Forging a Viking Anvil

In this video, I enlist the help of two experienced blacksmith's to help me with forging the crucial tool of an anvil.

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Created and Hosted by Andy George
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[gsmontag]

I feel like the biggest lesson of this series is that you need a community, that the most fundamental technology is cooperation. I love it when you bring in experts and help. You are amazing!

[luclatinette]

The intro to this show asks "Can one man do it all?" and I think the answer to that is a definitive "no", the show is much more enjoyable with the whole team

[TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

It's so satisfying hearing the clanging noises of metal clashing

[mothemaniac]

Step one: get anvil
Step two: Use anvil to make anvil
Step three: repeat

[Aminuts]

Anvils stones that have been identified as such typically weighed 5 or 6 tons. They were HUGE stones. Also made from Basalt not Sandstone.

[jeremyortiz]

The rocks; looks like you're using sedimentary rocks which will easily break under pressure. You need metamorphic rocks to use as an anvil. Please note that igneous rock won't do well either.

[Severalangrybees]

Id just like to share that I am now a blacksmith, partly thanks to this channel. You made me realize anyone can do anything if they just try, so here I am covered in coal dust and burns.

[wesleytownsend]

To this old man I’m just ultra impressed that any Internet personality would even care enough to try. I am so extremely excited to see a younger generation even try this. I realize there’s a good bunch of great YouTube smiths and they are fantastic and they have all this old terd’s views. I wish you all the best!

[douglasyoung]

I love that this video shows the hesitation and awkwardness of multiple people driving big hammers. Even with experience and familiarity, it usually takes more time and work than it should simply because humans are not perfect. This almost doesn't represent how big of a project even a small anvil is to make. Great Job!

[The_Keeper]

This is interesting and all, but in the name of all that is holy, Secure your frggin' anvil properly to the floor!
Seriously, there were several times it nearly tipped over, and several more where it almost made them drop the steel, or ruin the work they had just done.

[nightshadekelly]

Blacksmithing is gotta be one of my most favorite arts in the world

[jebowlin]

I have said it before, I'll say it again, as many times as it takes. Anvil: The unsung Hero of the History of Fabrication

[teamboyhamster]

As a blacksmith I love how it looks and am excited to see where it goes

[XTremeCaffeine]

Oh hell yeah, Aidri! They're the best!

[jeannehenry]

This series has been so intertaining! I’ve been watching for about a year and have learned a lot. Great job with this series!👍😃

[Great_Olaf]

So you're telling me that Dwarf Fortress was right, and that you do need an anvil to make a new anvil? I am disappoint.

I will offer a defense to the stone anvil, if you have a lot of experience working specifically with a stone anvil, that might help mitigate some of the problems with them, especially if you were using a particularly hard stone and could work with the exact same anvil for an extended period, or if you knew or had access to someone skilled enough in stoneworking to shape the stone better for your purposes. Now, I'll agree that a metal one is better, but just grabbing a hunk of what looked like limestone and using it straight up is unlikely to be representative of the stone anvils ancient smiths were likely to use, because while they might not face the comparison of working with a metal one, they'd still see most of the same flaws you all did with it and work on improving upon those, both with technique and improving the tools available to them.

[Zanzubaa]

I feel like they were underselling the rocks. I mean, those rocks were terrible. Small, round, sedimentary. Did they not have permanent forges with a unit of a rock or did they travel around a lot and have to make use of what they could?

[ExpendableOne]

Meanwhile Alec Steele is watching and glad he's got his power hammers lol.

[mdelles]

super impressed with being a blacksmith and keeping those nails on point!

[nrrork]

You made me feel sad for rocks.

Although they're not dead, they'll just become many smaller rocks. Sure, it might take awhile to smooth out again, but it'll be like the blink of an eye for the rock.

I feel like I eulogized a ROCK.

Strawberry Diesel is good shit.