Show me abused anvils

[Glenn]

Anvils have not always received tender loving care. They show the scars, chips, dings, and broken parts of being misused. Show us photos of those anvils so we can better understand the value of an anvil in good condition.

[one_rod]

Looked a bit worse in real life than it does in the first photo.

Hoping it is going to look a lot better soon......



one_rod.

[irnsrgn]

If you are ever get close to Bonner Springs, Ks just west of Kansas City. There is the National Agricultural Hall of Fame Museum. It has some interesting displays of early farm life and Machinery, but do your self a favor and don't look in the east part of the Blacksmith Shop. There are over 300 of the most abused, derelick and unusable anvils you ever saw, and to add insult to injury some Idiot has numbered them with an arc welder, sometimes on the face. Took me about 2 weeks to recover from the shock.

The display should be labeled Boat Anchor Heaven.

The display is absoulutely disgusting and is a disgrace to the Blacksmithing profession in my opinion. There might be a few repairable anvils, but darn few.

[HWooldridge]

When I first bought it, my big Peter Wright was sway backed about 3/4" inch deep over 8-10 inches on one edge and the heel almost broken through at the hardy hole (all this was repaired). I have no pics of others but most of what I have seen consisted of sway backs, which is often just honest wear - and knuckleheads using a torch on them. The 400 lb Hay Budden I recovered for the local conservation society had been gouged with a torch and a chisel, all of which I welded up with the MIG and then reground. I have also seen faceplates busted off completely - two were Trentons that probably both had bad welds as they came away quite cleanly, leaving only small fragments of the face to show there was ever one at all. The typical damage a potential buyer usually sees is crumbled edges, which usually is a result of improper use.

[6013]

In the first post, is that sledge hammer behind the anvil part of the problem or just happen to be in the photo?

[Nolano]

Well, my current anvil was pretty severely borked when I got it. Nothing 4 hours of grinding couldnt fix.

[Brett]

hi all....

i am Brett AKA pcII75

this is my anvil.

a nice old mouse hole... i am the third owner of this anvil...

it is the first one pictured but heres is some more pics.


this anvil has been owned by me for about a year now.
it is from an old farm up in the north of Western australia just outside of geralton.

i was given this from a friend who got it from the station, bought it home to his place in geralton, and it fell off the trailer. burried up to the horn... and was left there for 2 yrs

but it is a nice anvil. great bounce and ring to it. its got a wrought iron body and tools steel top.. i love it...

but it was broken BEFORE i got it... i dont use a sledge on it.

the sledgie is one that i use with my father when he is doing spring work...
he cant swing anymore as he damaged his shoulders,

from the owner

brett

[ThomasPowers]

Makes me wish I had a digital camera...

I have several severly damaged anvils

The worst is a small vulcan with the horn broke off---just recently---they gave it to me when I found them a "real" anvil, displaying such bad casting porosity that I was amazed that it had held up long enough for them to batter the sides off till the face that's left is only about an inch or so wide.

Then I have a 1828 William Foster with the heel an 90% of the face missing; it was probably originally close to 125-150 # Cost $5

Then there is my "loaner" anvil, over 100#, good face but missing the heel, Name starts POW so I had to spend the $40 for it

Then there is my "cold work anvil" 407#, probably a trenton from the base dimple, beautiful face except that a copper mine's welders used it as a welding "table" and there is ugly gouges through that flat and nice face, got about $100 in it and may one day repair it to have a smaller back up from my main shop anvil

Finally I have an old oilpatch bridge anvil that has the typical beat to heck face on it.

Gotta go,

Thomas

[irnsrgn]

for what its worth, an anvil with horn broke off makes a nice upsetting work face while setting on the floor for those long pieces and also for pieces 18 to30 inches long too.

[Glenn]

We need to add this anvil to the thread as it would appear to be abused to some, but with a date of mfg of 1723, the abuse if mostly use, and is in rather good condition for it's age.