this is a anvil i have had for 15years and i had started to notice that it no longer had much of a ring to it so i removed it from its stump and gave it a good wire brushing and i realized that it in fact has a crack running 2/3s of the way up from the base towards the face i have not used it a huge amount as it was more of my anvil for when a friend or family member wanted to come and have some fun at the forge
its weight is something over 100lb but not by much
i am thinking this is unfixable but my main concern is do i have to worry about this crack ending up spitting the anvil over time
as well i have never before seen a anvil with a hole in the bottom like this one but then you cant always go over and flip them over to take a peak under neath
thanks for taking a look

Looks to be an english 5 footed anvil from the American Colonial period to me. The fact that it used to ring indicates a wrought iron base (cast steel would also be a possibility if a more modern style)

Wrought iron can be welded with modern techniques. If you want to save this as a using anvil you could Vee out the crack and do a substantial arc weld, (the slag in the wrought iron will melt and float off meaning you will have to add extra rod compared to welding just steel.) Preheating to 350 deg F is suggested and let it cool slowly.

Since anvils were generally welded up from pieces and even with arc welding for the waist weld in more modern anvils a weld is not a total oddity.

OTOH this is a quite old anvil and could be retired *or* used till it breaks through and then retired.

I have seen a patent for an anvil with a substantial hole in the base that claimed better hardening of the face that way---but that patent dates to probably 100 years after your anvil was made.

You might examine the bottom hole to see if it was retrofitted with modern drilling techniques as well. Any signs it was mounted on a spike to revolve for some reason?

Thomas that was my thought as to the hole
as well the crack passes from one side to the other through the hole in the middle and makes me wonder if there was a flaw in the forging of the anvil
i am inclined to retire it and if i am lucky sell it i hate to use something till it breaks unless its a new tool the older the tool the more respect i think it should be shown

It looks like a pretty special antique to me, I wouldn't take any chances with it......mb

It looks like a nice colonial anvil. Other than the crack, it looks in pretty good condition especially for its age. I would put it on display, as is, for a conversation piece. :D

JB weld and duct tape. Fix it right up , you bet.

JB weld and duct tape. Fix it right up , you bet.

Don`t forget the baling wire! :D

you do realize i am taking note and you never know what i might get up to in the middle of the winter

notes that is

Actually anytime I catch my neighbor throwing out a snag of good baling wire I steal it out of his trash---quite useful!

Actually anytime I catch my neighbor throwing out a snag of good baling wire I steal it out of his trash---quite useful!

Why does that not surprise me? :P

lol man i am going to love this place my father and i used to go to the dump with half a truckload of junk and come back with a truckload of treasure

Nice vise!

thanks its mounted on a stack of three old school bus tire rims that i bolted together so its movable but sturdy and has another 50lb or so of steel hung off it

Being that its a colonial era English 5th foot anvil, to weld on it or any attempts to repair the anvil will destroy the antique value of it.. I would find another good usable anvil and keep this one for display.. It most likely dates mid 1600's to early 1700's..

My shop is *full* of antiques; I call them tools! No room for "display only items".

I'm sure he would be happy to trade it for a good 200(+) anvil in "using condition"...

very true Thomas
but over all i have to say it has been a treat to pause now and then with my hand on it out in the shop and think about how long its been around
over all i am with you i wish i could afford to keep things around just bc they are what they are but space and budget wise i think this is calling out for a new home

A collector may pay good money for that. Then take that money, and buy a good working anvil. I have no problem seeing an anvil in that condition relegated to diaplay only. Then again, depending on what the market is for one ion that condition , I might be inclined to repair it, and keep using it.

I'd bevel the heck out of the crack and stick weld it.

Hi all.
I think you should repair it.
If the anvil had been previously repaired it would still be an antique anvil but with a modern repair. As apposed to an antique non usable anvil with a huge crack in it.
If you get my drift.
Cheers Alan

Since im just getting interested in the craft i don't know a lot about it yet. However, my thoughts on repairing it differ slightly from grinding and welding. If it is possible to do why not just use your forge to heat the anvil and fuse the crack back together? I look forward to reading replies to this post since i have a lot to learn yet.

as of now i am not messing with it since finding out how old it is i am happy to give it a wrest and keep using my my badfoot anvil that one is a yungster being from 1887

I would get a cup wire brush on my 4 1/2 inch grinder, clean it up well, put a coat of wax on it, figure out real shipping costs to anywhere in the US and put it on Ebay, well described and clearly photographed, including the crack. Put a reserve on it that will let you get another used anvil and hope for the best. This thread already has good description information. An honest description with good clear photographs will possibly entice several collectors who have deep pockets.


Phil

Trying to forge welding it back together is more likely to result in destroying it both as an antique and as a using anvil. It's not a trivial task---when they refaced the anvil at Quad-State a couple years back they had a failure to weld several times *before* getting it to stick and that's with trained smiths and a plethora of great equipment to do it!

Now if it was totally trashed---missing the face as well as the crack in the body then I would say give it a go!