Jake Whitman wrote:

Anything that'll work with a cold shoe will work to cold bang-em will work easier to hot bang-em.

Does anyone know the story behind the development of the flat horn, specifically, or a farrier pattern anvil, in general?

I don't have any specifics but I think the farrier pattern is a fairly late development. By "farrier pattern" I'm refering to the fact that most anvils made for farriers have less mass in the waist and heel with more mass in the horn as compared to an "english pattern"(?) like a Peter Wright.

Is the horn broadened with the goal of getting a flat top or as a way to make it wider with more mass and still have a step without incorporating a shelf?

The flat horn was developed for the ease of cold- shoeing. If you like hanging off the opposite side of your anvil, to follow a bending radius of your horn, Hot shaping will work on a flat horn anvil. I usually try to use the right tool, for the right job.

calshoer wrote:
You could have used a four inch metal pipe to shape the student.

I have been an ardent advocate for round horned anvils for many years. In my advancing years I am tending to think that the main criteria is the ability to be more intelligent than witch ever anvil you chose.

As I remember when I went to school in the 70's the farrier pattern was used by the cold shoers , which was very popular at that time. The heel of the anvil was thinner to accomadate the smaller branches and the flat top horn with the clip horn would allow you to pop out the toe quarters and pull a clip with very little heat, like a torch or cold like a aluminum shoe. Back then I saw a lot of mouse ear clips, heels were either turned in the hardy hole or if you were strong handed just popped over the end of the horn. Seems like many of the horses had shoes with corner nicks in the toe and heel quarters.

Skip Messick

If I can remember back that far...when I baught my first anvil, I don't think I knew there was anything else.

Sitting right next to the coal forge in the shop where I first started was a farriers pattern anvil (clip horn and everything). When I went to buy an anvil for the truck, I baught one that looked about the same only a bit smaller.

I still have that anvil in the truck and two old Peter Wrights in the shop.

I have owned a few different styles of anvils, the AP RANGER was a favorite of mine , I was given it when my father in law passed away, then I started my certification journey and started useing a JHM certfier for a while but got spoiled by the JHM competitor 260# so I asked Brent at Stonewell to see if he could do a swingout style for my truck. He did a great job and its been a great anvil to work on for shoe mods and handmades. It does raise some eyebrows when I open the swingout doors, but I worry less of a rearender doing as much damage anymore.

Bill Adams wrote:I agree . . . and . . .

I have read/heard a lot over the years, opinions of Round v. Flat horns,

But I have yet to read/hear why ????

I think no-matter the horn each one would have a sweet spot.
(Sweet spot - Bob Marshall)

Straight up, I have only had a round horn.
Although I have used other anvils at times.

I also find that there has been this Hurcularian trend
to build shoes in less and less heats,
maybe with the goal in a few years
to build the entire shoe in one heat.
Flat bar too nail holes and seated out for sole pressure,
boxed and safed, one heat, YEA!

I have three divots in my anvil because,
I was working with a cold shaper for a while,
and started to do the same
to the detriment of my ONE OF pristine anvil.

Strike it while it's hot.
I have come to believe that
"If you try to shape black steel on a round horn
you are not using the round horn to its full potential
and might as well have a flat horn"

Here Is Why

A round horn can be used for shaping round, like,
you can shape flat on the flat face.

That's why sometimes you will angle the shoe on the horn,
to in effect enlarge the diameter of the horn for the larger shoes.

The round horn anvil has a control surface for round shaping.

A flat horn anvil makes a good boat anchor and thats about it. If I were buying a new one I would look at the AB Legend Anvil brand It is problably the best proportioned anvil I have seen and it is cheap at less than 500$ and it is still light enough to put in and out of a truck.

IRNWKR_2 wrote:
Some pretty good smithing is and has been done using things that most of us wouldn't even recognize as an anvil...with no horn at all even.

A good blacksmith can use just the face to make shoes we southerners found that out when the yankees come down and broke the horns off our anvils. If a choice was presented between the two most good blacksmiths would choose the round

I've spent a bit of time in blacksmith forums. Guys send in a picture of a trashed out anvil, ask how do I fix this? Answer is apt to be "why would you want to fix it? looks OK as is to me".

IRNWKR_2 wrote:

From what I've read, that's a myth.

IRNWKR_2 wrote:
I have to agree about the flat horned anvil as a boat anchor. I used just that to moor my Star racing boat in Setaucket Harbor. It worked much better as an anchor than it did to shape shoes on...

I am forever amazed at all the talk about the price of an anvil.

I figure after you make a Million dollars off of an anvil, you can probably afford to purchase a new one! :D