Chris Bell Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I purchased this anvil a few years ago for just under $300 from a western prop supplier who said it was "old" (only movie he remembered in 100% being in was Seabiscut), I'm not 100% sure on the weight I'm guessing around 250lbs. sitting on the ash stump is has a 35-40% rebound with a 3/4" ball bearing dropped from 10", it has a sleight ring to it. the face will mar a little with a missed hammer blow there are NO marking at all but a spot on the side where there are signs of a grinder being used, there is also no pritcher hole, the horn is a bit flat on the top and has no real point to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Hummmm.... My detective work with the help of AIA: It darn sure looks like a modern patternened anvil (1851 or later), Pritchels were pretty much standard from 1830 or so on, this doesn't look to be that old of a pattern. Maybe a special order without a Pritchel? It has flat topped feet which came along around 1851. Could have been in a fire which could take away some of the temper on the top, may explain low rebound and face marring. A slight ring would assume a cast steel or forged wrought iron/steel body, does it have a discernable weld line at the waist or for the top plate? Is there a mold line running from front to back under the horn and heel? Try to ring it without the chains to the stump and see if it rings louder. So basically you have a nice clean anvil with a possibly soft face. Use it and have fun with it. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bell Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Thanks for the reply rustyanchor (Mark). Yes it does have seam under the horn but i dont see one for a plate. It did ring better with a little more rebound when i first looked at it (it was sitting on gravel) on the face i see no marks for a pritchel hole but almost looks like there are some grinding marks on the underside where it could have been located. Aside from the horn being blunt its a nice anvil fun to work on with nice edges, it does have some pitting on the face and horn but not horrible much better than my first anvil that i made the mistake of buying off of ebay and got what turned out to be a 100lb A.S.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Chris, I would say you have a nice big cast steel anvil. A cast steel would not have a plate on top as the face would have been hardened. Someone may have welded the Pritchel for whatever reason that made sense to them, or it may never have had one, who knows. As long as you are having fun with the anvil and it serves you, it is a good anvil. A friend had a Swedish anvil that had one little crown on the 'off' side (right side looking at the horn) from where most US made anvils are marked, believe it also had a weight stamped somewhere. They were the only markings he could find on the anvil. It was a cast steel anvil and had sat under a pecan tree for years, because the tree needed iron according to the owner. I have a 3/4 inch bearing that gives a crappy rebound when dropped, I have a 1/2 inch that seems to almost get back to the height I dropped it from, dunno. I have had an errant hit or two that almost put the hammer in my face, so I am fairly sure that my anvil has some good rebound, but not with that 3/4 bearing. Maybe I need to invest in another bearing. Enjoy your anvil. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOblacksmith0530 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I also have some ball bearings that don't rebound. If I have a suspect ball bearing I replace it. I have a bunch of 5/8 that don't bounce worth a dang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 It may have also been cast as a prop for the movies. If something isn't readily available its not unusual for them to have something made no matter what the cost, especially since it doesn't have a pritchel, it could have been cast out of a local foundry not familiar with real anvils. Could be cast something like this ( I can't see a pritchel on this one either) - http://www.hernironworks.com/blacksmith.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bell Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Its funny i had never once thought of trying a different size bearing, ill have to see what i can find at work tomorrow and give it a shot. I'm familiar with Hern Iron works i personally own 2 of their cannons and between friends and i we have 6 of the xxxx things. the gentleman i bought it from implied it was the real deal and bought as a prop and not made as a prop but who knows (he was actually in one of the storage wars episodes where Berry bought some old silver western gear and took it to him to look at). I'm just curious about the make for my own knowledge its not gonna change what it is or the fact i use it in any way, weather its good or fair its better than no anvil at all. Thank you guys for all the help a really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 If it is yours and it works for what you want it for, it is a great anvil! At the very least it is a much better anvil than the ASO you started with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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