Drewed Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I think it may be an ASO, but here is hoping. Hardy hole is about 1.5" square. No pritchet hole. Heavier than all get out! Says 150 on the side and below that (70k) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Crap! Also says Japan on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Better that than china!.......Is the face hard? If so you may have an anvil that some here would kill to have........;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Do the ball bearing test and or the grinding spark test on it. If it's cast iron the answer will be obvious. If it's not *celebrate*. I'd like to remind you of my trick for making tooling for 1.5" hardy holes---I find top tooling that will forge down to fit the hardy hole. Also nested steel tubing sections to reduce the size to a more commonly found one. (My main shop anvil has *2* 1.5" hardy holes in it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 No grinder, but I have a dremel with a cut off wheel! I am assuming that bright sparks = good? Also what is the ball bearing test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Do the ball bearing test and or the grinding spark test on it. If it's cast iron the answer will be obvious. If it's not *celebrate*. Cast iron anvils aren't worthless, a say Vulcan anvil wouldn't be the first choice for 99% of us,but if it has a decent face it's better than a railroad track........:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMartell Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 150kg? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 150kg? I think what they mean with the numbers is 70 kilograms= 150 lbs (really 154 lbs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Drewed (Druid?) Take a good size ball bearing, say about an inch if you can find it. Take a ruler, hold it vertical to the face of the anvil near the center. Drop the ball bearing from the 10 (inch, centimeter, cubit, whatever), and see how much rebound it has. 70-90%, turn a cartwheel, you got lucky. 10-20%, you may have bought a doorstop, or mailbox holder. Tap the face with the ball end of a ball peen hammer. If it dents, then its all cast, with no steel face. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I wonder why a Japanese anvil would have pounds as the prominent measure of wt. If it is newer and made for export then someone here surely know what it is, or possibly it was made in occupied Japan. If the word occupied is there you're talkin collectable $$$ Just don't quit your day job just yet................mb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Vulcans are not cast iron ASOs. They are STEEL FACED cast iron anvils---a totally different category, as the steel face makes all the difference! I still don't like vulcans, I've sold on the ones I have acquired over the years ASAP; but my main shop anvil is a Fisher a top of the line STEEL FACED cast iron anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I agree 100% If it has a cast iron face, but it looks to me like the chips broken out of the face look more like steel breaks than cast iron......Bring on the BB test ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Ok, a few updates. 1. I smacked it the ball end of a ball peen and succeed in making a clean spot, no dent. 2. Dropping a small hunk of steel ( no ball bearing ) showed a rebound of 25%-50% ( rebound hight of one to two fingers when dropped from a hight of four fingers. Total scientific huh?) 3. Spark test with dremel tool was "inconclusive" 4. Smacking it with a hammer doesn't produce much of a ring, more of a clunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Ok, a few updates. 1. I smacked it the ball end of a ball peen and succeed in making a clean spot, no dent. 2. Dropping a small hunk of steel ( no ball bearing ) showed a rebound of 25%-50% ( rebound hight of one to two fingers when dropped from a hight of four fingers. Total scientific huh?) 3. Spark test with dremel tool was "inconclusive" 4. Smacking it with a hammer doesn't produce much of a ring, more of a clunk. Yep, totaly inconclusive. The ball pien if pivoted in your hand would somewhat mimic the ball bearing test, not so with a chunk of steel though. Why was the grinding test inconclusive? Was it because you didn't use a spark chart or known peices of both cast iron and tool steel, and compare the sparks, or was there another reason? The lack of a ring, in this case doesn't mean anything one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I kind of sort of doubt that it is "occupied Japan", most of that was not material as substantial as anvils and besides it looks pretty much like "made in china" anvils I have seen advertised but that is not what is in question here is it? Still even if is an ASO is is better than a rock so get you rod hot and beat it! Let's stop wasting the poor boys time arguing the merits of this anvil and start forging something. The next you know by the time we have it a figured out he will be an old man with a bad back trying to sell it off so he can go do something else. Come on and get busy building your forging fire and make something, times a wasting. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Well, I got my rod rod hot and beat it! Here is what I found: 1. 4x4 work well as a stand in for a stump 2. Rebound on this thing when mounted on wood is way better than when on the concrete floor, I'd say 75% rebound with a ballpien hammer 3. It still doesn't ring ( saves my hearing!) 4. Hitting not quite hot enough 1/2 rebar with a 10 lb sledge did nothing to the face 5. The horn it WAY to FAT! 6. Coal is harder to light than I thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 It could be a chilled face CI anvil, which is OK, but not great. You will learn on it, and that is important. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I agree, just use it. Learn what you can with it, and if you do ruin it you can sell it for a garden decoration. Anvils that go thunk are a bonus or me, and my tinnitus. My 260# Fisher is way quieter than my other anvils. Even if it is an ASO in the end you can lengthen the usability by only striking hot metal, no cold work. This will lessen the chance of denting the face. To get my forge lit, I usually use some wood kindling to get the coal lit. At the college we used a rosebud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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