Fatfudd

Here's one that sold on ebay that is the same as the picture in Postman's AIA. If you don't have an ebay account you may not be able to open the site since its in the completed auction category. As you can see from my pictures, its different than the ebay/AIA pics. The difference is that ebay anvil and the one in AIA are made to fit over both narrow and standard gauge tracks. Mine is only for standard gauge tracks. http://www.ebay.com/...=p2047675.l2557

Yeah this isn't a bridge anvil. I would assume that AIA is copyrighted. You can probably see a copy at a library. The one in AIA is very similar except that it has a step on one side and a pritchel hole on the other. Other than that the shape is nearly the same.

Yeah it is a railroad anvil. made to fit over the rails so the workers had a large flat spot to beat on. Postman's picture in AIA is similar and probably a true steel anvil.

Right on Thomas, I think its going to be handy for small demos too, I can work on that big face without taking up too much room. - BTW sorry I didn't make it down for the last SWABA meeting at your shop. Sounds like I missed getting to cruise your scrap pile.

I think its ductile iron, has a ring but not a great one and sparks better than cast but not like steel. The old fellow I got it from trades alot in old railroad stuff and he had several. He thought it was steel but obviously it isn't. Oh well, tried it out this afternoon with some heavy gauge steel and that wide of a platform works nicely. Didn't have to give much for it so it'll be handy without remorse.

I picked up an unusual anvil today- its a rail anvil, made to fit over a railroad track. Its face is 9in wide x 8in long and 8.5in tall, weighs about 80lbs. Its cast steel and has about a 50% redound, about like a piece of rail track. Postman mentions these in AIA and has one picture. Doesn't say much else tho. I'm assuming its the same quality of steel as a rail track and could be heat treated. If any of you know more about them I would appreciate your thinking on heat treating it.

There are a number of ways to score a decent anvil. You need to ask everyone you meet if they know of anyone with an anvil. Also check the tailgating section of IFI, we are always posting good opportunities. Where are you located?

In Postman's book AIA he says that Hay Budden made anvils marked U.S. and shows one in his book. His picture shows one that is very similar to your drawing.

Sure would like to see the results.

Thank you Stewart! I appreciate all you have stated. I clearly don't have the kind of experiance some of you have but I thought I could add a few observations. I have 4 Hay Buddens now and have had several other brands in the past. I had a long narrow 150lb Trenton which I have regretted selling for many years. Also, an Arm and Hammer which was one of the nicest anvils I ever owned. To add to your discussion of Hay Buddens, I have a 240lb (made in 1895) that someone decided to resurface the face. They didn't take it off evenly but rather sloped it straight down from the hardie hole to the step above the table. At the deepest they took about 1/4in off at the step above the table. The surface is still slightly dented, gouged, pitted but is still very hard. A one inch steel ball will still give an 85% bounce. in the sweet spot This anvil was obviously used a great deal after being resurfaced and I have used it for years as my main shop anvil. At the heal the face plate is more than 5/8 in thick so at the step its slightly less than 1/2in thick but shows no sway at all.

That should work as a long as you have good contact with the expanded metal, so they are a complete electrical circuit.

To me it looks like the heel with the pritchel hole was broken off and they ground it square. It just doesn't look balanced with the heel too stubby.

You have to separate the items to be derusted from the anode. Here is a good video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBQqvXfYj9s from the wood workers guild of America.

It would be a wrought iron body with a steel face plate, They are good anvils and yours looks to be very nice.

I'd say you did really well, nice setup which probably took me 3 or 4 years to accumulate a similar amount. Now if you'll ship that anvil to me I won't tell your wife.

Pictures would help a lot. Take some of the waist under the horn and of the underside of the base, besides the sides and and feet.

We're in an area where there are few nice anvils and so the prices here are high. However, it wouldn't get much attention for that sized anvil at $400. More like $250-300 here too. Your area, Ohio would probably be a better place for buying anvils so they might not command as high a price. Its a nice anvil but its a small anvil which is useful for portability and good for beginners. One problem people have with ebay is they look at what someone is asking or hoping to get. You really need to look at the completed auctions for a better estimator of the market price. Also, you have really well established sellers on ebay like matchless antiques who can command much higher prices than your average seller. They have a reputation which makes the big buyers comfortable that they will get what is shown rather than get ripped off. Even then they won't get final prices like you are thinking you might get for the small anvil. For example, if you have an ebay account you can look at this 121lb anvil HB anvil for some idea of price- http://www.ebay.com/itm/NICE-121-lb-HAY-BUDDEN-ANVIL-Blacksmith-Forge-/120964784179?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2a102033 In any case its a nice anvil and I'm sure you'll do well selling it.

One just sold on ebay for $31. Sorry

It could have been made by HB, sure looks like one to me also.

Need more pics to help- one of the underside of the base, one under the horn, each side a little closer and straight on, and one each of the front and back feet.

To be honest its nearly impossible to see anything in your photos. Southern Crescent made some cast iron anvils with steel tops similar to Vulcans but they usually had a poor quality stamping on the side. Its possible that your anvil is one of the many made by small forges that just are no longer remembered. If you could take some better quality pictures showing the underside of the base, under the horn., both sides of the anvil and a picture of some distance so we could see the anvil as a whole without having to scroll across the screen? Try so size them down some and don't do any photo corrections, that just makes the pics grainy. That might give us some more clues.

Wow That is a treasure!!!!!!!!!! Its beautiful. It was made in the first year of production 1892 by HB. I would imagine that collectors would pay a small fortune for that anvil in that condition. Matchless antiques just sold a smaller HB anvil (108lbs) made in 1894 on ebay that they called mint and wasn't quite as nice as yours for over $720. Good for you!

Looks good to use, the weight stamp is 177lbs if I see it correctly ie. 1.2.9 ?

Then again it could be a Chinese knock off.

Postman said in his book that Hay Budden anvils have a number stamped on the waist under the horn. He goes on the say that HB was the only anvil maker that did that. They made anvils for lots of different companies, I have 2 that they made for others.