My first Anvil!! any good:??

[Nsteyn]

Just picked up this anvil for a giveaway price.

I noticed that theyere are some weld marks on the anvil, but I checked very carefull, and could not see any any signs of cracks.

The anvil in general seems to be in very good condition, and "rings true" when struck.

Any ideas on the weld as in the pics?

Thanks!!

[Nsteyn]

Oh, and if you have any advice on cleaning up this old man, or taking care of it, it would be greatly apreciated

[Marksnagel]

Nsteyn,
I think that as your first anvil it is great especially since you obtained it at a "give away price". The weld may have been to try and level out an area that was indented and just never ground down. As far as cleaning it up, a good wirebrushing to remove the old paint will help to show any other imperfections. I wouldn't use a paint remover as this will clean the paint out of any possible cracks. Wirebrushing will remove the paint above any cracks allowing you to find them easier. It looks like you have a good find there. If it is going to be outside, a light coat of oil every now and then wouldn't hurt. Use will keep the face from gathering rust.
Good luck and welcome to IFI!
Mark <><

[Nsteyn]

Thanks Mark.
Well i paid 300zar, which is about 25 pounds.
So think thats a bargain.

Thanks. I will clean it up with a wire brush. Should I attempt to grind the weld down?

Niel

[Drewed]

25 quid, ah....50$? For a 196lbs brooks anvil? ( if I did the math correct) Turn yourself into the police, as you stole that thing!

That is an odd place for a crack to form, I'm thinking they filled in a chisel mark or some other low spot. If it were mine, I'd grind it down flush and forget about it.

[Nsteyn]

Lol Drewed. My thoughts exactly.
Kwel. Tnx will do.

[macbruce]

......Any good....$50...... You're either stupid or mean, the latter I think....May your luck hold.... B)

[ThomasPowers]

Brooks are a cast steel anvil and so one of the types most likely *NOT* to have an issue with a weld, especially if proper preheat and post heat were done.

That anvil looks in very good shape indeed and the proper maintenance of it involves taking hot steel, placing it on the anvil and striking it *repeatedly*!

It should be quite loud so you may want to review all the posts about quieting an anvil and mount it so you don't lose your hearing using it.

Are you in South Africa? There are several smiths from there active on this forum.

[Nsteyn]

Yep, I am from South Africa.
It is indeed loud, so will be looking at the different mounting options very soon.
Promise I was not trying to be mean was a bit worried about the weld, but after inspecting it again, I am pretty sure there are no cracks involved.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

[Sask Mark]

I love my 280 pound Brooks. You got yourself a nice one there! Congratulations.

[Nsteyn]

Tnx Sasks

[nonjic]

Ive got a couple of Brooks anvils - a 5 cwt & a 1.5 cwt - I acutally prefer the baby one! they are very 'ringy'. Nice anvils but my heart prefers the older wrought with welded top plate types, seem to have a bit more soul!

[BlissStreet]

300 rand is definitely a steal. 3000-4000 rand is what I'm seeing for 100 kilos.