orcat

The hole does go all the way through, just a bad angle in the pic. If I stand it on point, how would I be able to utilize the hardy hole?

Thats a very good point. I have read alot about mass under the anvil...I think that I just got caught up in the "wow, look at the face on this one" mentality. What you said makes a lot of sense. How much would you leave sticking out of the sand. I am from Manchester, CT and have updated my profile. If anyone near me is willing to spend the time showing some pointers etc, I would welcome the opportunity.

This is great news...thanks. I think for now, I will just use the big face. I need to get many many hammer hours under me before I know the advantages of any other setup of how to even use them. Would you "dress" the face in any way?

Hi all, I have enjoyed reading this forum very much. I have been looking around for a piece of steel to use as an anvil. I was at the scrap yard yesterday and found something that may be a hidden gem. The really neat part is that it comes with a hardy hole (approx 15/16" square). I have been thinking about building a triangular base and filling it with sand (like the planter box image attached just much stronger). The piece measures 17.5 " on all sides and is 3.25 " thick My questions for the experts here are: - your impressions of this hunk of steel and its anvil 'potential' (it weighs approx 150 ls) - do you think the planter box idea would be good in keeping this as quiet as possible - how do I know if it is cast or forged (it has been cut into its current shape, you can see the saw marks) - any idea what the heck it really is? - would you lop off a small triangle off of one of the corners and use that as a fuller hardy? Thanks for all your comments. If I didn't ask something or think of something, please let me know. I am a beginner and love to learn. Thanks John