MattBower Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I stumbled across this guy while following links from the "New benchmark in ridiculous" thread. What do you think? Pretty cool if you ask me, and to my badly untrained eye it looks like the real deal. It's also within easy driving distance of me. I'm not sure what I'd do with it -- it looks to me like the face is probably plain wrought iron, it's pretty beat up, and I wouldn't feel right cleaning it up for real work since it's so old -- but it's still kind of tempting. http://tinyurl.com/29cp4q2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 that looks neat! i would go and see it and do the drop test on the face.. i find it hard to believe its in that nice a shape and dosnt have a steel face ... ive seen anvils only 50-75 yrs old that look much worse . if it looks as good in real life as it does in the pictures buy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I'd like to know how he's dating it. It doesn't look like any medieval or renaissance anvil I have seen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 I'd like to know how he's dating it. It doesn't look like any medieval or renaissance anvil I have seen so far. What does it look like to you, Thomas? Something more recent? Colonial? Do you agree that it looks like wrought iron, anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 What does it look like to you, Thomas? Something more recent? Colonial? Do you agree that it looks like wrought iron, anyway? It looks quite similar to this old French anvil, and also fairly similar to these "tall primitive" anvils of unknown provenance. If the date on the French one is to be believed, you might call it late Renaissance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbl4823 Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Thomas, looks to be exactly like the "tall primitives" photos on Anvil-fire. I have seen several of these "footless" anvils from a friend who visited Europe once, and they are by far as old as this one is advertised as. If dated anvils from the 1600's have feet (I have seen several also), ones without feet are just as old if not older wouldn't you say? If you have seen medieval and Renaissance anvils, feel free to post pictures of them as others might want to view them including myself. Either way still a truly unique anvil, I might have to go for it myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 Either way still a truly unique anvil, I might have to go for it myself! Ach! I have a feeling the bidding on this is going to exceed my rather low spending limit. Well, I knew that might happen when I posted the link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I'm sorry as they ones I have seen were in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and England. I do not have pictures of them I saw them in person. I am sadly deficient in french anvils though; only having seen the french armouring anvil in "The Best of the Hammer" and in Diderot's Encyclopedia (and in a subset of that to boot.) The picture is not clear enough to judge if it has wrought iron's characteristics. The relatively large hardy hole is what made me wonder as to it's age as medieval anvils tended Not to have one. Some renaissance anvils had quite small ones. I am always suspect of items being claimed to be medieval with no provenance, like all those French Axes being sold as medieval when they were only 18th and 19th century ones found in the countryside. Like the "viking swords" sold that are definitely *NOT* made of wrought iron and wrought iron derrived steels, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 If you click "Enlarge" and look at the seventh picture from the top, you can see what appear to be the remains of a scarf where the front foot under the horn was welded on. The eleventh pic also give you a decent view. So it's pretty clearly not cast iron. It also seems to be fairly soft on the face, judging from all the wear and the mushrooming along the edges. That's why I'm saying I think it's wrought. I suppose it could be mild steel, but that would strike me as far more mysterious and unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Mulholland - Tetnum Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 i have seen american anvils which look like the one pictured its a simple anvil to make from a trade ingot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 Yeah, OK. That does it for me. Out before I even got in. Too bad. http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=200468167147 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 It could be late 1700's Spanish, a friend of mine in Jr. High, was descended from a Spanish colonial family in Santa Fe and in their stable they had an old forge set up with a similar looking anvil. It certainly wasn't a London pattern like the gringos had on their ranches. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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