on their historic value alone.
3. Vet the seller as much as possible. Do they know what they’re selling?
4. Ask an expert. It never hurts to ask someone with more experience.
5. Consider buying from reputable dealers like Centaur Forge, NC Tool Company, or Blacksmith’s Depot.

An Anvil is an Investment

An investment is an asset that appreciates in value over time.

Anvils do this in a couple ways:

• The older they are and the better shape they’re in, the more valuable they’ll be.
• Their value increases the more you use them and the better you get at blacksmithing.

You don’t need to spend more than a few hundred on an anvil.

The anvils I use today each cost $280. They have made thousands of projects to date and generated a full-time income for over 7 years.

That’s an amazing return on investment.

Conclusion: Anvil Costs Range, But Have a Sweet Spot

Aim to spend at least $400 on your anvil. NC Tool Company’s 70-pound anvil is the one I recommend to students every week.

Directly from them: nctoolco.com

From Centaur Forge: centaurforge.com

Want to Learn More About Blacksmithing?

I teach classes every week at the shop in Bloomington, Indiana. Available by appointment.

For more information go to the Classes page.