I'm a blacksmithing noob. I lucked across an anvil and a gas forge and I can't wait to try them out. I think the anvil is about an 1830 model and is definitely well-seasoned. It still has a nice ring, though. The face dips a little in the middle and is beaten up. The condition of the face doesn't matter much to me at this point as it's much better than what I've been using. However, I'm guessing the face will leave impressions in the steel. At some point, I'll consider resurfacing the face, but I don't want to ruin the anvil. Any opinions?
I'm a noob like you & picked up my first anvil last weekend. It was rusted pretty badly where you couldn't make out the makers name on it. But I thought overall it was in decent shape & the price seemed fair, so I brought it home. Besides, I thought it would be fun to take a wire brush to it & find out what I had. It took a couple hours, but I finally found Armitage Mouse hole & some numbers on it. I knew this anvil was old, but had no idea how old till I did the research. What a nice surprise that was & really made me glad I bought it. It definitely has that used but not abused look, especially being over 150 years old. It weighs in at 120 lbs. Not huge by any means, but a nice size none-the-less.
If I figure out how to post pics, I'll put a few up.
M & H Armitage Mouse Ear
in Anvils, Swage Blocks, and Mandrels
Posted
I'm a noob like you & picked up my first anvil last weekend. It was rusted pretty badly where you couldn't make out the makers name on it. But I thought overall it was in decent shape & the price seemed fair, so I brought it home. Besides, I thought it would be fun to take a wire brush to it & find out what I had. It took a couple hours, but I finally found Armitage Mouse hole & some numbers on it. I knew this anvil was old, but had no idea how old till I did the research. What a nice surprise that was & really made me glad I bought it. It definitely has that used but not abused look, especially being over 150 years old. It weighs in at 120 lbs. Not huge by any means, but a nice size none-the-less.
If I figure out how to post pics, I'll put a few up.