nice. do you know where in the north yarmouth/cumberland area i might be able to find an anvil or other tools?

Craigslist is where I found my first anvil. There's a 100lb Vulcan on craigslist right now for 425$ and new one's are popping up all the time. Also there are usually lots of anvils at the NEB meets. As for other tools like hammers flee markets and antique barns are good.

 

A Vulcan for $425 is a little steep, unless it's like in new condition, then I would consider it. I like my 110 lb Vulcan because it's quiet but the rebound is not the greatest. Our go to anvil is a 106 lb Hay Budden.

awesome. do you know how to read the hundredweight marking on older anvils? this would be a good skill to fgure out the poundage

 

Yes.

IFC I would never buy a Vulcan at over 4 dollars a pounds. Not when I've had so much good luck with anvils in the past

But what I meant was there are always anvils on craigslist within 100 miles of where I live.

 

@Owen Hinsman This is one of the best ways to find anvils: 

 

 

4 hours ago, Owen Hinsman said:

awesome. do you know how to read the hundredweight marking on older anvils? this would be a good skill to fgure out the poundage

Older blacksmiths' anvils are often stamped with a three-digit number indicating their total weight in hundredweight, quarter-hundredweight (28 lb), and pounds. Thus, an anvil stamped "1.1.8" will weigh 148 lb (112 lb + 28 lb + 8 lb) the first number would be multiples of 112 pounds, the middle number would be multiples of 28 so a 3 would be 84 pounds the last number is actual pounds.

Older ENGLISH anvils; American ones are stamped in pounds.

thanks.

 

confusion between the two sometimes works in your favour and sometimes against you.

Thomas,

Thanks for clearing that up, I always forget to mention the difference between English & American weight systems.

I have one were the side was ground clean and I plan to have it officially welded and then weight stamp it in Roman Numerals!

Problem is I need a cherry picker to get it loaded to take to the feed store, estimated weight 410 pounds. (I don't do subtractive Roman Numeials so if it weighs out that way then CCXCC will work!)

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

confusion between the two sometimes works in your favour and sometimes against you.

how so?

Like this if I had a 150lb anvil I was selling and it was marked in hundredweight 1 0 10. If I thought it was 110lbs and sold for 2 dollars a pound the buyer would actually be paying less than 2 dollars a pound.

Or I'm looking to buy an anvil being offered at US$2 a pound and it's stamped 230 and so they tell me to pay 460 dollars when it really weighs 308 pounds which would be $616 and so I save about $150!

hmm okay that makes more sense now.

Exactly. I would take that deal any day!...any day I had the money that is. 

too true. too true. i just wait until my birthday/christmas for the monies that come from my relatives

Part of buying anvils at a good price is to have the money to hand and close the deal before they start looking at ebay. If it's a good deal, then I want to have the anvil in my possession the same day!

On 12/9/2017 at 12:23 PM, Owen Hinsman said:

Thanks mike

This is what i have so far

that looks good

Thanks!