anvil identification needed...

[Daniel Lea (AKA 99pppo)]

Hey guys,

today I got a new anvil that I bought from a colleg of my father for just 25$. It was covered by thick painting but I removed it and was able to reveal some signs. I also made a video about the sound and the rebound.

Perhaps one of you can indentify this anvil and say me what steel/iron it is made of and how much it actually is worth.








Here it becomes interesting! I think that the top letters say "1824" -> if that is the production year this is almost antique o_o. And the middle ones seem to say 44 1/2... in kilogramms this would fit pretty good. And there is also a touch mark that looks like a square with two hashes on top.




Here I marked the letters that I think I was able to recognize with Photoshop:




I was actually impressed by the good rebound! You can also hear the sound (although it got a little scratchy from the microphone in real it is pretty clear!)

Ok I would be glad if you can tell me something about this anvil. For me it is a nice little anvil I may take with me to demonstrations or other events that need a portable anvil.



Yours
- Daniel

you may get more answers if you asked in the anvil section, I will relocate for you

[ThomasPowers]

I think you would do better talking with German smiths about that one as most of use are pretty limited to the US, UK and some Swedish brands that were imported into America. I would also assume that pricing is VERY location specific.

BTW When did the metric system get used in Germany, was it solidly in place in 1824? (google: The North German Confederation adopted the metric system in 1868 and the remaining states in 1875 (after unification). In some of the German states the metric and pre-metric systems were both in use before 1868 - and after 1875)

So that date with kg is most unlikely to be German; was that style of anvil produced in France back then?

[Daniel Lea (AKA 99pppo)]

I think you would do better talking with German smiths about that one as most of use are pretty limited to the US, UK and some Swedish brands that were imported into America. I would also assume that pricing is VERY location specific.

BTW When did the metric system get used in Germany, was it solidly in place in 1824? (google: The North German Confederation adopted the metric system in 1868 and the remaining states in 1875 (after unification). In some of the German states the metric and pre-metric systems were both in use before 1868 - and after 1875)

So that date with kg is most unlikely to be German; was that style of anvil produced in France back then?

I can´t say for sure but I think it might be possible that kg already was used in the industry but I don´t know anything definet.

[Daniel Lea (AKA 99pppo)]

I got an answer in the German equivalent of IFI.

For anyone that is interested:

It is a "H. W. Holthaus" anvil, produced in Dahlerbrück, Westfalen, Germany. The age is correct and it is a forged pig iron anvil with a welded on steel face. Due to the fact that the face is in splendid condition I may add a zero to the 25$ :D.


- Daniel

[Jack Evers]

44-1/2 kilos, approx 100 pounds. Set it on a scale and find out. By the way, even tho metric is seldom used in the US (mostly for liquor), it has been recognized as a legal commerce system since the late 1860's. Other countries are probably similar.

[Jack Evers]

44-1/2 kilos, approx 100 pounds. Set it on a scale and find out. By the way, even tho metric is seldom used in the US (mostly for liquor), it has been recognized as a legal commerce system since the late 1860's. Other countries are probably similar.

[ThomasPowers]

"forged pig iron": pig iron is crudely cast cast iron which is not forgeable. Do they mean forged bloomery iron---real wrought iron as many anvils used at that time?

I have a William Foster English anvil marked 1828 that is real wrought iron with a forge welded face on it.

[Daniel Lea (AKA 99pppo)]

"forged pig iron": pig iron is crudely cast cast iron which is not forgeable. Do they mean forged bloomery iron---real wrought iron as many anvils used at that time?

I have a William Foster English anvil marked 1828 that is real wrought iron with a forge welded face on it.

Sorry translation mistake! It is called puddle iron I think (Puddeleisen in German). http://www.ernst-ref...erstellung.html

[Bentiron1946]

http://www.blksmth.com/Refflinghaus_Anvils.htm Prices don't seem to bad for new ones either. Nice buy on that old one!

[Daniel Lea (AKA 99pppo)]

http://www.blksmth.c...haus_Anvils.htm Prices don't seem to bad for new ones either. Nice buy on that old one!

My anvil is not a Refflinghaus anvil but an H. W. Holthaus. But Refflinghaus describes the process of making them pretty good.

[ThomasPowers]

OK puddling is a method of making wrought iron from pig iron, (cf Henry Cort)

I'd expect most translation programs and *people* to have issues with the internal jargon of a different field.
I once had to evaluate the earthquake bracing being proposed for our equipment in Japan from blueprints only marked in Japanese. Luckily we had access to a native speaker; however she had no background in mechanical engineering. She did bring a technical dictionary with her. I remember her saying that "a brace was like a place where a ship travels" Which I figured out was a channel and so a piece of steel channel which she could give me the dimensions of. (For several years afterward I could recognize the kanji for "insulating bushing" as every fastener had at least 1.) As might be expected their earthquake bracing was superb!

[jgg48]

Hello from Virginia,

You have a beautiful Holthaus anvil. The Holthaus family were apparently wonderfully educated. The overall proportions and form of larger Holthaus anvils are often like sculpture.  In particular I love the logo with the triangle in the center and the three associated squares, which is of course the Pythagorean Theorem.