New Anvils for Old ones?

[tcforgeandironworks]

Hello all!

I am not exactly new to smithing, though by far I am a bit of a noob:)
I recently moved from the Nashville area to the Dallas area.
In doing so I was unable to bring with me many of the items that I had, such as in this case, my Anvil.
I donated it to the local guild when I left.

This puts me in the market for an anvil.

Here is my quandary:

I have been looking on ebay, craigslist, etc... and have found that the prices are ok, but the anvil's are far from being in unreal fantastic shape.
I can afford a new anvil, and am curious if there are really any advantages to a 100 year old peter wright vs a brand new Anvil Brand or something similar.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated and my budget is around 6-7 hundred, give or take (Prefer to take:) )

Thanks again for any assistance that you might provide.

[macbruce]

Welcome TC,
There are many great old anvils, as far as quality the good ones are just as good as new.......there are pitfalls if you don't know what to buy and for how much, or
is there hidden damage.......... The new ones sold at blacksmith supply stores are excellent, the farrier supply anvils I can't say.........If money were not an issue I'd buy new, a sure thing is better than looking for a bargain sometimes........... ..Good luck...mb

[Thomas Dean]

Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! Sorry to hear that you couldn't bring your anvil but it is very admirable of you to give it to your former group. I'm sure you have found the North Texas Blacksmith Assoc. by now, good bunch of folks and would love for you to join. As to your question of 'new or old' that one is a tuffy. If you could find a Hay Budden for the right price then you could probably save some $$ over a new one of same weight, most likely. I am not familiar with the prices on new anvils. There is a thread that goes into some detail of who likes what for new anvils. Take a look through the "Anvils" section of the forum, I'm sure you can find it there.

If you ever get over in the Longview area give me a holler, it's only about 120 miles east of Dallas. My shop is always open.

[kpotter]

I have a 200lbs Buddin and a 275lbs peddinghause. I bought the peddinghause new it works just as good as the buddin. The only reason to buy antique anvils is because you like having an old anvil. Mine sits in the living room looking pretty. I wouldnt pay a ton of money for an old anvil thinking they are better than a new forged anvil.

[Marksnagel]

Hey TC, welcome to IFI. Good luck on your anvil hunting/shopping. Hope all goes well in Dallas.

Mark <><

[tcforgeandironworks]

Thanks for the warm welcomes!

I do love the look when demonstrating on an older anvil, I just wanted to make sure I was not missing out on some secret like all new anvils are made with melted down Chinese cars or something:)

I look forward to hanging out and reading some of the wisdom here:)

I just found the North Texas Blacksmith's Association a few days ago, trying to get settled in before I seek out some locals :)

[bigfootnampa]

At around $700 I think you'd get a much better deal by buying a used anvil. I paid $650 for my 256 pound Trenton a few years ago (likely it would be cheaper now). A new Peddinghaus of similar size would run $1,000 over your budget. I think you'll be better served with an older heavier anvil at that price level. You'll end up with a rather smallish anvil if you go new at that price.

[ThomasPowers]

There are a bunch of "New" anvils that may not be of the same quality level; but there are a bunch of new ones that are very good indeed. Most of us know how the old ones stack up by brand but can be unsure of the new ones. If you have the time to search out a good old one or to research a good new one and you have the cash on hand you are ahead of the game either way!