May 4, 201016 yr I am looking at this anvil to purchase. in the latest set of photos from the owner i noted an apparent delamination. to the experienced eyes out there... how bad is this? very new to forums hope photo shows up...DSC07545 (2).bmp
May 4, 201016 yr That might not be a delamination. It just looks like the joint line to me. These lines are common on some American brands where they didn't go through the efforts to blend in the joint line. Is there any way to do a tap test on it before you buy it to ensure it isn't a delamination?
May 4, 201016 yr yeah it looks pretty normal, short of having it magnafluxed Im not sure you could definitively say if its coming apart or not... I would try and beat the guy up on price because its an unknown, But it wouldn't keep me from buying it at the right price..
May 4, 201016 yr Author no chance to do a tap test.. but anvil is not american. peter wright early 1900's (based on "solid wrought" written in circle and "england") other than that little crack, it appears to be in very good condition. flat, good edges thanks for the input. rb
May 4, 201016 yr I just referenced American anvils as this joint line was quite noticable for brands like Arm and Hammer and Trenton without the anvils having excessive delamination problems. Peter Wright tended to put more effort into blending the joint lines instead of leaving them 'unfinished' like some American Brands. That's not to say that all their anvils face plates were blended perfectly though.
May 4, 201016 yr My only comment is that the seem line is more irregular than ones I've seen. It look more like a welded repair then plate delamination.
May 4, 201016 yr My only comment is that the seem line is more irregular than ones I've seen. It look more like a welded repair then plate delamination. I strongly second this opinion. -Dan
May 5, 201016 yr Looking closely at the picture, (and based on no real world experience) it almost looks to me like the crack might be in the middle of the face. By which I mean, if you look closely, you can see a color shift in the anvil. The face has a lighter color than the body and the gradient for this change is close to level across the whole picture. That I would reason would be the "blending" earlier people were talking about. Now, there is a ruler on top of the anvil, and if we use it to measure the face section of the anvil (cut and paste measure) the face appears to be 2.88 centimeters (1 1/8 inch) deep. I don't know enough to know if that's a reasonable conclusion to come to, but it is just something I noticed. Just for clarification on the measurement, I took a section of what appears to me to be the thickness of the face, rotated it 90 degrees and stuck it up there at the top so you could measure it on the rule "directly."
May 5, 201016 yr Author about the possibility of welded repair.. do you think a new face plate has be added at some point? or something else entirely? bottom line. would you pass on this one? thanks
May 5, 201016 yr bottom line. would you pass on this one? Can you inspect in person before forking the money over? Is the price reasonable for the overall condition of the anvil? The edges look good in the picture, at least. Get a large ball bearing or light hammer and test the face of the anvil. If it is consistent then buy it, if not don't buy or pay less. If this is a shipping deal, get more pictures and offer a reasonable price assuming the defect, or pass. The seller may be more comfortable with you dropping a ball bearing than with you hitting the anvil with a hammer. http://www.anvilfire.com/article.php?bodyName=/FAQs/anvil-5.htm&titleName=anvilfire.com%20Blacksmithing%20FAQs%20Anvils%20Hardness Phil
May 5, 201016 yr Looks to me like badly erroded edges were welded back up---sort of a colour change on the top edge too. This is a common repair for old anvils and depending on how it was done can be great, OK or really downgrade the anvil. It pretty much always drops the price though as it can be hard to know if it was done right or wrong. many people assume if it looks good it was done right; but it's how they dealt with the heat treat aspects of the anvil face that really make the difference! If the price is not "top tier" then it may be a good using anvil. The ball bearing test on the center and edge of the face is a good one.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.