postleg Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Just bought this 206 lb hay budden farrier's anvil today. Wondering when it was made serial no 208719? On the opposite side of the hay budden mark there is1020 stamped with the same kind of stamp as the serial no. Brought it home fired up the forge and got a good start on a knife works very nice. Now I can choose which to us this or my 167lb peter wright. When one gets to hot I can switch to the other. I also got the hardie tools with it. Two of them are marked with one with 1/4 and 7/16 on the other what do size markings mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 WOW! You are the first I have met that needs a second anvil to use while the first one cools! Just my guess but those hardy tools look like they might have been meant to use when fullering and the sizes marked might be diameters of the fuller edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Looks like a fine old Hay that has suffered from the abuse of a hack welder.......The weld splatter on the face, gouges probably from a cutting torch, as well as the likelihood the moron did some heavy heating with a torch on the face and softened it.........don't like to rain on anyone's parade but I reckon these issues could be corrected or not.... Just an few observations..........It's still a fine anvil, I would have bought it......... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Your anvil was made in 1913 according to Mr Postman. I would not be too concerned about a couple of arc strikes on the face of an anvil, misuse yes but it would not deter me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 The semi-circular clip horn has been cut off. Lots of farriers did not like the clip horn because it "guts out" a lunar shaped divot on the foot surface of the shoe, thereby making a weak place at the base of the clip. FYI, the HB farrier's pattern anvils did not have a cutting table, because many of them had a "swelled horn" starting at the anvil step. Your anvil shows clearly a smoothly radiused horn base next to the step on one side, and the [partial] clip horn on the other side...no cutting table. You have acquired a beautiful anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM454 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 My HB was born in 1913 as well. I cussed myself all the way home for giving to much for it. ($350) Lets say I was not near as upset when I found out it was a HB and was in good shape for it's age. Needless to say I'd not take double my investment back for it. Wonderful anvils I must say. I have a 120 lb Trenton that's a sweet anvil as well. Either one will do me the rest of my working life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Stuart, I have two HB anvils like that, where the numbers are barely to be seen and not recognizable. One of them also lacks the single number you sometimes see in the waist next to the handling hole, horn side. The one lacking the waist number, I have a feeling, is quite old because of its overall shape. It has more mass in the waist and horn base. The heel from waist to end is straight on the underside, not concave. In that sense, I think the early ones slightly resembled the British pattern anvils. The later HB's got more slenderized and narrower waisted. I have two farrier pattern anvils which clearly show the numbers on the front "foot." The numbers are not deeply stamped, so I assume that they were stamped cold. If they were stamped cold by an apprentice with dinky hammer blows, that might explain their later obfuscation on some anvils There is rust and then there is rust and pitting. A friend put an ad in the Chicago paper desiring blacksmith tools and found an HB in a basement sitting in a couple inches of water. We can only guess at the history of some of these anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John G Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hello to all, I'm new to the site and a novice metalworker. I just made my first real metalworking purchase yesterday (well, my second, really, since I bought a MIG welder -- Hobart Handler 140-- last year). I bought a 206-lb. Hay-Budden in pretty nice shape (in my unlearned opinion-- looks as good or better than many I've seen pics of, that were described by more experienced folks as "real nice") for $350. That was here in Central Oregon. From what I've been reading, I should pick up a copy of Anvils In America-- sounds like interesting reading, and the library does not have a copy. Can anyone who has a copy tell me what year corresponds to serial # 206853? I would guess 1913 or before, based on the first post in this series. Looking forward to learning and creating with this anvil! Thanks for your help. --John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Yes, 1913. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John G Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Thanks, Frank-- both for the answer and the brevity! --John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 John your local library should be able to ILL a copy. Inter Library Loan, you have to ask someone who knows something at the desk though. I live in rural New Mexico and the local library can ILL items I haven't been able to buy after 4 years of a standing book search on several web sites! I tend to ILL books before I buy them to see if they are a good use of my limited cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I've had good luck locating books for purchase with dealoz.com. "Die Kunstschlosserei" by Max Metzger, came from Argentina! Fritz Kühn's "Stahl Gestaltung" (steel formations) came from Belgium. I have about $70 in each including S&H, which at first blush seems like a lot, but buying a good book is like buying a good tool. These books are in German. My German is rusty, but I have Daniel, my journeyman helper, who is fluent, as he worked in Wüzburg for five years. "I can't read German, but I can read the pictures." Tom Bredlow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I own three anvils and till now I couldn't think of an excuse to tell my beloved boss why I would need another, I am so stealing that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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