Picked this one up today. Good rebound. You can tell it lived outside, but in good shape overall. I knocked the dirt off for a first pass and did not see any other markings except what looks like a 3 or an 8 on the foot. When were these made?

After knocking off the first layer of crud.

More after the initial cleanup.

Deminsions

Length = 32-3/4

Height = 13-1/4

Face Length = 21-3/16

Face Width = 5

Base = 12-5/8 W x 14 L

Hardy = 1-1/4

Pritchel = 3/4 +/-

Weight = 300 lbs

Drove about 200 miles round trip $40 +/- Fuel

Cost $350 and would not budge - I tried as usual

Total $390.00 or $1.30 per lb.

It will do until I can find me a big anvil :)

According to Anvils in America they made anvils from 1903-04 to 1922-23, then had them made by Soderfors until 1927 (this would have the Soderfors trade mark)
Good score

I agree - Great score.

Looking at the simulated plate overhang and wondering if that feature was cast in to allow truing the edges by grinding without touching the anvil body ? Either way this anvil should clean nicely.

You can see that there is no top plate actually and the sides are part of the casting. I agree they allow for shaping and I will take advantgage of that when I finish dressing the sides.

Not sure if Columbian followed the same practice but I've read that Fisher put a higher carbon plate into the mold for the face and poured the rest of the anvil body on top of that. In any event, it should clean up nicely - looks like a great find and well worth the money.

Yea, a buck-thirty a pound is a great price. To get a new-new anvil for that kind of money is almost unheard of. Congrats on the score!

Good Score Mike! Apparently its similar to the Sodefors... I wonder why you like it.

From what I recall, Sodorfors placed the steel face in the mold and preheated it before casting the steel. After a set period of time the mold was open and the anvil quenched under a water tower, a set amount of water through a set opening quenched the face and residual heat in the body tempered it.

Anyway, if this was cast by Sodorfors I'd be surprised if they used a different technique.

Frosty the Lucky.

Got to see this anvil on sunday. Its a very nice looking anvil. Plenty big. You got an excellent score with this one Mike.

Columbians made in Cleveland OH were cast steel and I have not heard of them using a "plate" for the face.

one company actually had a pattend on casting there steel faces to the cast steel bodys where thay actually had the molted cast iron "wash" or run over the steel face an its way into the mold. in not to sure why i worked better. maybe cause it heated the steel plate faster?

Fishers used a molten cast iron wash; but they were cast iron bodied, steel faced anvils.

really that was fisher?

May I commend to you "Anvils In America" by Richard Postman. You should be able to ILL a copy at your local public library.