Tefkros

Thank you George! I'm a Cypriot in the Greek part. I think I have science fiction magazines to thank for kick-starting my English, then my insistence on reading books untranslated and Audible books being my only company while driving to and from work. My English did take a hit when I went for a years' graduate school in the UK, as we switched to some kind of Globish between students.:)

Thanks all, this seems to be a great community! I suppose the US$2 a pound is an occasional silver lining of blacksmithing not being widespread in Cyprus (making a quick search I found one person so far in IFI...I must not use "@"...). A lot of people buy them as show items and the price is often graded on a curve...

Oops...sorry...

And to think I did it for just the reason I shouldn't do it...prior incidents

Thanks guys, that's really good to hear!

Now I'll have to make a stand for it...got a few tips from reading the forums so far...  

Thanks, I hadn't seen it, I'll update the info

Hi guys,

After a long time lurking, this is my first post. It took me a long time to find a used anvil to buy, as buying new was not a option, due to me living on an island and all new 'anvils' are just overpriced cast iron ASOs. Anyway, I stumbled across some classifieds listing a bunch of anvils, so,  armed myself with  a ball bearing and my newfound lurking-acquired knowledge about ringing and rebound, went to have a look. The anvils ranged from 55kg to 90kg with a pretty old 160kg anvil thrown in. I just examined them for ring, surface flatness, major flaws like broken horns etc. Most appeared to have a proper ring amd rebound, but a bunch of four 85kg anvils had a significantly better rebound than the rest. Out of those, I picked the one with the flattest face, which you can see in the photos. 

Apparently the seller imported them from Bulgaria, and I even find this style online called "Bulgarian Style" or sometimes "Italian Style", while I was secretly hoping it would be some misidentified Peddinghaus. After a little bit of wire brushing I tested the rebound again with a small bearing and I would put it around 85-90%. I'm not sure if this indicated whether it is forged or cast steel, if anyone has any knowledge of that kind of anvil I'd love to know.

So I wonder, are there any major flaws I should be aware of? Are the dents going to be a problem or is it fine for an absolute beginner? I paid 330 euros (~$390) for an 85kg...in my eyes it seems like a good deal as most ASOs here are 250 euros for 35kg...but I'd love your opinion.