03sp500 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hello Im a total newbie, trying along with my son to learn the craft / art of Blacksmithing. luckily I have a friend that is helping us learn who is a very talented Blacksmith. I picked up a Bufco forge that I am cleaning up. We have aquired some basics. and have sucked up any knowledge that comes our way. I knew that a good anvil would be a major purchase, so we have been saving. But (there always a but) we went to a tractor show yesterday which includes a swap meet and hidden away in a corner of a guys trailer was a broken anvil. I looked at it closer and he said it weighed 186 pounds, I got it for 50 bucks and figured that although it is broken It would be good to have until a proper one can be purchased. I got it home and cleaned it up a bit. the top was a little worn but not too bad. It had the numbers 1 3 22 on the side which if im correct and payed attention to all the wonderful posts here it orignally weighted 218 lbs. I cant make out the other markings on the other side but it looks like it says "Hill" some where in the words. So if any one can tell me what kind of anvil this is and also do you think I wasted my money getting it. any input would be appreciated. I would also like to thank everyone who shares info on this forum, as it helps newbies like me want to keep learning this great art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 50 bucks, sounds pretty good to me. Use it for a bit and then decide if you ever need more, might not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Sounds like a decent deal to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 No way did you get a bad deal. It has plenty of mass and will serve you well as a first anvil. Enjoy it and make lots of cool stuff to sell and get more cool stuff. The never ending circle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Very good buy. Looks like a Mouse Hole clone. Only thing you will really miss is the hardy hole. I bet you could figure out a way to drill a round hole for tooling. The plate is probably to hard to easily drill. If you could get a small hole through the plate one of those abrasive hole saws could be used to enlarge it to a useful size. Once through the plate step drill for a larger hole. A round hardy hole may not be ideal but would sure be better than nothing. Alternately either drill through the step or just weld at fixture a the broken end for tooling. Happy Forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 You could put a piece of square tubing into a bucket of concrete to use as a free standing hardie hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 ya thats nice man ! good job , id use it for shure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Just for use as a spare or extra it would be an excellent value for what you spent on it! You made a nice find! It is in excellent shape except for that missing tail and you won't miss that a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 You could put a piece of square tubing into a bucket of concrete to use as a free standing hardie hole. Or in a vice. But it sure is nice to have tooling at the anvil. Some European anvils have a hardy hole on the horn end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 seeing as how you could get $94 for your purchase just selling it as scrap, I'd say you did really good plus you still have more than enough face to use for making just about anything. Heck, that is a lot better than most folks start out with, certainly better than my rail anvil I had for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 seeing as how you could get $94 for your purchase just selling it as scrap, I'd say you did really good plus you still have more than enough face to use for making just about anything. You better check your math on that. Here heavy steel (1/4"+) is about $200/ton so since a ton is 2000 lbs that make $0.10/lb (10 cents) and if his anvil weighs 186 lbs then scrap value is about $18.60. :( If the scrap value is really as high as you say it is I will load every tool and bit of metal I own and be there in the morning. At $3760.00/ton I will be able to retire and live the rest of my life with that kind of money. :D (2000/50=40, 40x94=3760) Please let us know where to go to cash in and get rich ;) smith out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Junk yards here buy by the long ton or 2200 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 here ours is @ $9.50 to $11.00 per 100 LB ! Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.85 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 That is so much better than my first "anvil" was(RR track), you got a great deal and that will last you forever. Even if you get a nice new anvil in the future, that thing will sill have a use for some things that you wouldn't want to risk doing on a cleaner anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluidsteel Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I'd have happily paid $100 for that anvil. It'd be a perfect anvil for me as I'm mostly a bladesmith. I wouldn't try drilling a hardy, I'd just make a heavy steel stand with a hardy designed into the stand at the heel. Run the barstock or heavy wall tube(whatever you use to make the hardy) all the way to the ground and add a 1/2"x6"x6" or bigger base to it so you can hammer on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 yep my math was bad for general scrap.I humbly stand corrected! You better check your math on that. Here heavy steel (1/4"+) is about $200/ton so since a ton is 2000 lbs that make $0.10/lb (10 cents) and if his anvil weighs 186 lbs then scrap value is about $18.60. :( If the scrap value is really as high as you say it is I will load every tool and bit of metal I own and be there in the morning. At $3760.00/ton I will be able to retire and live the rest of my life with that kind of money. :D (2000/50=40, 40x94=3760) Please let us know where to go to cash in and get rich ;) smith out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Emig Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 It'll work till you can get a better one. If you look at the stuff the African smiths make on rocks and such for anvils, you realize it's not all about the tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayden H Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Japanese bladesmiths have used tail-less and hornless anvils for centuries and made some awesome stuff. Make a saddle like peice to sit on the anvil face and weld a good peice of 1 inch thick wall square tubing to it to make a hardy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 my scrap guy gives 10 cents a pound but sales for 12 cents a pound, unless your me then its what ever i wont at what ever i have to pay ! lol , good things come to those that give BEER.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 lucky you, scrappies here sell for 50 cents lb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nocomment Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thanks guys for all the info. Looks like I did alright. The hardy hole was a concern but I think I might have a solution for now. I have a plate of steel thats 1.5 inches thck and weighs about 80 lbs. if i can find a way to get a square hole in it and put it near to the anvil It may work ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thanks guys for all the info. Looks like I did alright. The hardy hole was a concern but I think I might have a solution for now. I have a plate of steel thats 1.5 inches thck and weighs about 80 lbs. if i can find a way to get a square hole in it and put it near to the anvil It may work ok. Looks like you are set. Nice looking heavy work surface. If you don't have access to a shop with a programable plasma cutter and want a real square hardy hole, drill multiple holes out as close as possible, and use a reciprocating saw as a file to clean out the leavings and corners (That is if the plate is not heat treated). It might take a few blades and some time but should be worth the effort. I hope you have a good drill press. What was that plate in it's previous life ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Depending on the material of that plate you can easily make a hole, or not. You can drill a hole in it, then use a diamond point cold chisel, other cold chisels, and files to clean it up square. I did this in 1 inch mild steel, took about an hour to go from a pattern of four 1/2 inch holes to a square hole. If you have help you can drill or punch a hole and drift it. Brian Brazeal has done this, and posted fairly good pictures of the process. If you have connections and/or cash you can have someone with a waterjet or plasma cutting table put the hole it, then clean up to final tolerance with files. Alternatively you can stand the plate up and use it as another anvil. Hardy holes are slightly over rated (but for good reasons) a post vise can substitute easily. "Anvil devils" can replace a cutoff hardy for up to 1/2 inch stock. You can do your cutting with a chisel. There are many possibilities. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 That is a great price for a great starter anvil! Hope whoever ground the face didn't take too much off, far better to leave some pitting and more face! I have one much similar, though mine is a Powell and a bit smaller; what I did is to add a prosthetic hardy hole. Got a piece of stout structural square tubing and clamped it on the back end of the heel with a cross bar pounded into the handling hole to give it a bit more resistance to being pounded down. Now this set up works best for offset hardy tooling where they rest on the anvil face, not to hard to do if you are making all your own tools from the start. Any chance of building a ground forge and heating up that chunk of scrap? If so drill out a hole close to size and drift it to square! "damaged" anvils are often the most cost effective way to get started and as mentioned much of the world does quite nice forging on anvils that would be considered "damaged" in the USA. (My heeless Powell cost me US$40 and is a great anvil, especially for heavy work by students who strike like lightening----never hitting the same place *twice*!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nocomment Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Looks like you are set. Nice looking heavy work surface. If you don't have access to a shop with a programable plasma cutter and want a real square hardy hole, drill multiple holes out as close as possible, and use a reciprocating saw as a file to clean out the leavings and corners (That is if the plate is not heat treated). It might take a few blades and some time but should be worth the effort. I hope you have a good drill press. What was that plate in it's previous life ? It is a lift arm from an inground car lift. We changed them to above ground lifts at work and got my hands on 8 of them. That is a great price for a great starter anvil! Hope whoever ground the face didn't take too much off, far better to leave some pitting and more face! I have one much similar, though mine is a Powell and a bit smaller; what I did is to add a prosthetic hardy hole. Got a piece of stout structural square tubing and clamped it on the back end of the heel with a cross bar pounded into the handling hole to give it a bit more resistance to being pounded down. Now this set up works best for offset hardy tooling where they rest on the anvil face, not to hard to do if you are making all your own tools from the start. Any chance of building a ground forge and heating up that chunk of scrap? If so drill out a hole close to size and drift it to square! "damaged" anvils are often the most cost effective way to get started and as mentioned much of the world does quite nice forging on anvils that would be considered "damaged" in the USA. (My heeless Powell cost me US$40 and is a great anvil, especially for heavy work by students who strike like lightening----never hitting the same place *twice*!) I cleaned it up with a 4" inch grinder with a sandpaper disc on it. I was careful not to take off very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.