Peter Wright

[wayne1967]

I've got a new to me 103lb pw anvil. Two questions, is there any way to date them and what are the square holes on the ends front and back for? up under the horn and face.

[Ridgewayforge]

There certainly are ways to date them, I'll let more experienced folks tackle that. The holes are for carrying the anvil.

[Farmall]

one of the ways to get an approximate date is to look at the markings. Can you post a picture? In Postman's Anvils in America, he lists the dates of manufacture for various markings on the Peter Wrights. For example if all it has on the side are the words "Peter Wright" and "Patented" and the hundred weight markings, it was manufactured from 1852-1860.

[wayne1967]

Says peter wright, has the hundred weight markings and says something "wrought" Most everthing else is hard to read.

[Thomas Dean]

Date them? Why? they can't talk, dance or even kiss you back. Sounds to me like a pretty dull evening....

[ThomasPowers]

Probably "Solid Wrought" ---do the words form a circle?

Traditionally made anvils are forged to shape and so the "Handling holes" are made to allow large sets of "special tongs" to grab them securely as they are worked by teams of folks with sledges or steam or tilt hammers.

[wayne1967]

Yes they form a circle. As far as why, look at me man, I am a reenactor. I love history. : )

[wayne1967]

The bottom part is hard to see in the pic.

[Old South Creations]

Made somewhere between 1860 and 1910. With better pictures of the entire anvil, especially the face & horn, it can be narrowed down a little more.

[wayne1967]

[wayne1967]

The face is right at 4" wide if that helps. Has hardy and pritcher hole.

[Drewed]

Pritchel, not pritcher. A pritcher tosses the ball to the bratter in a brasebrall grame.. :D

[Old South Creations]

this may be a little hard to tell...if the face is made of 2 or more plates it will be between 1860 and 1885 and if the face is made of one plate it will be between 1885 and 1910

[wayne1967]

Two plates welded on top of one another?

[ThomasPowers]

No side by side. Getting good steel was rather a pain in the old days and so anvils had the face composed of sections of high carbon steel forge welded on side by side over the wrought iron bodys. When they were able to get a good large slab of steel for the faces that became a selling point and was advertised!

Some old anvils may have 3 or 4 piece faces and unfortunately sometimes the weld lines preferentially wear or even worse if a face piece weld lines up with the body weld for the heel they are more prone to having the heel break off under heavy use/abuse.

[wayne1967]

Thanks everyone.

[seldom (dick renker)]

Well after reading all of these anvil topics I decided that maybe this one would fit. I have a PW and have had it for 40 years. Always figures it weighed about 120 lbs.
after all the dicissions I put it on a scale and got 102.6 lns. The markiings are 0-3-20. Has wrought in a circle. Paid 40 bucks for it in the early 70s. Used iit for horseshoeing so it was right size to carry in and out of truck 6- 8 times a day. May have to get a bigger one now.