Fatfudd

you are getting lots of good advise but your dilemma will always be finding as good(quality) an anvil at any time in the future. I would suggest that $300 is a very reasonable price for a decent anvil. You may not see another of that quality for months or years, and again there maybe two next week for a somewhat cheaper price. That being said I have been looking at anvils for years and always regretted that first one I could have picked up because I thought he was asking $50 too much. I waited at least 2 years before I found a similar anvil for the same price. Just get it and don't sweat the small stuff.

Kinda looks like that old sway back horse the little rascals would ride. I'm with Thomas it looks a lot like cast iron. Better to not spend much money to repair it. Figure out some other use for it like a swage block or a stake holder.

Using copper is a great method to show the effects of the various dies on the hammer face. It gets you to thinking about the faces of other hammers and their use by skilled smiths. Thanks for the video, very educational.

Ah Thanks Phil, My error don't use Castcraft!

Yep that is a good candidate for a repair. 7018 works good if you are careful when you use it, even if it is somewhat work hardened it will still dent easily. 11018 is a pretty brittle rod and might cause issues with cracking. Castcraft is good and I have heard lots of good things about its use,

It has been said above that you can get all the hammers you will ever need from garage sales and flea markets and not really spend much money. You can always regrind them to do what you want. I made several hammers as my need for them arose. For example I made a 1.5lb compact cross peen out of an atha 3lb sledge I bought at a garage sale for $1. I reheated it, tempered it.and now use it quite often. Once when I thought I could afford it I did buy an Elmer Roush hammer which is exquisite and I probably use it more than any of my other hammers. If you can afford the money Elmer's hammers are probably some of the best. http://www.elmerrous...ml/hammers.html Here are some pics of the 1.5lb hammer I made using an angle grinder and a belt sander.

I really don't notice the mats since there is usually a lot more things laying on the floor that I trip over. They are pretty soft so it isn't like hitting a 1/2in thick board. I think your suggestion would probably work just fine but I'd have them stick out a little ways from the foot maybe an inch or two. Part of the adhesion to the floor is the foam on the edges. not just what's under the foot. You probably noticed there are several burn marks where hot things have fallen on the mats but in reality they just smoke and don't usually ignite. I might give your suggestion a try on my smallest anvil and see how it works,

I've had my anvils mounted on various contraptions over the years. My 240lb HB was mounted on a 20x20in square hardwood block for much of its existence. It was ok but I like to tinker so I made a 3 legged frame with scrap tubing and angle iron just to see if I would like that. It was ok until I got some of the foam rubber matting that you can piece together, that made all the difference. It sort of cushions the stand and sort of glues it to the floor but still allows you to move the anvil if need be. I tosed the wood block and made two more stands for my other anvils, They seem to work great and I have no problem with the bouncing or moving even when I really get to heavy pounding.

Yeah. The connection of the metal to wood will keep the plate from jumping around.You can pound on anything hard, heck rocks were and still are used in many parts of the world. If you are pounding hot metal, soft steel will work for a while until something better comes along. Much is made of using anvil because of the hardness and rebound of the surface plate but you have to go with what you have. you might also try to find a piece of railroad track at a local scrap yard. I used one for many years.

Welcome aboard! Hopefully you'll feel comfortable enough to join in the various discussions. I agree with Sask, it has some of the characteristics of a PW. Nice looking anvil too! If you get it, post some better pics with the weight and dimensions.

Yeah that looks like a very nice anvil. If you can, some pictures with better lighting would be much appreciated, ie base, waist at all four sides, feet(front and back), sides, etc. Some of us who use anvils are also students of them and a new type of one(at least to me) like yours would provide much valuable info. Is there any other markings that you can see? does the base (underside) have a ridge along its edges? There were only a few cast steel anvil makers in the US so this could be valuable from an info standpoint. Thanks

an engine hoist works good for moving big objects out of trunks and they can usually be rented pretty cheap.

The pics don't seem to download for me but it seems like a reasonable deal depending on the demand for anvils in your area.

Brooks are extremely good anvils, they are cast steel and highly sought after. 140lbs. Price will depend on condition and without pics its difficult to say what its worth. Also price will depend on what anvils are going for in your location but they are valuable. If you can pick it up cheap, do it. Here's one on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEAR-MINT-336-lb-JOHN-BROOKS-CAST-STEEL-Blacksmith-Anvil-Forge-/130741486758?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e70ccc4a6#ht_10609wt_1397

Only thing that troubles me is that the description says the rebound is only fair. He is very honest about his listings and if it is fair then it might be a soft face.

scrap yards seem to be getting about $1.00/pound here locally for anvils. I've talked them down on one but they have a ready made group of buyers especially one dufus who is making a wall of anvils in his man room. He buys any and all. Kind of a shame too because I heard he bought five including a 500+ lb one. If its a good one a $1/lb is a a deal.

That is a nice anvil. The chisel mark don't affect the use of the anvil and they are in the softer wrought iron not the hardened steel face. As has been mentioned you can grind them out but that's what that little table is for. As to price, what I have seen in Wy. is that anvils aren't very common but hopefully you can get it for a good price. That being said a really nice anvil like that one is worth what ever you are willing to pay for it. If you don't get it, it is highly likely you regret not spending a little more. Believe me I have been there and have kicked myself ever since.

I guess you sorta answered your own question, Swedish anvils are very good quality.

Go!

The only way anyone will be able to answer your question is to take pictures close up of the sides, the numbers if any on the feet, any other markings like under the horn and the base of the anvil. The pics will need to be clear and if possible showing good contrast. Other than that it looks like a pretty nice anvil.

yep my math was bad for general scrap.I humbly stand corrected!

seeing as how you could get $94 for your purchase just selling it as scrap, I'd say you did really good plus you still have more than enough face to use for making just about anything. Heck, that is a lot better than most folks start out with, certainly better than my rail anvil I had for years.

Here's the dilemma with your question, If there is no other number preceding the 5125 then it was made in 1893. Since HB made approximately 10,000 anvils a year after 1895 if there is a number preceding the 5125 then it could have been made in any year after 1895. In other words if the serial number is 15125 then it would have been made in 1895, if the serial number is 25125 then it was made in 1896, etc. It was definitely made prior to 1908 since it is a three piece style. Hope this helps.

My first thought was that it is a Trenton, and it probably is, however there are a few things that don't follow the typical Trentons. For example Postman indicates that the words "solid Wrought" are in a circle he gives no indication that they were in a straight line on Trentons but some Hay Buddens have had the solid wrought in a straight line, The small circular stamp does not appear to match the CFI or "Buell Patent" that were found on Trentons but that may be a brand for a hardware company. Further It does have a flat bottom which the first(1898) Columbus Forge and Iron anvils had, and it does have a serial number on the foot in the right location for a Trenton but only the American made Trentons had serial numbers, so its not a German made Trenton. The serial number 3568 does correspond to the 1898 dates of manufacture for Trenton anvils. The reason I asked about other marks, like under the horn, is that Hay Buddens have a number stamped along the waist under the horn, so if there isn't one there then its not an HB. If it is a Trenton then it would have to be made in 1898 and is one of the very first made by CFI. All that being said and as Postman indicates there were a number of other manufacture's of anvils that came and went, so it could also be made by one of the others. However, my guess like the others is that it is a Trenton. If you could chalk the sides some other distinguishing marks may show up.

Hmm Farrier anvil(that helps in defining the time frame)- also a very interesting anvil, Are there any other marks on it, like under the horn on the waist? what does the base look like, could you give us a picture of that?