Koutetsu Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Hey guys, I recently acquired my first anvil, and it was free. Great deal, right? Well, it turns out this anvil was pulled up from a saltwater marina, it had been used as an anchor. The top has a large chunk from the corner, and an uneven, cracked surface. I am financially unable to buy a new anvil at this time, and live in an area without any smiths whatsoever. I have also looked for new anvils online, but shipping is terrifying. Can I save this anvil? Should I? Or should i save up for a new one? thanks, Smith-in-(self)training Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Welcome aboard Koutetsu, glad to have you. Can you post some pictures of it? It's hard to say from a verbal description. If there isn't anything else around I'd say it's a wonderful anvil, I've used all kinds of things and almost any anvil with a face attached over an area much larger than the hammer face is a usable anvil. And Yes, keep saving for more tools you'll probably spend the rest of your life with an eye out for another good anvil. Join the club. If you'll click "User CP" at the top of the page and edit your profile to show your location it can make a big difference. IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and a lot of info is location specific. If local folk know you're around they can invite you to gatherings, tip you to tool deals and offer hands on help. Being largely self tought myself I can sympathize with the lack of playmates. An hour with an experienced smith can equal months of trial and error. We'll do our best to help though. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 My "loaner anvil" is missing the entire heel from the edge of the hardy on back. Still a great anvil. We need a picture of the face is it cracked or pitted? And how much of the original hardened steel face thickness is left? Generally *anything* can be repaired; but cost may expand beyond the cost of getting a new one! Also many new people think the face of their anvil needs to be pristine when actually a slight sway is preferred by knifemakers and pitting is often not a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koutetsu Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Thanks guys! Ill try to get some pictures tonight. It would be great if i could use that anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koutetsu Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) Ok, here's the pics I took tonight. As you can see the back is in bad shape, and the top too. Any advice as to whether i should repair it, or trash it, would be very welcome. Edited August 20, 2009 by Koutetsu bad html-ing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koutetsu Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Sorry that they are so huge, i'm new to image posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 One of the worst cases of Anvil abuse I have ever seen. Play taps and give it a merciful funeral, sad to say, it is done.... Use it for what you can.....at least the horn aint broke off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koutetsu Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Man... Thats a pretty definitive diagnosis Jeff... Thanks though. It might save me some wasted effort. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 If you can weld I would remove the remains of the plate. Build it up level then hardface it. Its not like your starting with a heirloom or sompthing you paid a bit for. Easy for me to say cause I have the time and tools. But its a thought. Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koutetsu Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 "If you can weld I would remove the remains of the plate. Build it up level then hardface it." I'm not too familiar with welding... I do own a welder, and would be willing to try this if its easily explainable. Not really sure what you mean by 'hardfacing' either. As you said, i have nothing to lose, so i would definitely like to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old South Creations Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Ouch! That's pretty bad, but if it was mine and I didn't have anything else it can be used...but I certainly would keep looking! At least the horn is in decent shape and you have a couple inches of the face that isn't totally destroyed. At least it didn't cost you anything! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 just use any part of it you can, definitely don't scrap it or anything, if you never find anything good for it at least you will have a vary heave door stop. so just do anything you can, or set it in the corner of the shop, your libel to need it for something completely random in a year or so and will be happy its "just out back" pretty ruff but i have seen a few anvils that were worse, still has some of the hardy and a horn, one fellow offered to sell me one that was hornless and healess and only had 1/4 the face. hahaha i had to decline. but for free ill take most any anvil. maybe one day you and some friends will toss it into the forge and re weld a new face and some cunks to the back at least it was free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avadon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I agree.. just take a grinder to it and go to down.. make a flat of surface as you can in the front. Take the back surface and either grind that flat or grind it round. You could use the back for forging all kinds radius. If there are holes or cracks just weld them shut. I mean it's not like your ruining an anvil at this point. You need a chunk of steel, you have a chunk of steel. Abuse it and have fun. It can easily last you a year or two and look at it this way, if you ding the face it's no trajedy ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avadon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 "If you can weld I would remove the remains of the plate. Build it up level then hardface it." I'm not too familiar with welding... I do own a welder, and would be willing to try this if its easily explainable. Not really sure what you mean by 'hardfacing' either. As you said, i have nothing to lose, so i would definitely like to try. I just finished a hardfacing project and i strongly advise you do not do it. Clean it up, grind whatever you can flat, grind the rest into radius', etc. Just get what use you can out of it. You could spend, at minimum, 100-150$ in rod to hardface it, money best spent on your next anvil after you've beat on this one for a while. Seriously though it's not that bad, you have a nice horn on that thing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I wouldn't write it off just yet either. This is what I suggest you do. Sign up in a community college welding course, and use this to practice on. I wouldn't hardface it, but would look into welding a plate back on. Maybe a forklift fork section, dozer blade, cut the bottom flat off some big railroad rail, or something similar found in a scrap yard. To answer your question on hardfacing. That is the process of applying a welding rod that is very hard when applied, and not needing any further heat treating. Look at a dozer blade, or backhoe bucket next time you see one. If the surface appears to have a waffle pattern welded onto it, it has been hard faced. In the case of a bucket, unlike an anvil, you don't do the entire surface, just form pockets to collect dirt which becomes the wear surface. The college courses I took included all the rod you could lay down at no extra charge. We had piles of scrap material out back the was sold at $0.10 a pound. Sometimes we had dozer blades dropped off, and those got used for anvil faces. By doing this you will learn about welding, and get the anvil fixed at the same time for a lot less. To learn to weld you need to lay a LOT of rod down, and that anvil could use a TON of rod laid on it. I would find some thick plate to build up the heel area, and weld weld weld till ya can't weld no mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecelticforge Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Do you live near a military "playground?" That thing looks like it was hit wish some serious high explosives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) It is an old (but not *real* old) english anvil. It is marked in hundred weight system (CWT) and the face was several forge welded on high carbon pieces; the body is real wrought iron. It is in poor repair as noted. You can of course start forging using it! I sometimes use one in worse condition, 90+% of the face completely missing, just to show folks that they don't have to be so prissy about anvils. As such you have little to lose working it over. I would build up the face that is left first and flatten the area around the hardy by grinding so you can use hardy tools. Note that welding on the *wrought* iron will be a bit more difficult than welding on the steel face. Keep it in case you ever get a chance to swap it for one that someone is using as a garden ornament or fireplace piece---sometimes they won't turn loose of an anvil but will trade with some boot thrown in. Edited August 20, 2009 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 By the looks of the feet, I think it is a Mousehole anvil. I am sorry I signed the Certificate of Death in an earlier post. It can be fixed, and you don't have much in it, so to put some time in it would be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old South Creations Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Thomas, I really like what you said about using your abused angle.... "just to show folks that they don't have to be so prissy about anvils" The anvil I use more than any other is a 1918 Fisher with the heel broken clean off. Sure, it doesn't have a hardy or pritchel any more but it's in great shape otherwise and QUIET compared to my others. I got it dirt cheap because it was "ruined" and "useless"...ha! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerbud Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 fix it, and if it were me, I would try to weld up some extra steel to attach for the heel and make it look as close to original as possible. It can be done, and its worth doing, not because of trying to save money or time. Because it will cost way more if you consider your time. But it will be worth it psychologically. Once you have repaired this, you have reached a new level in your wetal working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
element Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Il take that anvil anyday. Even if i have one already.You just dont scrap an anvil,ever.Use that one until you can find a better one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Just a word from some one that has welded a wrought iron body mouse hole anvil. The wrought Iron body anvils are much easier to weld and take heating and hard facing better. BUT adding a heel by welding is a much more difficult proposition and takes a seriously high amp machine. The grinding is a major pain when cleaning up hard facing. It looks like you could take a good big cold chisel and a three pound hammer and pop most of the remaining plate off. Wrought Iron is very easy to chisel. Once the plate is off think about sharpening a cold chisel and leveling off the high spots before hitting with a side grinder. Use a 7'' or bigger side grinder. The small one's will wear you out before the job is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 The Friday night demo at Quad-State this year is refacing an old anvil by forge welding a new face on. I don't know if SOFA has procured their demo anvil yet you might check with them to see if they are in the market for a seriously abused oldstyle anvil. I decided not to let mine go as I may want to try to repeat that demo out here at one of our conferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Il take that anvil anyday. Even if i have one already.You just dont scrap an anvil,ever.Use that one until you can find a better one. There is this>>> With only the little bit of sound plate that is left it is still a better anvil to start on than many of improvised or railroad anvils. It is hard to find anything to make up for the feel of a large anvil backing your hammmering.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Leppo Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I agree it would be great to repar an anvil like this... On the other hand, there is a gent in eastern PA who is looking for large slabs of wrought iron to use in his hot press-forming art. It occurs to me that if he bought one anvil like this cheep, and sliced it up with a large band saw, he would have alot of high-quality WI material to use. (Randy McDaniels, you out there?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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