DanielC Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hello all! This is my first post and first Anvil ever owned. It is a 106lb. Peter Wright that shows considerable wear. I am weary of heating it up and welding onto the corners so I have opted to utilize my hardy hole for bending. The face however shows considerable wear down from previous owners, and since this Peter Wright does not show "England" on the front I assume it is pre-1900's. Is the face too worn down to use as a beginner anvil? Or should I be in the clear? Thanks a ton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 The face doesn't show any sway, which I prefer, but I'm a bit worried about the fact that there's no appreciable elevation difference between the cutting step just behind the horn and the top of the anvil. That would seem to imply that the anvil has had the face milled down over the years to keep it flat. That means it's probably been milled to the point that there is no hard tool-steel faceplate left. How's the rebound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 It seems to rebound decently (Not that I have much to base it against). I will get better pics of it tomorrow to show the cutting step in more clarity. EDIT: Also it is raised from the step by about 1mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.85 Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Nice anvil, should server you well as a first anvil. If the face has been milled, then you will know what to look for when shopping for your next. Nice name too, whats your last name? are we close to the same age as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks, and I am 26 in a few weeks, so pretty close according to your profile. Seems our parents both had good taste in names =] Anywho, I took some more pics today, tell me what you think. I am going to be working mostly light stuff like crude Iron and low carbon steel (Making hooks, forks, tools, etc..). Once I am acquainted with the anvil and can accurately smack red hot metal and not the anvil, I will get a book or two on bladesmith and try my hand on knives. I'm expecting it to be a slow process, so no need to be hasty. Is there enough face for light work? Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allthegearnoidea Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 It looks like it's been milled to me, don't worry about it, Its your first anvil, best thing to do is use it and see how it performs. If you are doing light work only it should be fine. Just don't work your metal cold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 The face has been removed by at least 75%. Like said above, just use it. There is not anything to do at this point but wait until whats left of the face is gone or destroyed. As long as your hitting red hot iron it will last for some time still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Yep, if there is any tool steel left on that baby, it's less than an eighth of an inch! But, it's still far better than a section of rail road track and I wouldn't hesitate to use it and learn on it. The chipping around the edges isn't a problem, though it might appear so. Think of each one of those dips as a swage of a different size and use them as such. You can make all sorts of good stuff on that anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks for the truth and words of encouragement guys! Was hoping my 4 hour round trip wasn't a waste! Btw, I paid $125 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 In the long run its a good candidate for a rebuild. You have nothing to loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Keep your ear open for an anvil repair clinic held by a local blacksmithing club affiliate. Our group had one where a friend's anvil got 5 hours of welding and grinding to get a face restored after it was milled too thin; just for the cost of the consumables too! (Gunter method of anvil repair, preheat, proper rod, postheat...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 A question that has nagged at me all day. I was told be a gentleman at the NCABANA meeting today that PW's were made from one solid piece of iron. If this is the case, how did they achieve a tool face with simple wrought iron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vwzach182 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 The face is a separate piece of tool steel plate that was forge welded to the top of the wrought iron body. After the wrought iron anvil was shaped, it was heated to forge welding temperatures along with the face and then the two pieces were placed together and struck with a machine to pound the two together. In the very very old days and in smaller scale operations this was done by a team of men all taking turns hitting the top with sledge hammers to forge weld the top plate to the anvil. If I remember correctly, the Peter Wright facility used water-powered striking equipment for the forging process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Peter Wright were renowned for pioneering making the face one piece of tool steel not the entire anvil. Instead of having the face a number of pieces each forge welded on separated side by side---you can often see where a heel has broken off that the crack went through the side weld of a face piece! And if you are familiar on how wrought iron is made you would see where the statement is rather meaningless as wrought iron is made by layering and forging pieces together---only the *WORST* stuff is forged directly from the bloom---known as "muck bar" for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Thank you both. I figured there was a separate tool face forge welded onto it, but wanted to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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