ThomasPowers

And the results of the percussive test?

The recent cast anvils from Mexico don't usually show the handling holes in the base. Older anvils will generally have a much thicker heel if cast. What does the bottom of the anvil look like? ArtWerkz can you tell us what country this anvil was found in? Helps quite a lot!

I have one where it looks like carbide strip was put into the edge.

Heat one up to non-magnetic and quench in water. Did it crack in quench? => high C; if not: Then WEARING PROPER SAFETY GEAR try to break it with a hammer---I generally either set it in a post vise or use the step on the anvil and tap it gently increasing force until it breaks or bends. How much force used is INVERSELY proportional to carbon content. Another method is to grind it and check the spark spray---every welding text I have ever read had a spark/carbon chart in it. Don't have a grinder? Perhaps you are not ready to make knives...

Dilute Ferric Chloride is a favorite.

Dremils, chisels, drills, needle files (and other files). A lot of fancy ones are cast using the lost way process where you carve the wax positive---a lot easier than carving brass

Real pretty looking forges he has indeed! If you are in the market you might want to look into them!

Swords were very "high end" weapons. Grunts usually got spears. As such it was expected that fit and finish would be at the upper range of such things. (learning to live by the sword was pretty much a full time job and so you had to be of the social class that other folks would be supporting you while you did so.) A crude sword would indicate someone who was not of the upper class and so not trained and so dead. (Hollywood would like us to forget such things and is full of examples of untrained people winning against highly trained folk---not a common thing at all!)

Yup you might be able to run across a nice high alloy already hardened die chunk for scrap rate.

Generally charcoal forges work best with a deeper pile of charcoal and less air than a coal forge would use. When I switch my solid fuel forge from coal to charcoal I place a couple of firebricks on their narrow sides by the firepot to control the width of the fire and make it easier to get it deeper. The object of having a deeper fuel pile is to make sure that all excess oxygen is used up before it gets to the metal. Hard to weld if the piece can oxidize. If the piece can't oxidize then with proper temp you can weld without flux! Having the fuel is smaller chunks helps too---some folks drive the charcoal through a metal grid to subdivide it smaller---makes a mess! I usually just what the larger pieces with the forge rake. My double lunged bellows was quite a bit larger, (about 48x48 as I recall---took 2 sheets of plywood to make it). I did a bunch of forge welding with it, also had more air space in the grate I believe---used an old cast iron drain grate.

How big the bellows? How big the air opening(s) in the bottom of the forge? How deep was the charcoal pile? how far up from the bottom was the "hot spot" and about a dozen more questions *you* need to answer to get anything more than a wild guess. Example: I have problems with my truck not going fast enough---can you trouble shoot it from that much info? (would telling you it was 20 years old, 4 cylinder, gas engine, and carrying a heavy load help any?)

I'd just fab a steel mending plate and let it have some "room" to move and expect it to last longer than I will!

Yeah; they could have just screwed in some polycarbonate sheets to the rails to fix the entrapment issue instead of removing the rails...Problem is the liability they would take on *thinking*.

Sledge + anvil horn can equal hornless anvil! I'd get good striking before I used it on the horn and then only on a LARGE anvil!

PM sent!

It can backfire; I've fished some stuff out of a dumpster at the end of a fleamarket day that I had given what I considered a fair offer for earlier. Fellow had rather throw it away than get *some* money for it.

"sharp" narrow feet, bulky waist, forge welded face. Mousehole or closely related brand for sure. Great anvil, great price---get to work!

*I* would have jumped on that one and I'm nortoriously cheap---I didn't even buy the powerhammer I found on the way back from the SWABA-AABA conference yesterday and it was only US$100... "caribou in the trunk" sounds like a band name

What he said---can't suggest a heat treat without knowing intended use!

Well I knew a fellow who made a lot of lovely swords out of D2. Biggest problem with it is that you really need a *great* heat treat furnace to get all the goodness out of that alloy. (He had a ramping computerized inert atmosphere custom built for swords electric furnace) "blacksmith methods" just are not going to get the best out of that steel. Since it is a *die* steel (tough, hard, resists abrasion) I think you could use it for long wearing tooling *if* you get proper heat treat. Definitely not a steel to get started with!

I've seen a historic Asiatic flanged mace before where the flanges are the characters for "Long Life".

Remember the IBA conference is usually in early June as I recall and will probably have anvils there. It would be nice to see this anvil to a good home and at closer to $1 a pound it would be a decent deal particularly if there were any other tools as "boot". Ask about a swage block, cone mandrel, etc. And yes tapping the anvil is a good test on that kind!

So are you going to come over to the AZ/NM Blacksmithing Conference and brag about it this weekend?

I'd counter offer $150; any sign of what brand it is? What does the base look like?

Neutralize, let it dry out and take residue to toxic waste pickup day? If it's only copper, I don't think chlorides of copper are that bad compared to something like Chrome!