rasputin Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 (edited) I'm a total noob to blacksmithing. I just finished making my Lively forge two weeks ago, and have been on the hunt for an anvil for a while so I put out an add on Craigslist. I got a call from a guy that had an abused 200lb anvil collecting dust in his shop. It was a very old building, and I understand that it was in the building when he bought it. $25 was the asking price. I went to his shop Friday and looked it over. It was pretty beat up and covered with some old chipped up green paint. All that was visible was a 2 stamped on the side. Neither one of us knew what it was so I paid him, loaded it up, and headed home. Any anvil is better than an 8" piece of RR track that I was going to use. I buffed off all of the paint and discovered that it is a 1820-1835 233lb. Mousehole: My railroad track, cowering in the background: I'm toying with the idea of welding up the chips, but I'll probably just bevel the chipped areas with a grinder. I don't know if I feel confident enough trying to weld something like that. Edited August 3, 2009 by rasputin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Great find and a wise decision not to leap in and start welding it up. I would not even give it a grind to start. Use it for a while and see exactly what needs doing to it before taking a gamble with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgtwister Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 thats a nice find for that price i would leave it alone and just use it i have seen a lot worse still in use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Weight marks say 233lbs. Puts it at less than 11 cents a lb. Saw one in worse shape at a local antique mall. Price tag said $650. Ya done Great. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfrick Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I hate you already!! Nice find! It doesn't look *that* beat up from your pictures. Put it to work and let us know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I'll double your money on it (and pay for the shipping!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I just bought a smaller 152 lb mouse hole on ebay that I will eventually have to fix up I paid nearly $1.00 lb plus shipping. Since I live in Louisiana my self I think that you had better chain that one down. I had one mouse hole stolen from me 10 years ago. (Wasn't the one you found though ) Repair of an anvil that size is not too tough but you would have to set it on top of your crawfish burner for a while to get it up to the required 400 deg. F. pre heat. Don't grind on the top plate unless you intend to repair. On my stolen anvil there were a couple of places where the face was less than 1/8 inch thick before I hard faced the entire top. The main thing to think about is that the top plate on these anvils is worn from years of use and abuse. If it is nearly flat then odds are that it has been leveled by grinding at some point. Congratulation of your good luck, Charlotte St. John Parish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasputin Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Trust me. I've been thinking about using my crawfish burner. I think I'll leave well enough alone. I'd rather have a nice heavy anvil with some chipped corners, than a 233lb. trot-line weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 She sure is a beauty! I would take her to the prom just as she is!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 A real steal there! Looks very useable in its current condition; you've got square edges at the heel and on the table/step if you feel you need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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