Is this anvil salvagable?

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[irnsrgn]

that one is in almost new condition to some I have repaired, so the answer is yes.

[Sam Salvati]

It is in too bad shape to repair, I need a doorstop so i'll give you $50 for it( ).

[Thomas Dean]

I would say Yes, repair it. Not to question your skills, but how good of a welder are you? and do you have the equipment to do it right? Rob Gunter also has a welding procedure for anvil repairs, do a Goggle search and type in 'anvil repair', it should get it for you. IIRC it was published by ABANA in one of their publications. Either procedure should work, I just suggested Rob's for another view of how to go about it.

Some folks have to me "DO NOT REPAIR" and anvil, learn to work around the bad spots. I can appreciate their views as I hate to see something repaired wrong. And 'wrong' can happen real easy when repairing an anvil.

The tempering of the face will most likely be the hardest to achieve. (don't forget the temp-stick) But it is doable. I've seen a couple of sad anvils go through a 'make-over' and come out the other side looking like beauty queens! Nice crisp, clean edges with great rebound.

[Paragon]

If it were mine, I would leave it as is and make a square hardy that has sharp edges and a flat top (has anyone actually ever done this?). You never know when a good round corner can come in handy

Just my unskilled thought. My current anvil is a block of steel (~ 5"x5"x6") and use a second chunk on top at times (~ 2.5"x2.5"x7") So almost anything is better than that. Also have another block with many holes in it.. one just happens to be able to hold a chisel. Oh. my forge.. an Oxy/acetylene torch in my right hand. Still want to get a piece or train rail.
All I have done is twist a square bar 1/4 turn and make my first leaf.

[Shane Stegmeier]

I am one of the don't mess it up guys;-) Particularly after messing up my 145 haybudden;-(

Right angle grinder with a flapper disc gently feather the edges radius them as the cracks and dings suggest. You can generally find a use for those different radius's when using the edge of the anvil. rebound is too important to risk just because you don't have edges that are TOO sharp anyway;-)

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Glenn]

Have you used that anvil in it's present condition? Have you done enough blacksmithing on it to determine it can not be useful as an anvil in it's present condition?

After you pay for the skill, expertise, AND experience needed to do a proper job on the repair, you may have close to the cost of a good anvil or even a new anvil involved.

Offer the cost of repairs to Thomas Powers and challenge him to find a good anvil in good shape. You may be surprised with the results.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Glenn]

Turn your metal. Use the anvil face side to side rather than horn to heel.

As to "I could only look and fondle them for 30 minutes, cash and carry" that is not a red flag, that is an aerial flare, in my humble opinion.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[irnsrgn]

Here we go again, LOL. I have read several different ways to repair the missuse and abuse of anvils. Some even say to use Super Missile weld, which is nothing but Stainless Steel rod with an exorberant price due to its name. Hardfacing rod is also recommended. Best way I know of making an anvil a piece of real junk is the use of these rods, besides there is no color match, some even recommend using 6010, a fast freeze somewhat brittle rod used for deep penetration when welding pipe downhill. It all boils down to whether you want ASO with a croched edge that stands out like a sore thumb or an anvil that looks like an anvil that is as serviceable as it was when new. I have only rehardened one anvil top that had gone thru a fire and it turned out just right. But then I am just an old blacksmith that takes pride in having repairing things in my short time as a blacksmith so they work and look as good as they did when new or if possible better.

I guess I should have just kept my keyboard quiet. Sorry

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

Alan,
That anvil is in no better/worse condition than the one that i have been using for almost 8 years. Now, granted, my anvil has been in the family since 190-something so I am almost obligated to use it. Someday I will get my college loans (and my wife's college loans) paid off , and then Euroanvils had better watch out, cause I am going on a shopping spree and it won't be pretty But until then (and probably even after) I'll keep using my old Kirkstall Forge anvil.
Also, unless you are doing very VERY geometric work, a little bit of sway doesn't really hurt. Most of the work I do has a very "organic" element to it so the swayed anvil actually adds to the character. On the occasions that I do need a nice flat trued up surface I use a big chunk of one inch plate I have as a trueing (sp?) table. The plate USED to be one of the shank of one of the big rippers off of a field cultivator/ripper combo. I think I gave maybe 30 bucks for it and it works great for straightening things.
-Aaron @ the SCF

[ThomasPowers]

Salvagable? I consider that anvil *usable* as it stands for 90% of blacksmithing work!

Every once in a while I haul out the ruins of an 1828 William Foster anvil I paid $5 for. 90% of the face is missing as well as the heel block. The bit of the face that is still there has a heavy sway to it. I then use it to forge a pattern welded knife just to show folks that are hung up on machine made perfection that the craft is in the smith---not in the tools!

I'd keep that one as it is at least till you find the next one and have a "spare" so to speak.

If you *must* mill or gind the face remember to *FIRST* turn it upside down and surface the base parallel to the face *THEN* turn it righside up and just take off the absolute minimum of the face to get it "usable".

I've seen an anvil that was milled where they didn't do the first step---it had not been parallel to start with so when they milled the face flat they milled *THROUGH* the toolsteel face in one area so it would be parallel to the wrought iron base---and charged the guy big bucks for ruining the anvil to boot!

Thomas

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Mills]

If it were mine, I would leave it as is and make a square hardy that has sharp edges and a flat top (has anyone actually ever done this?).

Why yes as a matter of fact, I have. and I can turn it in al four directions for work to hang over the edge as well. Also if the mood strikes I can file a dimple or build up the edge or just forge another that is closer to what I am looking for.

Alan, Thomas is always getting anvils for scrap or less. Irnsrgn has a procedure that will work if you really want to change what you have.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[evfreek]

Hi Alan. Yep, I know exactly who you are talking about. I recall that his name is Bernie Swetz, and, like you (and I), is also a CBA member. He shows up with a bunch of those old tools at the spring conference. By the way, are you going to the next one? I don't know if he is a smith, since sometimes the tools he advertises on craigslist are misnamed. Perhaps he makes a living at this work, and it might be nice to cut him a little slack. I am certain that he meets a lot of "tire-kickers" through craigslist. Or, on the list, they are called "flakes." I ran into him at Petaluma, and the anvils were priced kind of high, but maybe not so high as on craigslist. My striking partner bought a farriers anvil that was carried up from Southern California (lower prices down there). It was a farrier's anvil, and I would not pay even half what he did. But he has a real anvil now and I don't.

It is hard to see just how bad your anvil is without looking at all the edges. The one that is most visible in the photo is indeed bad. My feeling is that there must be at least one good edge somewhere on the anvil face, with a radius of no more than 3/16 of an inch. This is kind of like a pencil. Some people like a sharper edge somewhere, but I find that this just risks cold shuts, especially if a beginner is forging. A strong argument can be made for a 1/16 radius if you like to forge hammer wedges. Or, you can just spend an extra few minutes with a chisel and file.

If I were you, I would try using that anvil as is, and then find out what you can't do that you can on a better anvil. For example, I have a friend who has a 400 lb. anvil with very crisp sharp edges. I found out that I mess up and get cold shuts especially if I am really wailing away (which is tempting, on an anvil of that size). I convinced him to take an angle grinder to just an inch or so of that sharp edge, and our results improved tremendously. Also, worked more efficiently, since we could just hammer away with a 12 lb sledge.

As for forging that anvil top, I would be very careful hitting any forge weld in a shearing direction at forging heat. When Scott teaches you how to do a forge weld, take a quick heat up to orange, and hit your weld real hard right at the seam. I just did this last weekend, and I would have cried if I popped the face of an anvil as nice as the one in the above photo. I am not a good enough forge welder to work any of my welds, especially cross-wise, at much below a welding heat. Too risky.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[irnsrgn]

Alan, unless you have a very large forge and a steam hammer, reforging is not an option. I have 2 blueprints on a couple of anvils I repaired. BP0101 and BP0249, 249 is similar to your anvil. 101 gives the procedures I use and the rod.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Seamus]

Hi

Skipping to the bottom and posting before
reading all that has come before. Hope that's
okey. Here's what I am using:



I hope to clean it up someday but am not at
all in any hurry to do so. I read Charles McRavens
book and based on what he had to deal with
I don't feel too bad. I certainly am not about
to attempt anything until the quality & quantity
of my work is such that I can justify the expense
to "repair" it or get another one in better condition.

That said, how bad is it folks ? And since I have a
piece of 4150 - 5/8ths thick and 15" x 6" long do
I want to hang onto it (the 4150) and use that to
reface it? Thanks

BTW - how do you post images IN the text
of a message? I tried and it didn't work atal

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[ThomasPowers]

Don't know why you'd want a hay-buden over a trenton they are both "top tier" brands.

Fishers do tend to be more "clunky" looking with thick heels---for a reason: cast iron is not as strong as wrought iron or steel and so they mass up the "danger zones"

I don't have a lot of anvils as I try to sell one off every time I find a better one.

I do have a Fisher, Trenton, Peter Wright, Hay-Budden and an Arm & Hammer (not vulcan!) as using anvils in my shop---I teach so this is really not too many. I also have an unknown loaner anvil and several abused anvils I use as heavy masses and cautionary tales. When I lived in OH I would average a brand name anvil in good condition for under US$1 a pound per year; out here things have been slower---though I have not been hunting as hard and I have been instrumental in getting 2 free anvils donated to the metal arts program at NM tech.

The more you get the word around the more anvils you find!

Buying anvils from blacksmiths and tool dealers is the most expensive way to go; private party sales are often *very* good or *Very* *BAD* and you have to hunt for them; but you can often find a lot of other great stuff while hunting.

Thomas