MC Hammer

Pictures are really the only way to go when asking a question like yours. Many hear can take a quick look and know exactly who the maker was or compare it to pictures in books, etc. Please take a picture of both sides of the anvil, the top and bottom of the anvil and someone should be able to help.

What I was referring to is that I've never heard of the Gunther process being done on a swayed anvil. Chipped, big sections of the face missing, and as Thomas said badly milled faces, well yes I've heard of that, but I've not heard of someone taking a perfectly fine face and filling in the sway. I'm not saying it can't be done, I just don't think anyone has done that before. Will it work? I have no clue, but I think over the years you or the next smith after you would regret that the sway was filled in. I think what you are seeing is a strong response to a common mistake seen here a lot, but mostly from new people entering this craft. They want to square up the edges, make the top perfectly flat thinking this will get them off to a good start. Many of us are just trying to convey the notion that this could be damaging to the anvil and is very much not necessary to forge well on it. Many blacksmiths of old fed their families from swayed anvils. In my picture above, I have a block of steel that is perfectly flat with sharp edges in the event I need that for something.

Thanks Smokey07, gives me something to look forward to.

Yes, the Gunther process of restoring an anvil face is excellent, but filling in the sway section isn't really the Gunther process. I can see doing that with sections with bad torch marks or bad chunks taken out, but with sway you have a nice hard face that you'd have to fill over top with welding rod. With that said, it's his anvil and there are no anvil police that are going to come and arrest you for doing what you want with something you paid for. It's your anvil. Now here's some sway - see the anvil on the far left :

The big downside to anvils this shape is that there is no mass under it in the middle. You want mass under where you are striking with hammer blows.

I'm told I'll get a card for the magnometers when I get my hip replaced so that I don't get harassed too badly. I used to smile because I've had 6 inch flint blades in my pocket to show coworkers and walked right on through because obviously there's no metal in it.

Well said tanglediver.

What? Fill in the swayed part on a perfectly hard face? That's seems like a worse choice than the grinding flat. I'd think you'd anneal the whole face around the the area you "filled in". I'd rather see a person sell the swayed anvil and buy another one with a flatter face than mess around with it. Sway is not a big deal unless you have a face that looks like a horse saddle or a camel's back.

My Trenton has some sway. I made a flatter / set station with 2" thick block of mildish steel (has 5 inch returns on a 10 inch ball bearing drop). It works perfectly to straighten things out and is a much bigger surface area than my anvil face. I'm with others, don't grind the face.

Good one Marc1

I like it a lot. I'm in and out of metal detectors for work so they'd probably take issue with it but I could pull a Gandalf and say: "Oh, you wouldn't deprive an old man of his walking stick." (of course I'm not old man so it may not work) The guys and gals at the magnometers are really bored so they really look at things. I have a fisher cat paw attached to my keys and they were looking it over really well and asked me about it. I told them my favorite cat Lucky got hit by a car and I wanted something to remember him by. The female officer got this look on her face I let it sit out there for a little bit to enjoy the moment and then told them what it really was. The female still won't touch it when I go through.

Intersting, I didn't know any of that JHCC.

Good points JHCC and Thomas. I was referring to the London pattern with its distinct shape in my earlier comments. I agree fully on everything before that. The hammer or tongs would be more identifiable when you had a square anvil. Makes sense. Wonder if they really sat down when they forged or if that was an uninformed artist's rendition? I know silver smiths often sit when they work.

Anvil - you made so good points. That makes sense. Then along comes Frosty who makes even more sense. Perhaps this thread is spinning it's wheels in a practical sense and is more intellectual. Guess we should all just get hammering hot metal on whatever anvil we have I admit, I don't think much about my anvil's history or pedigree when forging. Who has time to worry about that when working? I know I don't.

That's pretty cool Irondragon.

I was thinking that my pickaxe was wrought iron too. I'll have to look for the welded section of high carbon steel on the ends. For being in the river for so many years, it's not pitted too bad after the clean-up. Maybe I'll snap a picture and post it on here - not to high hack the thread but so people can see what I'm talking about.

I had a friend say he found an old pickaxe in the river while kayaking and if I wanted it. I thought if it was in bad shape I could grind it and make it into a bick mounted into a stump with a wooden handle or something. When he gave it to me I saw instantly that it was made by folding with the tell tale signs in the handle hole just like old axe and tomahawk blades. I cleaned it up and decided some day I will put a handle on it and save it as a display piece. I think it earned at least that. I would have not expected that pick axes were make folding and welding, but you can see the weld seam running for a little ways up from the eye right after the slit. I'm guessing this pickaxe fits Thomas' definition of old. I found a maker's mark stamped on it, but being in the river that long, I can't make anything out.

Even if it is mild steel and not forged, it's still old and should definitely be reused as is. Lots of gates could even be made from it preserving sections as they were made and only modifying where needed to be a gate instead of a fence.

Wow, yeah, you really got some other great tools in the deal. You have a super head start. Good things come to those that wait (and listen to Thomas' advice on looking for anvils)

My observations of people posting and asking about makers and age seems to be because they know they will be asked by someone and they want an answer. Everyone always asks me how old my anvil is and when I tell them most likely pre 1898 they think that's old and I tell them that it's fairly young in terms of anvil age. I think there are a few posting that want to brag about how old their anvil is, but we all know it doesn't matter. I think if you are demonstrating that it's important to know all you can about the anvil and tools you are using because people will ask. I was just at a flintknapping event this past weekend and I always carry a set of aboriginal tools in my bag because I know I'l get asked "What did the Indians use, not the tools you are using right?" So then I pull out the aboriginal set and do the whole speech I've done 100's of times. So, in that aspect I think it's important to know it. I also think some people want to connect with the rich history an anvil might have. The older it is the more people that have likely been forging on it. For some, this creates a richer experience. For those of us who've been at it a while or even a few years, we get over that and see the anvil as a tool to create things on. Just my observations.

You certainly have a knack for finding anvils. I'm glad you are out rescuing them from their lives of seclusion and neglect. There's something to be said for that. Keep finding them, cleaning them up, and getting them out to people who want to put them back into service.

I don't find it odd at all. The anvil is the central figure that represents blacksmithing as a craft. You wouldn't put a picture of a set of tongs or a hot cutter on a sign outside your blacksmith shop, nope, you'd most likely put a picture of an anvil because that is central to what we do and communicates who you are. Whatever thing is central to whatever a person is heavily involved in will naturally get that kind of attention. I've witnessed law enforcement discuss the finer points of what the best handcuffs were and certainly hours on handguns. I've seen woodworkers obsess over old wood planes and such as well, and flintknappers obsess over that super nice piece of colored flint. Correct me if I'm wrong, but most all the threads on the forum are about methods, building things, equipment etc. with only one section dedicated to anvils. Reading the unread postings shows that most people here move past the anvil focus and onto asking questions about how to do things. Hi, I'm MC Hammer............I admit, I love looking at a nice anvil Then I stop........and it's hammer time

Nice anvils. Do you intend to use them or do you just collect them? Just wondering since I didn't see any forging equipment around in the pictures. They sure are nice to look at. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

Wow, that sounds like a sweet deal! If the anvil has good rebound and the vise threads are in good shape, yeah you have the $600 pretty much right there. We've all watched you be patient and apply some wisdom so it's very nice to see that pay off. Sure wish I'd found a deal like this when I was looking. Show us pictures of the rest of the tools and the forge. If you decide to clean up the anvil, just use a wire brush on an angle grinder to get the rust off, then wash it with soap & water. Let it dry really well, then coat it with your preferred oil. I use regular new motor oil, but boiled linseed oil works too.

Wow, very nice job!