Ragnarok Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 and found this one, any advice, do you guys think it looks like a good one? the only think I'm worried about is it being a cast iron one really, although to me it looks like a steel faced forged iron one, you can just see the join line of the face if you look close in the pictures, the only thing that made me worried it was cast iron are what look like chips on one foot? been looking for a nice one for some time now. let me know what you think Rune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Looks like a steel face to me. Have you tested it with a small hammer? Check the rebound and ring. May be cast body, but seem to me the all cast iron ones tend to not be as well finished as a good steel forged anvil. The face on this one looks great. A true cast iron one would show chips from use. This one looks pretty good, but I would check it out in person before purchasing. Is the stand wood or cast iron, I can't really tell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 I can't really go see it as it's 260miles away, the stand is metal, and it's about a 3ctw maybe 3 1/2ctw, seems fairly hard to find good anvils, i've been to the only good blacksmiths shop i know, and the guy said he gets offered anvils often but almost always in poor condition, and that it'd be worth buying a new one (a 3ctw would be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Looks to be a good one and with the cast iron stand for it too! There was another smith from the UK posting about how plentiful and cheap anvils were over there; perhaps you should dig him out if you don't get that one! The base of the anvil seems to be a common place to test the temper of chisels on and so many of them show damage in that region. Really in quite good using condition; if the price is reasonable when shipping is factored in then I'd go for it!. Of course 260 miles is not that far around these parts, our county is about 100 miles north to south and 80 east to west iirc and do not have those numbers backwards...I'm plannin to drive close to 1500 miles each way to go to a smithing conference this fall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 haha yes not too far when you think about it really but it does add around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Can you talk to the seller? Find out who the maker is, weight, etc.? It doesn't look cast to me and being able to see the line between the body and face doesn't mean anything, they're plainly visible on forged anvils and faked on cast iron ASOs. At first glance it looks a little like a Soderfors which are cast steel with a HC steel face but looks are deceiving. However, from the looks I'd say it's not only in fine shape but of good quality. It's obviously been used and it shows very little wear which means (to me) that it has a steel face on whatever kind of body. The body means less than the face. Also the face looks to still have good thickness and another few centuries of life in it. If you can afford it I'd buy it. If you drive the 260 miles and it turns out to be a bad anvil all you're out is fuel and time. I know fuel is expensive but nothing compared to a useless tool. Take some chalk, soft pencil and paper to do rubbings. Rub the chalk into the sides of the anvil and then wipe it off to make any lettering stand out better. Doing a pencil rubbing on paper is another way to make lettering stand out. I'd do the paper and pencil rubbing first so as to not mark up someone elses anvil. The stand looks to have been made to fit the anvil so check it out closely including rubbings if necessary too, it may be able to tell you who the maker is/was. Stands like that were often offered by the company that manufactured the anvil and carried their name, etc. Good luck and keep us posted. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GNJC Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hello, I saw this anvil on the auction site too. I have worked on another exactly like it and that had a welded face and was superb; I'm pretty sure this is NOT cast iron and taht the body is cast steel with a forge welded face. This one looks ('looks') to be in very good condition. I don't know what it will go for, but if you don't get it and you find another one of interest within in my area - Herts / Bucks / Beds - I'll be happy to check it out for you. PM me if you need that help. Good luck. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Thanks good info frosty, i may go up and see it but based on what i can see in the photos it looks good and you guys all seem to think it looks good too, it looks to have had a good amount of use and little ware as you say so that'd show it to be fairly good if you ask me. Thanks alot GNJC much appreciated, I'm pretty sure it's not cast iron too, looks to high quality to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Looks like its worth a little trip cross country. Nice anvil and worth the gamble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 well no ones said anything bad about it on here so seems like it's probably good. thanks for all the helpful replies everyone Rune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Hey, if you don't want it, how much will it cost to post it here? lol! Seriously, I agree with everyone else. Admittedly fuel cost in the U.K. is highway robbery, but that anvil looks worth the gamble to me too. If you have a cheaper vehicle to run, take it - you don't need a Landy to haul an anvil. Also, I'd try to make the trip multi-task - see if you can find other useful stuff en route, like a fly press, or blacksmiths to visit. That way, should the anvil turn out to be not what you want, the trip won't feel a total waste. If you tell me/us where the anvil is, I/we may know someone to visit on route. Or one of the U.K. guys may be on route. (PM me by all means) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 thanks Ratel, not sure if I will go to see it or not, I may buy it and have it delivered and just hope that it's good, would probably save money as delivery to me should only be around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I'd buy that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The only "unseen" danger I can think of would be if the anvil had been through a fire and thus de-tempered. However if this had happened *nobody* has used it since as the face shows no evidence of being soft *and* the body doesn't look like it's been "cooked" (or cooked and then cleaned and repatinated) I would be willing to buy that one based on what was provided already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Ragnorak see if John B(ellamy) knows of any big anvils available down this way since you're coming down the IFI weekend next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Thomas, I don't think it's been in a fire, the seller says he got it from the company that used to use it, and has had it ever since i guess it's posable but seems unlikely, to me anyway. Matt, thanks for the tip I'll ask around a bit more if i don't get this one, and yeah hopefully I'll be able to make it down there 15th 16th isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 hopefully I'll be able to make it down there 15th 16th isn't it? Yes. Hope to see you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Four hundred quid seems a bit OTT to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 yes i thought the same... i was going to go for it up to 350... won't be getting that one now. Anyone know of any good 300lb anvils for sale for around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 If I were you I'd buy a normal (21/2cwt.ish) sized anvil for around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 I real reason the bigger the better though, why would you need a smaller one ? the face is about the same with on a 2 1/2 ctw as a 3-3 1/2 ctw, I have a very old 1700s? that is probably about 75lb dunno though it's just a little tiny one and in bounces accross the floor as you use it heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I real reason the bigger the better though, why would you need a smaller one ? the face is about the same with on a 2 1/2 ctw as a 3-3 1/2 ctw, I have a very old 1700s? that is probably about 75lb dunno though it's just a little tiny one and in bounces accross the floor as you use it heh Couple of thing to think about here. If you anvil bounces around it is because the base is not heavy enough for the work you are doing on it. Bolt it down to a heavy, solid base. One of the reasons that dirt floors and log sections were standard in smithies for years after cement became available was the ability to bury the anvil base to the depth needed by the master and the strikers. A small anvil is useful because it can be polished and set higher for light work. I have a couple of railroad anvils that I use when the dimension of the work calls for it. Also, a light anvil very near the forge is better for forge welding smaller materials. I've see pictures of people forging small chain with an anvil block set actually on their forge. Lastly, a some of the anvils showing up on ebay have been bought in Britian and europe and imported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 yes i know the base isn't really heavy, but it's still a very small very worn old anvil. i was going to keep the small one and maybe sand the face so that it is smooth and flat. but i really want to get a proper sized main anvil :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Thompson Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 The face on very big anvils is usually wider which can be awkward if you want to draw material back from the far edge, the bicks have a larger and more ungainly diameter and the hanging end is often too thick to get between elements of a forging. The hardy hole(s) are too large for most readily available tooling. They are awkward and occasionally dangerous to move around.The price rises out of all proportion to the usefulness above about 3cwt. Unless you regularly work stock over 11/2''dia (with a striker) these things are best left in the factories they were made for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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