irontwister Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 i have an anvil about a #165 or a 175. very fairly sure that it is a hay budden. it appears to have some kind of writinggoing in a circluar pattern on the side where the horn is pointing to your right.it looks a LOT like a hay-budden also.how do i know. also i think that sears roebuck made my vice. how do i know about both? will pictures help?:confused Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Seeing the bottom of the anvil may help a lot as HB's have a distinctive indent on them---though early ones can be worn almost flat... Vise: no clue as most were not marked by any of the hundreds of places that made them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobblerForge Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 A photo would most certainly help with the identification. Hay Budden anvils have a serial number under the horn end on the leading edge of the feet. Wire brush as much as you can and then wipe down with some oil. Cast a light at the end to intensify the shadows. This helps letters stand out a little better some times. Thomas. How do you even propose that someone "wore out" the bottom of an anvil? Gobbler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 whats so hard to believe you wore off an edge on the bottom of an anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobblerForge Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 He didn't say edge. He said the whole bottom was wore flat. By what? Wouldn't it have to be on something moving for a long time to wear flat? I just don't get it. I've seen hundreds of anvils, same as a lot of folks here, but never saw one where the bottom was worn. Only the top. Gobbler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 beneath the horn there is an indent in it. its is hard to explain, but ill try, it is kinda like a pyramid or a wedge shape going toward the inside. i took pictures last night, but my memory card was fulll so by the time i got to it i coyuldnt take anymore. i ll get it though.another feature is the middle of theanvil, i think that it is called the body,there is a line running horizontally. i think that they call it the forge weld or athe cast line or weld. i dont know but ive seen it on other hay buddens.what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti_forge Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 He didn't say edge. He said the whole bottom was wore flat. By what? Wouldn't it have to be on something moving for a long time to wear flat? I just don't get it. I've seen hundreds of anvils, same as a lot of folks here, but never saw one where the bottom was worn. Only the top. Gobbler Could be that the anvil sat out behind a barn for many years. The base could pit where it sat in the dirt/grass, giving the appearance of wear. I've seen old rusty wrought iron that appeared to be worn, but closer inspection showed the mass wore down due to decades of pitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 HB's have the sides project just a little bit past the plain of the base making a hourglass shaped indent. The old ones had this projection quite narrow and not very far, making it fairly easy for an anvil that shifts slightly with every hammer blow and bedded in with scale---which is an abrasive---to wear away leaving the bottom flat. I have one like that. The hole you see is called a handling hole and is there to have a place to grab the anvil with specialized tools when forging it. There should be more than on and their number and location is another clue as to what type of anvil it may be. Now what about the bottom as I asked before? Does it have a ridge that follows the edge of the anvil around making a stylized Hourglass? (or remains of one worn down?) And yes many brands of anvils were forge welded top to bottom at the waist and latter some brands would arc weld the two halves together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I have three HB's in the shop. One is a big ol' blocky one that has hardly any marks on it. Another has a "1" stamped by the handling hole in the waist under the horn. Another has a "2" stamped by the handling hole. Not sure what they are, maybe an inspector's mark. Something to look for.http://www.turleyforge.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlordjr Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 If you can see the name on the side with the horn to the right mine says Hay-Budden Manufacturing Brooklyn, NY the Hay-Budden is curved like following the top curve of a circle spend some time with the wire brush and oil and try to make out this obvious identifier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironstein Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 i think the line in the middle of the body is where the tool steel top half and wrought bottom half are joined. I have a tool steel top half hay budden, and i think they were made like that in a specific time period. Mine has what i originally thought looked like a crack in the middle of the body but someone informed me that this particular anvil due to the serial numbers is a tool steel hay budden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobblerForge Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 If we can get the serial number, it can be dated. If it is a HB and has the center weld line, then it is most likely 1909 or after. Gobbler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 yeah ive been wire brusing it, but ive not oiled it any. you can tell that it has some writing on the right side. how do you keep it from rusting? wd-40? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 there is the hour glass indent on the bottom just like thomas said. there is also another handling hole.where should the cerial number be i took pivtures and there on my facebook, but there not on here because i couldnt figure out how to download them on here. how do you do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Hay Budden serial number is on the left side of the front foot. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 is it on the bottom of the foot? how big is it? can you polish it p or more what im wanting to do is keep it from rusting. what oil do you use? ive been told wd40 but some say that it wil go into your work if you do that. i tdidnt make much sense but im a noob so i didnt know. i really need to keep the rust off, HOW! thanks, willie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 The serial number is on the front of the foot when you are looking at the anvil with the horn pointed directly at you. It will probably take up almost 1/3 of the width of the front foot (I guess this would depend on the size of the anvil-it is like this on my 100 pounder, probably wouldn't be the case for a 500 pounder) The best way I have found to remove rust (and see serial numbers and other markings) is with a crimped wire cup brush on an angle grinder. Boiled linseed oil works for preventing rust. If you use the face of your anvil regularly, I can't see rust being too much of an issue on the face, but I live in a fairly dry area where rust is never much of an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobblerForge Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 WD40 won't hurt anything. Any oil is good. Some are just better. Gobbler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I quit using WD it is a moisture remover. It will rust. I happen to prefer a blackened look and use stove black on every thing except the top. Lightly oil the top. Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 hey thanks guys. i have pictures but i cant get them on here. the site keeps saying that it is not a valid image. i have pictures though.how do i get them on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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