dickb Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Can anyone help identifying this anvil? Face is eight inches long by three inches wide by seven inches high. Weight is forty two pounds. Horn is four and a half inches. Steel plate is one quarter of an inch thick. There is a definite line in the middle of the waist where the top and bottom were welded together. It has a half inch hardie and a half inch prichet. The base directly below the hardie is relieved. See picture There is a half inch square hole about one inch deep just below the middle of the waist at the horn end and at the heel end. The tip if the horn is slightly mushroomed The number 4 or 14 appears to be stamped on the side of the anvil, or it may be just ordinary wear and tear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 the line in the middle does not look like a weld to me, from the pictures i would surly say its cast iron, i do see the line from the top "plate" whether it is acutely a steel plate or just a clever line from casting i cant tell. with a simple spark test you'll know if its a steel face or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickb Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 I had just assumed it was forged and welded at the waist, but your note made me take a better look. At first glance the line at the middle of the waist looks like the parting line of a two piece flask. See Cope and drag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I also took a pair of calipers and compared the width at the center of the waist to the width at the top face and at the base of the anvil. The width at the waist is about a quarter of an inch smaller than the width at the top or bottom. If you are familiar with pattern making and/or casting iron, you will remember that an allowence is made for draft. The width at the parting line must be larger than the width at any other point to allow the pattern to be pulled out of the sand mold prior to pouring. If it was a casting then the parting line would have run from the tip of the horn to the center of the heel. There is no other way to withdraw the pattern from the sand prior to casting. As for the "clever casting trick", very doubtful. The color of the steel plate is darker brown than the remainder of the anvil. Using a jeweler's loop, the texture of the plate is differant than the remainder of the piece. Would still like to identify the anvil if possible. Thanks, DB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 looks like a mid to late 1800's mousehole to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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