Affinity for the Anvil

The New Year 2020 saw many new things roll out here at Federal Brace including our updated logo! Yes, you could say we <3 anvils! Here's why we are #steelcrazy over man's oldest & most valuable tool:

♥ The anvils of modern times are made of steel & are not only durable but also return energy rather than absorbing it, making for enhanced efficiency. This “liveness” is characterized by the anvil's ability to cause a hammer to bounce up after each blow.

♥ In the Stone Age, man wailed on a stone anvil with a stone hammer. That stone anvil & hammer gave way to bronze, which was in common use from 3,000 - 1,000 B.C. About 1,700 B.C., the Hittites discovered iron & got to work producing iron anvils on which superior weapons were fabricated, giving the Hittites a military advantage over neighboring civilizations. But by the 14th century B.C., metallurgy had spread to the rest of the Middle East & beyond, leveling the playing field for weaponry & tool making in general.

♥ Early smiths typically made their own anvils, so originally there wasn’t a standard anvil shape. Anvil making didn’t become an industry until the 17th century at the Mousehole Forge in Sheffield, England with the “London” pattern -- a shape so universal that it has now worked its way into popular culture -- whether you’ve seen it being dropped from a cliff onto a cartoon character’s noggin, or in a Country/Western movie, it is for most people, the quintessential anvil shape.

As “tool use” is one of the defining descriptors of being a human being, what can be said of the tool that makes the tools? Anvils are unquestionably the most important tool in the development of civilization. Moving forward into 2020, at Federal Brace we continually remember our collective history. Federal Brace has become a standard in the industry for innovation, and is committed to superior quality and American made craftsmanship. Happy Valentine’s Day <3 & stay tuned for updates!