Fatfudd

It looks like a 224lb Peter Wright anvil, a good shop sized anvil.

Good estimate- My 288lb Hay Budden is 33in long.

My 300 lb Hay Budden is 33 in long and 5 in wide. They can vary a little in size and weight but I would say that one is closer to 275 lbs, That being said the larger the anvil the more the price goes up simply because there are fewer of the large ones. At $750 for a 275 lb anvil puts the price around $2.70/lb. Altho a lot of folks have found anvils much cheaper than that, myself included, that is a really decent price for a bigger anvil. The prices for anvils keeps going up driven by ebay and collectors. What you described as the rebound sounds normal when using a small hammer to test it, clearly a 1 in steel bearing is better. If that anvil were here in NM it would have been sold in minutes at $1000, because there are far fewer anvils here than say Ohio. The price for anvils is very location dependent. My guess is that you still won't find many 275 lb anvils for sale at that price even in VA.

Our group- NM Artist Blacksmith Association, carries insurance thru one of the major carriers. It isn't terribly expensive as I remember but very necessary. It covers all of our events. If you want go to our website- http://nmaba.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?sl=472244841 and ask.

I think cbl4823 raises an interesting question however I don't know if a true answer about this anvil can exist until someone with a Sheffield OH anvil can come forward to show the style of construction and that can be compared to your small anvil. I have an open mind on this and would love to see the correct answer. i still go back to Postman's description of Mousehole anvils and he is very definitive about how a Mousehole is recognized. He basically says that the ridge on the underside of the horn is only found on Mousehole's. Hopefully, someone out there has a real Sheffield OH anvil and would be kind enough to share it with us. It appears from the reference provided above Singer, Nicholson was only the the anvil making business for a very few years?

Yep, that's the same as my Mousehole anvils. I think you are safe to assume it was made by Mousehole and is probably rare due to the markings. Oh, BTW Postman's book on Mousehole forge is really interesting not just from the standpoint of their anvils but also it gives a very unique perspective on the history and development of iron working in England.

My curiosity got the better of me so I looked in Postman's book on the Mousehole forge and found that Mousehole made anvils for other concerns in the Sheffield area. Among the ones listed are Sanderson, Tillotson and LOMA Forming, but those are only a few. The style of letterig on you anvil matches the anvils pictured in Postman's book. Postman indicates that you can verify if it is a Mousehole anvil by feeling the underside of the horn. If it has a point or ridge on the underside running from the body towards the point, then it is a Mousehole. Let us know what you find.

Those are the handling holes that were used to move the anvil as it was being forged. You might imagine that the anvil would be very very hot and it would be tricky to hold it in place for the various operations that were needed to create a finished product. By the way, those old "colonial" anvils as they are called are getting to be collectable. I can't tell you how much its worth because its really dependent on where you live but I have seen nice ones in good condition going for more than $3/lb. Ohio seems to be where most of the anvils were bought and used by every person, so there are a lot of them in the area.

Postman's book on Mousehole anvils mentions that there were several manufactures of anvil in Sheffield. When I get time I'll look back at his book and see if I can a reference to that manufacturer, Your anvil was manufactured after 1835 but is still quite old based on its shape and the pointed feet. Most of those old anvils were very well made and still are quite useful. My C&A mousehole was made between 1790 and 1820 and still has excellent rebound. Use it, enjoy it,and take care of it!

we can't even begin to guess what kind of anvil it is until you can provide more pictures. Sorry

I make things to sell! If you really want to sell those things that you can make, then look at what will sell. Frosty is right on " If I want to sell things I make things that sell. It's a matter of knowing your market and charging what the market will bear. charge too little and folk will go to a big box store and buy mig welded bent rod. You have to charge enough to make folk think it's worth buying". I make things that sell, but few of those things are the typical "Blacksmith" types of items. I don't sell many sell many fireplace items but I do sell lots of yard art focused on the region that I live in. I don't sell many trivets but I do sell a lot of things that women want for modern kitchens. Frosty is absolutely correct, know your market. Charging the right amount is critical, if its too cheap then it won't get the correct recognition because its "cheap"! Randy McDaniels told me this past summer that you must price your products so that their value is recognized. At the same time you better be making items that display the value that they are worth.

Actuall you need to look for Jeremalm metal artist

I couldn't insert where I got those pictures from but its one of my favorite metal artists Tobbe Malm search for his web site - Jeremalm

Back in the early 1900's there were several concerns that remanufactured railroad rails into bench anvils. There have been a number of them posted in IFI and on other websites. They can usually be purchased for next to nothing but show very high quality workmanship. Here is an ad from that early time frame and a picture of my little anvil.

My 400lb fisher anvil has a top plate size of 6X21. If the weight markings are still visible it would be on the top of the front feet (the left one as you face the horn). The date would be under the tail of the anvil above the feet.

I, like Dave Budd, have made many spoons without the use of a swage by simply using a light weight ball peen hammer on the anvil. I regularly do demos for school kids asking them where they thought people in the 1800's got spoons from if there was no walmarts around, Then I make a spoon out of a piece of 3/8 round bar in about 10 minutes. If you really want/think you need a swage block go to the Salt Fork Craftsman website http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/swage.shtml. Their swage blocks are very reasonable and since OK isn't too far away from you the shipping shouldn't be expensive.

Thanks Daswulf and others! Frosty asked- "I love the steak flipper bottle opener FF. What's the critter head?" I dunno. I was going to make a dragon but just got lazy. It kind of looks like a cartoon head of a bird. I like making things out of railroad spikes but if had to make a living using them I'd starve to death. Here are a few other bottle openers I make- One is a spike too The tail is the opener. Hmm the order of the photos sort of got rearranged. The next ones are my chile openers which I do make and sell. I'll show a copy of the flyer that I attach to the chiles which seems to help make the sale. I make them in groups of six so I can test them for quality assurance in one evening. New Variety of NM Chile – Corrales Extra Hard (co-RAL-es X-tra Haaard) Our own hand forged variety of chile, sure to be a once in a lifetime experience! Epicurious review: minus 92 points (-92pts.) A somewhat heavy, and rugged treat, Sure to quell the appetite of even the most seasoned chile aficionado! Lightly coal smoked aroma with a distinctly metallic aftertaste. If consumed it is highly recommended that an appointment with the dentist is prescheduled and possibly an ambulance standing by for a rapid sojourn to the emergency room! Tips for usage: Special events such as; Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Grand Opening of a New Six-pack, etc. Desert Dawg Art (Forge)

If you are really bored on a Sunday afternoon and want to give your arm a good workout, make a steak hook/bottle opener out of a railroad spike. It'll take about 2 hours without a power hammer.

That anvil was posted on CL in NM and AZ. I asked the guy what he thought was so special about an anvil of that size that would make it so expensive. He said he had a number of anvils and this particular one was very desireable, being "hand forged" in 1907. It was on CL for about a month, maybe longer then was gone. I wanted to see his other anvils and talk to him about this one but never heard back from him.

I wouldn't worry about a bit of sway especially that small of an amount. Just use the anvil and don't sweat the small stuff!

That's a pretty nice anvil, its not a trenton since the weight is on the side. Its not a swedish one either. May be one of the other American brands like a Hay Budden or an Arm and hammer. If the rebound is good I wouldn't worry about anything else, The sway won't be a problem as mentioned above. All in all it appears to be a good anvil for whatever you could wish to do. The prices for decent anvils keeps going up driven by Ebay so you might have a hard time finding a cheaper one.

Most of the smiths around here, myself included, use beer kegs with the top cut off. Mine is the old style beer keg with the rounded sides rather than the newer straight sided kegs in use today. I made a sieve/screen out of galvanized expanded metal with a handle that comes above the water line to fish out small pieces/tools/etc. that get dropped in the quench bucket.

From what I can see it looks like a Vulcan anvil with the 70 cast in the body under the horn. They are cast iron with a thin steel top plate that's why you don't get any ring and the top will dent fairly easily. Usually(on Vulcans) the top plate on the face of the anvil was not much taller than the top of the horn as distinguished from Fisher cast iron and steel anvils which had a somewhat taller and thicker face plate.

I can't top Frosty but here is one that will last you thru out the year. Happy New Year All!

Either anvil would be a good choice, but the soderfors anvil is a real collectors piece and would probably sell for $8 or $10/ lb if it were on Ebay here in the US.