Harold Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hi, I have a line on a couple anvils. A friend told me about them but I have to call and ask about them to get more info. It's not too far to drive really, but my truck is broke down right now so I'm going to have to do the best I can over the phone before I try to locate a ride or make other arrangements. I think the seller would hold one for me if I'm interested but I don't want to ask him to do that if he doesn't have what I want. Just to give you guys more info, I'm totally new but since I have the chance to maybe find good equipment, I'd like to take it. I'm thinking I'd like to get a hundred pound anvil to start, which I think will be big enough to do some stuff and "grow" with but still mobile enough I can take it with me when I inevitably move. What should I be looking for? What kind of questions do I need to even ask? And is there a "sticky" or some thread from the past with some anvil FAQ's? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 I started on a 125# anvil which is a lot more common than a 100# anvil for some reason, industry standard I guess. One of the things to listen to is the sound of the anvil first off. Unless it is a cast iron anvil it should have a ring to it not a twang or any other odd sound. A cast iron anvil has a nice thud sound to it, if it has any other sound the face plate may be cracked the same for a wrought iron anvil too. Cracked, chipped and loose face plates are the next thing to check, they are what imparts the odd sound to the anvil in a lot of the cases. Check the horn and heel for cracks, hard to do if the guy has painted the anvil, look at the bottom for cracks. Rust is not necessarily a big issue unless the pit are big enough to loose your thumb in then it can be a problem if they are on the face, small ones won't bother much. If you get a cast iron anvil check for casting flaws, cavities and such. There is only one brand of anvil I wouldn't buy unless very cheap and that is a Vulcan, they are the bottom or close to it in my mind but others may think otherwise, that's OK though. I'm sure other will add their two bits worth so good fortune in your hunt for the illusive anvil. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Learn the common brand names and ask for the name Learn that English anvils may be weight stamped in CWT system and how that works but US anvils will NOT be weight stamped in CWT and don't pay for weight that isn't there! Wrought iron based/steel faced or mild steel based/steel faced anvils should ring brightly when tapped---especially loud on horn or heel---*unless* they are securely bolted down or otherwise set up to kill the ring. One that doesn't ring may have face delamination and is worth only scrap steel rate! Fisher anvils are a great anvil but make only a THWAP sound. Learn about farriers anvils and why you may want to avoid them. Ask about the orientation of the hardy hole if it's on an angle to the sides it's almost certainly a cast iron ASO. Beware of anvils cast from molds made with old anvils in Mexico---often have a parting line right across the face and horn. Some are cleaned up on top but may show the parting line on the bottom of the horn. Some may be cast from a decent alloy but all are un-finished and un-heat treated! Watch out for anvils that have been through a fire and so are annealed. I suggest you read up about the ball bearing test over at anvilfire.com *Never* buy one that has been welded on or machined without close personal inspection! (welders and machinists destroy more anvils through not understanding how they are made and heat treated---if one offers to work on your anvil ask them if you can straighten cold rebar on the ways of their machines with a 4# hammer! Finally most folks have *NO* idea of what an anvil weighs; I have seen dozens of "Heavy Large Anvils" that didn't weigh over 100 pounds! The only true weight is a weighed weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 Thanks. To check for the ring, I take it all I have to do is tap it with a hammer or some similar steel object? I found out that these are both on a shelf not secured to anything so I'd imagine that should allow them to ring if they're going to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Ask how many people needed to lift it, then ask who the person is. 1 healthy adult male typically can lift a 125# anvil safely, and up to a 200# with difficulty, so expect that to be a heavy, but easy 2 person move. Ask for if there are markings, and if the characters, numbers and letters, are stamped in or raised off the surface. Stamped is a forged marking, raised is a cast marking. If it has something like a serial number it is at least worth looking at. Be prepared to walk away from anything. It is harder than you think to leave without buying even if it is a piece of junk. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Also, how much should I expect to pay for something in used but useable shape? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 New anvils are about $6-$10 per pound before shipping. You can verify this by checking online retailers. An expected "good deal" is $1-$3 per pound. Buyer beware. As long as it is priced for less than new, and it in very good condition the pricing is "fair" as a working tool. Buying is up to you, buyer beware. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 in PA I personally would not go over $2 a pound and expect to find great anvils even for less *IF* you are willing to hunt them down! I recently bought a Peter Wright with nearly mint face for US$1.40 a pound here in anvil poor (= expensive) NM! Now if you can trade money for time and effort then feel free to do so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Thanks. I called about two this morning - one 75 pound and one 150. They are priced at $1 per pound, but the seller says they have no name or identifying marks on them. I've been surfing old threads here learning the "good names" - Peter Wright, Fisher, Trenton, Hay Budden, and am trying to teach myself to pick them out based on appearance so I'll actually know a good one when I see it. Still, I'm kind of leery of buying a no-name anvil. I really am a total amateur at this and I don't know anyone locally who can advise me tell me what I'm looking at, so with no identifying marks it seems that much more likely I could screw up and waste money. I really want to start heating and beating on some steel, but I wonder if I shouldn't look for a heavy tough hunk of scrap steel to use for an anvil until I know more about what I'm doing. BTW - I am on the hunt. I've been asking people I know who might have an idea where I could find an anvil. I'm planning to start hitting up auctions, yard sales, and flea markets this summer. I know what in the rural areas I'm usually in someone has to have one out in their barn that's been sitting there unused for thirty years that they'd let go. It's just a matter of getting around and finding those people. At least, that's what I hope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 It can be hard to tell what is stamped on the sides of anvils; but Anvils in America lists a lot of ways to identify no name anvils! One is what the underside looks like: the base looks like, HB's have an hourglass depression (may be worn nearly flat), Trentons have a "caplet" the underside of an Arm and Hammer's heel (not vulcan!) generally shows the hammer blows of the steam hammer; etc. And just one suggestion: try looking for anvils from folks not trying to sell them---often cheaper than auctions! You want to find someone with an anvil in the garage, basement, shed who has just rammed their shin on it for the third time that week and will almost give it to you. I do this by talking to everyone! When I moved to anvil poor NM and needed to find an anvil for a friend it was a retired fellow at church who had a mint swedish cast steel anvil he *gave* me! My big shop anvil was found when a fellow selling car parts at a fleamarket "howdy'd" me. I had no interest in oily car parts but told him I was hunting anvils---his uncle had a 515# Fisher for $350 in mint condition! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 It can be hard to tell what is stamped on the sides of anvils; but Anvils in America lists a lot of ways to identify no name anvils! One is what the underside looks like: the base looks like, HB's have an hourglass depression (may be worn nearly flat), Trentons have a "caplet" the underside of an Arm and Hammer's heel (not vulcan!) generally shows the hammer blows of the steam hammer; etc. And just one suggestion: try looking for anvils from folks not trying to sell them---often cheaper than auctions! You want to find someone with an anvil in the garage, basement, shed who has just rammed their shin on it for the third time that week and will almost give it to you. I do this by talking to everyone! When I moved to anvil poor NM and needed to find an anvil for a friend it was a retired fellow at church who had a mint swedish cast steel anvil he *gave* me! My big shop anvil was found when a fellow selling car parts at a fleamarket "howdy'd" me. I had no interest in oily car parts but told him I was hunting anvils---his uncle had a 515# Fisher for $350 in mint condition! Thank you. I totally get what you're saying about buying from people who aren't really looking to sell their anvils. This is kind of what I'm trying to do - I just have to figure out how to get the word out to those people. I'm sure there are some around. It's just that they're in anonymous garages and sheds under forty years worth of dust and junk. The urge is to get something NOW so I can start banging away at something, but I feel like maybe I should resist that until I have a better grasp of what I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Not having a visible name is not an indicator of a "bad" anvil, some have just been beat up a lot on the sides. The same with not having a serial number. I bought an anvil at the salvage yard for twenty-five cents a pound, sides, horn, even the face all scraped up, dinged up and generally abused but nice ring, used as a counter weight on their in yard shear crane. This is one anvil that did need some grinding it was so bad, I generally don't agree with the need to grinding an anvil, but it did ring like a bell though, definitely not an ASO. Sweet 143+ pounds on the salvage yard scale, $36+tax and I sold it for a dollar a pound a year later. Don't discount no name and ugly it could be a diamond in the rough. This does mean that you take the first ugly hunk of iron that comes your way on the off chance that it may be a good buy, you still need to check things out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest duanepoland Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 · Hidden by jeremy k, February 17, 2013 - spam Hidden by jeremy k, February 17, 2013 - spam As we all know,While the mobile phone brings great conveniences to people, it also raises new challenge on the security of confidential work. In recent years, the wiretap, cheating in examination, medical negligence and gas station explosion with mobile phone occurred and it has aroused great concern of the society. Maybe it's one of the reasons that promoted the appearance of phone jammer.You may be watching a nice movie or enjoying your nap when you get free for sometime. Still you have chances of getting disturbed with your most loved ones and close friend chatting near you on the cell phone. At such hours, if you really care for your free time then you need to buy a cell phone jammer. Link to comment
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