Editing Anvil (section)

{{short description|Metalworking tool}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2010}}

[[File:2011-09-17. Кузнечный фестиваль в Донецке 286.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Single-horn anvil]]
[[File:Blacksmith at work02 less contrast.jpg|thumb|A [[blacksmith]] working [[iron]] with a hammer and anvil]]
[[File:3 tourist helping artist blacksmith in finland.JPG|thumb|A [[blacksmith]] working with a [[sledgehammer]], assistant (striker) and Lokomo anvil in [[Finland]]]]

An '''anvil''' is a [[metalworking]] [[tool]] consisting of a large block of metal (usually [[Forging|forged]] or [[Steel casting|cast]] steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked").
 
Anvils are massive because the higher their [[inertia]], the more efficiently they cause the [[energy]] of striking tools to be transferred to the work piece. In most cases the anvil is used as a [[forge|forging]] tool. Before the advent of modern [[welding]] technology, it was the primary tool of metal workers.<ref>Hahn, Robert. Archaeology and the Origins of Philosophy. Publisher: State University of New York Press  2010. {{ISBN|978-1438431659}}</ref>

The great majority of modern anvils are made of cast [[steel]] that has been heat treated by either [[Case-hardening|flame]] or [[Induction_hardening|electric induction]]. Inexpensive anvils have been made of [[cast iron]] and low-quality steel, but are considered unsuitable for serious use, as they deform and lack rebound when struck.

The largest single piece tool steel anvil that is heat treated is 1600 pounds. This anvil was made in 2023 by Oak Lawn Blacksmith. There are larger anvils that are made out of multiple pieces such as “The mile long anvil” made by Napier which weighs 6500 pounds. This anvil is not heat treated or made from tool steel.