wd&mlteach Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I found this one locally on CL, so I contacted seller and set up a meeting. It was real close, like 1/2 mile from my house local. The fellow wanted $250, out of my budget, but I figured I would check it anyway and just see it. I mean, the address was my grandaparents old house and I knew the trip would be good enough for old memories if anything. The CL ad had no make or weight so I took my AIA along for the walk and I measured my 127 Trenton just for comparison. When I looked at the anvil it was covered with a dirt crust so deep I could not make anything out. After a bit of rubbing I made out a "Hay Budden" and took some meaurements. we looked it up in the book and the closest we could get was that it was around 150. I asked him how low he would go and he said $150, still too high for an on-the-spot purchase without wife approval. So I told him the truth, that I was interested, but I would have to negotiate with the other half. I thought about it some more and decided to hold out for a larger anvil. So I called him back the next day from my treestand, told him the news and went on living life. A week later he calls me and lowers to $100, I jumped. I know it is far from perfect, but certainly it is a usable piece, and in my opinion not bad at $100. There are better deals out there I just have not found one yet, but I am still looking..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I would be proud to have that in my shop at double that price. You did well IMHO. Up here though some guy would try to sell it for a bunch more though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozenforge Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 You did well is an understatement. Nice very early Hay Budden, looks like it cleaned up nicely. Does it have a good ring? No kidding about prices up here, just search CL alaska for anvil or blacksmith :0 Make an item for the person you got it from just for good karma! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 It rings great, hurts my ears with the slightest tap of the heel or horn, the neighbors will love it! The ring is why one of my stock YJ U-bolts is in the pritchel, it helps a bit with the ring. Actually the guy I bought it from is a scrapper. I have decided to throw all of my useless metal junk and debris his way just because it is a good thing to do. I also have a 180# of lead bricks I was given, I was planing on melting them down for bullets, but that has not worked out. I might donate a few to his cause, I am still going to keep a few for my muzzle loader though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Once you have established that an anvil has a good ring GET RID OF THE RING!!!!!!!! The ring does nothing but make you go deaf. Is that clear??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Lets see... $100 on CL in my neck of the woods will get you: a section of RR track, a GEM cast iron ASO with all of the face gone and another 3/4" of damage done after that, a no-name rusty relic with no horn, another relic with no heel. All of which have been posted and reposted for weeks or months. Complete cast iron ASOs go for more than that. A Hay-Budden, even with chips, runs $3-5/ lb. And is gone in hours, if not minutes. Soooo.... 182 pounds for $100 AND he named the price = you did good, even by 1990 prices. I would have been happy at 5 times that price. (Yeah, I know what you are going to say, Thomas, but that is the reality, here and now.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 To be honest, I knew it was a good deal at $150, but I really was not sure about the weight. Like I said, I measured my Trenton for reference before I left, the Budden was only 1 1/2" longer tip to tail, about a 3/4" wider across the face, and 1" taller. I knew it had to be heavier but it just did not seem all that much when I compared the measurements. However, when I lifted it into my Suburban and wrestled it accross the tailgate, I knew it was NOT the same and I was really glad to have jumped when I did. I actually contained the celebration and uncontrollable smiling until I drove out of sight, I am still smiling. Now that I have them side by side there is a major difference between the two and I can "see" how good of a deal it was. We are only a 1.25 income family and parting with money needs to be justified in the familie's best interest and not just mine. I joke and blame it on my wife but really it is a mutual decision.The only deal that I have had that was better, was with my first anvil. I know it is a different class of anvil than this one, but it was a GREAT deal. I got a Big Face NC Tools anvil ($295), a NC folding stand w/clamp($245), a Whisper Momma forge($510), two benchtop HF drill presses(69.99 a piece), a 6" HF grinder(49.99) with a Multitool attachment($253.99), a bucket of horseshoes and four hoof rasps(24.99 each) for a grand total of $100. I did have to rebuild the Whisper for around $170 shipped, but that was still a good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Seriously nice deal. Clamp that baby down tight with some type of tightenable system to help with the ring. Add some chain around the waist and some magnets to make it REAL quiet. Still gonna need hearing protection though, but the neighbors will be happier. Don't grind on the face, grind on the edge just enough to give yourself a nice clean spot with a smaller radius. you only need a couple inches of clean edge to do anything. (Yea, I haven't done this to my Trenton yet...) Also make an edge tool for the hardy in case you need a smaller radius edge (this I did already). Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Better than a rock any day of the week, you got a wonderful anvil there!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I would have bought that at that price! (and passed it on to a student at a similar price.) Doesn't take much change in measurements to make a big change in weight when you are talking steel/iron! And style makes a different too, I once had an anvil with a 3" wide face, weighed 199 pounds (HB swell horned farrier's pattern) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Here's an example of how bad things are here in Alaska. An Atlas anvil 140# for $875.http://anchorage.craigslist.org/tls/3321713943.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd&mlteach Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Here's an example of how bad things are here in Alaska. An Atlas anvil 140# for $875.http://anchorage.cra...3321713943.html That truly is an amazing price. I regularly check CL, actually I use google reader to do the search for me, and I see that there is almost a new anvil daily in a 3 hr drive from my PA area. Most of which never approach a monster price range unless they really are a monster anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 If I ever get a chance to drive to Alaska I know what will be in the trunk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I'm more interested in what you'd be looking for in the tree stand as opposed to that anvil. I agree. It isn't in the greatest of shape, but if you need something then you need something. I agree on the ring. Stop that as best you can. You'll loosen your fillings and all your children will be born naked. Not to mention, it will make you take back things you had never stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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