G-ManBart

Does it have the punch mark on the side opposite the name? Any pics of the entire anvil?

Thanks for the correction. You know, there's a polite way to correct someone, but you chose otherwise. I guess you'd also suggest that only people with a lifetime of knowledge, based solely upon actual experience should ever try to help someone here.

Sure looks to be in nice condition! You could double your money tomorrow if you wanted to (I wouldn't if I were you). I watched a 128lb PW in similar condition go for $850 last weekend There isn't any way to get 100% rebound if the test is done right. The very best anvils in the world only get about 90% and those are usually only modern cast steel anvils.

According to Anvils in America, your uncle's anvil was made in 1912. Mr. Postman mentions finding a Hay Budden with "BB" immediately to the right of the serial number, but has no explanation for what those letters stood for. SS wouldn't stand for Solid Steel because HB anvils weren't solid steel. They were made with two different processes, but both included wrought iron, or low carbon bases.

Thanks guys...I paid just under $4/lb which wasn't a steal, but I thought it was fair considering the condition. I haven't put a hammer to it, but the rebound is really fantastic with a ball bearing. I've been hoping to get something in the 100-125lb range that wouldn't be painful to move, so this looks like it. I expect to have two forging areas set up eventually...propane inside and coal outside (under cover). The plan is to have a big and small anvil near each of them. The lineup looks good now....330lb Refflinghaus and 305lb PW for the heavy anvils, and 167lb Trenton and 130lb Kohlswa for the lighter anvils. Still, I seem to have a hard time passing up a good deal on an anvil...so if I run into any more....

To be fair, it does have a faint "59" on the side near the table, so I guess I should have listed it in Kilograms

I stayed home to take my wife to the airport today with the plan of working on a few projects afterwards, but I got slightly sidetracked. I did my morning check of the local Craigslist ads, and this anvil was posted in the previous 20min. I sent the seller a text (not a fan, but that's what the ad said) and waited. As I pulled up to the terminal my phone went off...it was the seller. He still had it, would be home in a hour, and it was only 20min away. I ran a couple of errands, then headed over to his house. It's been used a little bit, and was pretty rusty, but I think it cleaned up nicely. Two hours with a wire wheel got it pretty clean. It had a couple of chips on the left side edge I dressed up, and then lightly ran a worn 120gr flap disc on the face to get the few heavier spots of corrosion off, and followed it with a unitized wheel. I think it turned out pretty well. The rebound is fantastic and it's as loud as you would expect from this style anvil! Sorry the pics aren't better...was struggling with the afternoon glare.

I read the thread, but maybe you didn't read the OP's last comment where he essentially ruled out cast iron based upon the sparks? The answer you gave was "it might be this with this, or this with that" so it may not have been perfectly clear to him. Even if the answer was there crystal clear, and the OP simply missed it, is that a reason to yell at him? Would you address someone like that in person....yell at them the same sentence four times in a row if they didn't understand your first explanation? I sure hope not...

Sheesh....what's with "shouting" in bold text over and over? The guy asked a pretty simple question...no need to yell at him.

Will do!

I wish I could get out of work for this! I'd like to sample the chicken, but really want to check out the shop!

Note quite, but that was the common theory for years. Recently, a bunch of guys did a lot of research based on a thread on another forum, and with hundreds of examples to go by, figured out the specifics. The short version is that if the key isn't stamped with "GUAR EXP" and a date, the vise was manufactured during the month/year it was stamped. Only vises with the GUAR EXP and a date were made five years prior to the date stamp. It appears that the 5-year post dating started in late 1954 and ended in 1960. Vises built from 1941 to some point in 1945 had no date stamp at all, so the earliest date stamps will be 1945. The other thing to note is that the date code isn't necessarily when the vise was cast, it was when it was completed, and released for sale. Some models were cast in very large lots that took decades to deplete. The most commonly seen examples are the 2" jaw baby models. Almost all of them were cast in Chicago, but we've seen examples with date stamps on the slide going well into the 1980s as I recall. All of them that I've had were stamped in the 1960s, long after Wilton left Chicago in 1957...they must have hauled a lot of them from Chicago to Schiller Park! I'm going to publish an article on this on my website soon...the question comes up all the time, so it'll be nice to have a ready reference for folks. On the Reed, the patent was for the split collar and adjustable nut stop that lets you adjust all the lash out of the spindle...it's a great feature. Yours was probably made no later than the 1950s because the very last run had replaceable jaws and ended in the 1960s...going off memory. You have one of the absolute best 6" vises ever made...I'd love to have that one!

Those are cool! I would love to find something similar, much less at scrap prices!

That's a good one...probably 150lbs+ as already mentioned. I just picked up a Trenton that was 30" long, and 11.5" tall and it's 167lbs. H-B usually are a bit thicker in a couple of spots than most Trentons, so the weights should be close.

After spending 8 hours in the forge taking a blacksmithing class I stopped on the way home and picked up this 167lb Trenton. It was a great ending to a great day! The serial number puts it at 1926, so not particularly old, but it has excellent ring and rebound. The edge chips aren't too bad so I think it's going to turn into one heck of a good user! The folks in the class knew I was going to look at it after we got done and all said to leave it in the truck if I got it, so it's strapped down and ready to roll. I wish there was time to get a base ready so I could hammer some hot steel on it tomorrow! Here she is after about five minutes of fine wire wheel to be able to read the markings...

I didn't think of that, but you're probably right. I couldn't figure out why the casting was broken, and it must be the feet/bolt holes are long gone, as well as the vise portion. Not a bad fishing weight :-)

This isn't mine, but it's at an estate sale coming up soon. I don't need another anvil right now, but it looked kind of interesting. Anybody have an idea what it is, and if it's worth trying to see in person? Based off the orange cone behind it, I don't think it's very big.

$4/lb isn't bad at all for that anvil!

According to Anvils In America, it could be either 1893 or 1918. For it to be 1918 there would need to be an "A" before the numbers. H-B made anvils from 1892 to 1925, so if you're right, yours could be a second year production...pretty cool!

That's actually a 4" vise, not an 8" vise (jaw width is the standard) and it's been beat on quite a bit. Columbians are solid vises, but don't command high prices, for a number of reasons. One, they were always considered something of a value brand among American vises, and there were tons of them out there. They also have hollow jaw towers, so they weigh less for a given jaw width than most of the competition. A heavy 4" vise would be something like a Parker 824 that weighs in at 85lbs on a swivel base. A 4" fixed base Columbian that weighs 36lbs is honestly on the small side. I paid $60 for a really nice Columbian 604 a couple of weeks ago (that's a swivel base 4" model) if that helps give you an idea of value. I'm not knocking Columbians....I have a 506 on a welding bench that's really handy (6" jaws, almost 90lbs). I've had it on Craigslist for $150 for a month with no serious bites so I mounted it on a bench. Here it's eating a 50lb Wilton C0: This is an 8" vise (American Scale No. 58)...240lbs on the scale:

Since that vise originally didn't have a hammered finish, I intentionally tried to limit the effect. Thick coats that are almost to the point of running really accentuates the hammered finish, so I went with very light coats and I think it worked out pretty well. If nothing else, the new owner is thrilled with it!

Hi Alan, The paint was RustOleum Hammered Light Blue...often looks more like a silver, but it's definitely blue in person. This is one of those times when the picture wasn't meant for a certain purpose, and fooled your eye. The jaws in the "after" picture are a replacement set that are made slightly wider than the factory jaws. They do that because having the jaws slightly proud of the jaw supports isn't a problem and is better than the reverse. There really isn't any softness, but there's definitely some shadow making it hard to see clearly. I've found that a key to getting a crisp edge with a flap disc or unitized wheel is using the trailing edge of the disc....have it moving away from the edge rather than into the edge. That seems to be more important than new versus worn, and I rarely put much pressure on a grinder. If light/normal pressure isn't working I'm probably using the wrong disc. I hope nobody would whack a red hot 2" flat bar with a 3 pound hammer on a machinist vise!

Thanks! I didn't post it on Instagram, but I sold it on eBay, so the new owner may have. His wife sent me a note that he wanted to mount it in the kitchen and posted it on Facebook. I replaced the swivel lock with period correct (partial hex) locks after the pics here were taken.

I spend a lot of time running a grinder with various grit flap discs, so I know exactly what you're talking about. When I clean up the "anvil" portion of a bench vise I run through a series of flap discs, and the exact order depends on how bad the marks are. Typically it's something like newer 80 grit, then a worn 80 grit, then a new 120 grit, then a worn 120 grit and then a unitized wheel which is really like compressed scotch-brite on a wheel. I'm planning to do a write-up for the process here sooner or later. Here's a quick before and after of a typical project....not the greatest pics, but gives an idea when looking at the sides of the jaw towers and the "anvil" area.

That's a gem, and a great size too!