I now have two anvils I can use!

This is a Wilkinson Sword anvil, marked 1 0 26 so I am guessing it weighs around 140 pounds (?).

It was a cheap buy because of the cracked top face, a crack ran about 1/2" down from the top face around the front half of the top plate (the picture with the yellow line shows where the crack was).

So - I took it to my good friend and professional welder Matt, who knew just how to heat it up, hardface weld it up and then slowly 'heat' it down again.

Matt told me how when he applied the heat, the water was running out of the anvil, and the front half of the top plate lifted off the block. After a few hour work gouging and welding, Matt had it all back together.

An hours work by yours truly with the angle grinder and I now have a good horn and top plate back ready for use. It rings clean with a hammer strike (no buzzing) so it should be a good 'un.

I will try it out in Marysville next week at the leaf making demo for the Tree Project.

Shiny.

Edited July 6, 200917 yr by mod07

You should get another couple of decades out of it Can you tell me about the welding process? What rods did your mate use etc? What was your clean up process to keep the anvil face flat?

Is the welder local in Victoria running a busines? I ask as I have an anvil in need of some repair also.....

I also notice a very nice Red Gum stump..... Where did you score that mate?

Regards,

Locky

You should get another couple of decades out of it Can you tell me about the welding process? What rods did your mate use etc? What was your clean up process to keep the anvil face flat?

Is the welder local in Victoria running a busines? I ask as I have an anvil in need of some repair also.....

I also notice a very nice Red Gum stump..... Where did you score that mate?

Regards,

Locky

Hey Locky,

Matt Edwards (Valley welding service) did the repair job on the anvil. The anvil had to be heated to a dull straw colour, then the crack was gouged out with the oxy. After a nice deep gouge was done, it was then filled with hard weld. Finally - the anvil was slowly brough back to room temperature with an occasional application of heat.

Quite a few hours work for Matt, but he would probably do another one - I will ask.

My clean up process involved an hour with my angle grinder, using a grinding disc followed by a flap disc to finish the surface. I did it all by eye and got it pretty well level, if I want it dead flat I have a mate who makes injection moulding dies so I can always get it surface ground if I need to.

As for the square post - that is a piece of 12" square Yellow Box I bought from a sawmill up in Millgrove called 'Bowerbird Timber'. They salvage a lot of timber and have a good range, check them out on the web.

I don't have any cracks in mine just the edges of the anvil need fillings, I would assume not as large of a project as this. Thanks for the additional information.

In terms of the stump, thank you I will check out "Bowerbird Timber".... Yellow box is such a hard gum, that will last you too. Hopefully I can find something similar.

Cheers, Locky

Good repair and you have an anvil for yaers to come.

The older anvils generally had the face made up of several high carbon pieces forge welded on side by side. Yours had a weld failure but just for one plate.