Timothy Miller

The Thicker the better it will last longer. The steel will oxidize away as you use it. I have heard of people using 1/4 inch plate. I made one years ago out of some I-beam flanges that were 5/8". If you are going to take the time to make your own use the best material you can get your hands on. Cast iron would be better as it stands up to fire better. I suppose if you could get your hands on some stainless steel that would work very well for the job. A lot of people use old brake drums.

That's neat who made that anvil?

That looks like a Wilkinson anvil with the horn broke off. That happened sometimes on older anvils because the horn was forge welded on and it may not have been a very good weld. Not that forge welding is inherently weak just that they did not do a good job.

I have no problem with hobbyists I help them when ever I can. I have literally given away tons of drops of steel. Stayed late to show them a thing or two at the forge. A few months ago I gave a champion cast iron forge with a 400 blower and anvil #110 hey budden to a very earnest young smith who kept coming by and asking to learn stuff. This person turned me on to a very large forging job that kept me busy for months. But the idea that there should be some code of ethics that governs collecting tools is preposterous. The item is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it. no more no less. I even have a length of RR track that I keep cutting pieces off of that I give away to people. who cant afford a real anvil.

Talk to me when you cant pay your mortgage with out using an anvil to make money that is need.

I did not pay very much for this. I did not know what it was.

I hammer iron six days a week at my shop. It would be worth it to me to pay 1500 for a 325 lb Hey Budden in good condition because its what pays the rent for me and I would need it if I did not have one. If I came in to work tomorrow and all of my anvils were gone I would pay top dollar for a new one in a heart beat. A hobbiest doesn't need an anvil he or she just wants one. It took me over two years to find my first anvil now I run into them every few months. I buy them and usually resell them to people show up at my shop looking for an anvil. I usually just mark the up 15% to 20% just to cover my time. I do this because I know how hard it is to find anvils. I have 4 employees that all to some degree have smiting ability. Of the 6 I have 3 of the anvils I have see daily use. Of the ones I don't use one is an old mouse hole form about 1820 or so. The face beat to hell. I bought because it is just a beautiful object and it reflects a lifetime or more of blacksmith work. This has a lot of meaning to me personally as a blacksmith. Another is the Sampson witch is too small for me to use and I look at it as an antique. The third is a 2 horn Fisher that belonged to my first teacher who passed last year not sure was I am going to do with it. I have had some very serious offers from dealers for this anvil. If you cant afford a 200 to 300 for an anvil just beat on a hunk of RR track until you can save enough of your pocket change to buy one. You might luck into one for less but you want to pound iron right?

There are only two known of this brand of anvil. Richard Postman said that this is the only one he has ever seen. In the book he says he could not locate one. He told me the other one is very poor condition. I met a few guys guys at sofa who collect smaller table top size anvils and seem quite devoted to it. I have noticed there seems to be resentment towards anvil collecting from some people. How is it any different from collecting guns or cars. I know some people want them to be dirt cheap but look at it this way. Old anvils are basically hand made by today's standards. They are made with materials and or processes that are no longer used. No body is going to start up a plant making wrought iron or for welding cast iron to steel. Then take years to learn all of the processes and skills necessary to make a good quality anvil. What would that anvil sell for $5000 or something like that. Also you can buy a decent starter anvil for $200 $300 bucks and turn around and get you money out of it just by listing it on eBay. What other thing can you do that with. And you can make a living with one. If anything old anvils are too cheap.

I was told this was the Holy Grail of anvils.

I picked this up about a year ago. I had no idea what I had. I thought it was just a no name steel faced cast iron anvil. I weighs about 70 lbs. It seems to have seen very little use. I am not a hard core collector I own about 5 or six anvils. I am a professional smith with about 10 years in the trade. I have read Anvils in America 2 or 3 times. I took this out to Sofa meet this fall, and showed it to Richard Postman. He said it was the first he had ever seen but there is another known in the northwest. He said that mine was unusual because the trademark is on the cutting table. The mark is stamped not cast. I may eventually sell this for the right price but for now I just want to show it off.

I have made spear points in a die. I use two dies. One to point and another to form a spear. takes about 45 seconds per piece. This is competitive with cast iron spears.