In a remarkable stroke of luck, I just picked up this 170-lb farriers'-style anvil for... well, just under sixty cents a pound.



The hard face is badly crumbled at the edges, and I think starting to delaminate at the front edge, but I think I can fix it. Even still, it rings like a church bell.

Anyway, it was admittedly dark when I looked at it (hence the cruddy picture) but even on a fairly close examination, I couldn't see any trace of any markings. Nothing stamped, nothing cast or forged in, etc.

It appears to be wrought iron (there's no way a cast one could ring like that) with a hard face- there's a definite line where the hard face has chipped and crumbled.

I didn't look underneath, but there's nothing at all on the sides, and nothing apparent, at least on a cursory glance, on any of the feet. I'll give it a closer inspection in the morning, but can anyone ID it with the info so far? Rough age, make?

Thanks.
Doc.

Doc, good luck with breathing life into your new find, I can't help you with identifying the anvil but I just have to say, and please don't be offended, but that is one ugly lump of metal.

Whats the bottom look like? Are those flats along the front and rear feet?

With that long and thin heel it's not cast all right, though cast steel anvils do ring loudly.

With no other info I would guess American made, perhaps HB, or Trenton.

Better photos, in the sober light of dawn:









I took the small wire brush to the sides as well- there's not even a hint of any stamping or marks. The numbers are on the front foot. Hopefully the serial number will help with the age and ID.

Thanks.

Doc.

Going by this old ABANA post:

If you see a series of numbers (serial number) on the front foot, it is almost certainly to be a Trenton, Hay-Budden or Arm & Hammer. If it starts with an A, it would be an H-B. Arm & Hammers do not go over about 52,000.

Too high a serial number and no "A", so would it then be a Trenton? (Trexton?)

Also, is there any way to ID this leg vise?



Doc.

Leg vise is likely to be a columbian due to: no faceting on the legs and shape of the terminus of the screwbox---I'm assuming it's open on the end...

However folks usually don't care much about post vise makes

It looks like a Hay-Budden, and I don't think that it is ugly. The faces are normally 4" wide or just under 4". Often, on an anvil of that size, the waist width is also about 4", measuring side to side, not horn to heel. My "Anvils in America" book gives an approximate date of 1912 for its manufacture, and that is based on the six digit serial number.

Turley Forge and Blacksmithing School : The Granddaddy of Blacksmithing Schools

So is that a pretty positive ID? A Hay-Budden?

Doc.

Didn't most Hay Buddens have serial numbers on the left of the foot, while Trentons serial numbers were on the right of the foot?

If this is the case and if your anvil is indeed a Trenton, it would be made in 1926 (according to anvils in America)

hay-budden, really looks like a hay-budden to me. im no expert but i have been lookin at a lot of hb photos and i stumbled across one that looked like that. it was a 70 pound but i dont know if it really was or not. i dont remember where i saw it but i will try to remember. last night i just found my serial number and weight on my Hay-Budden. its a #208.

What dos the bottom look like HB has a very different indent than Trenton!