Have anyone seen something like this?

Looks very old. Never seen similar, but European anvils came in all sizes and shapes. What does it weigh? Any measurements?

The weight is 28 kilo and are from heel to horn 35 cm (about 14 inch) and 16 cm in height.
It was bought in southern sweden about ten years ago.

I have seen anvils that are from the viking period that look similar to this.

Does it belong to you? If so you might want to keep it a vault...... ;)

Viking ones tend not to be that heavy and definitely don't have handling or hardy holes in them.

I'll go with "old" but not "ancient" and probably built in a blacksmith's shop rather than by an anvil manufacturer

Viking ones tend not to be that heavy and definitely don't have handling or hardy holes in them.

I'll go with "old" but not "ancient" and probably built in a blacksmith's shop rather than by an anvil manufacturer

I don't know sort of looks like a bloom with some better stuff welded to the top. The idea of punching a blind hole to wedge a bar into it is not exactly a high level of techonolgy. Its simpler than tongs.

Does it belong to you? If so you might want to keep it a vault...... ;)

B) It belongs to Me and are used for small work on renfairs and demos.

The entire face and and upper side of the horn is a patchwork of steel of good quality.
The small hardiehole indicates that it is later than viking period but You never know for sure :)

And the Romans could have made Levis---but they didn't. Forge welding a handle on is simpler than wedging a bar into a punched blind hole and as you are already forge welding a bunch of chunks together...

It would be interesting to see just when handling holes came into use. I would *guess* that they are associated with a certain size of manufacturing of anvils making it easier to shift the tooling from one to another and spread back into the craft from that.

As I recall my 1828 William Foster has handling holes. I'll check tonight. Anyone else have a solid date earlier? Anyone have a full copy of Diderot's Encyclopedia and can check to see if they show handing of anvils in it?

An odd thought: perhaps someone took a lighter anvil and decided to "bulk it up" by forge welding on chunks?

An odd thought: perhaps someone took a lighter anvil and decided to "bulk it up" by forge welding on chunks?

The fronthole is more of a cavity so inside it possible to see that it is made as it is and not bulked up.
It has a really "handmade look" so it is not made under a powerhammer not even trued up with a flatter or similar tool.

It could be as early as 1600 or much later

I don't recall a 1600's anvil with a hardy; but that's a lot later than my area of interest. Have to research it.

The spanish colonial anvil at the Camino Real Center is more like my "roman" cube anvil; but was a travel anvil.

BTW while reading on the precursors to Coronado's trek I ran across an interesting tidbit: Friar Marcos had made a trip up this way to Zuni from Mexico around 1539 and it's reported that he told his barber that the Indians around here had "iron forges". At least that is what the barber spread around along with other information that raised a lot of interest in further expeditions...(and does not seem to have been accurate, like much gossip heard at the barber's...)

Could it be a very old anvil that was reworked at a later date? He said the top is a patchwork of steel. I have seen anvils form the 16th century and they are generally more finished than that. Ironwork was already a very sophisticated art at that point in time. Not to say it couldn't have been a back woods throw back to an earlier style.

Did a brief scan last night in my library:

Moxon, "Mechanics Exercises" pub 1703, substantially written last half of the 17th century, English: no hardy hole shown on the anvil pictured or mentioned in the description that does go into some detail on the horn.

Métiers disparus - Encyclopédie Diderot A subset of various crafts shown in Diderot's encyclopedia, French late 18th century, no hardy holes shown but the anvils were definitely not general smithing anvils. Inconclusive.

There is an anvil in the Prillwitz Collection are estimated to be from the 1500's

Do not know how it is dated.


Mod note: LInk removed as per Jock demands

B)

http://www.anvilmuse...llection-1.html

This is the oldest anvil i found in collections with a square hole in it.
Did not belive that it should be so hard to find "The History of Anvils"

Found this today http://www.hogsasenitiveden.se/Sensationellt%20resultat.html
It carbon14-dated to1020 - 1220.

Last I recall carbon dating of steel was still a bit iffy; has the science caught up with it yet? I'll ask over at the Archeological Metallurgy mailing list tomorrow.

http://www.ausetute.com.au/carbon14.html

According to the site c14 is often reliable.

Well "often reliable for pottery and iron" according to that website...I don't know the accuracy of the authors of it however...

(carbon dating can be quite reliable for other types of materials)

I've sent a message in on the Archeological Metallurgy mailing list and will report back on it's results

I always tell that the square hole is late 17c or later so it would be nice to say that the anvil I use at markets and rennfairs could be period. Not that i belive it is, but anyway... :)

reminds me of these guys;
http://www.machineseeker.com/A880339/machine.html

Last I recall carbon dating of steel was still a bit iffy; has the science caught up with it yet? I'll ask over at the Archeological Metallurgy mailing list tomorrow.

Any news from the mailing list ?

Any news Thomas?