MJLyman Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I just purchased this anvil for my son and would like more info on it. Any ideas about how to get the stamping to show up more clearly? Couldn't find much on the web. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.D. Mitchell Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Rub some chalk, flour, or soapstone over the stamping. The white powder will fill the low spots of the stamp and when you brush away the high spots you'll be left with a more clear outline of the stamp. You could also try to transfer the stamp onto paper by holding the paper of the emblem and rubbing a crayon over the stamped area, but I've found the the surface around the emblem is often too rough to get a good visual. Using a wire brush, either by hand or on an angle grinder, is also a good way to clean it up and make it a little more visible. Nice job getting something like this for your son. You're giving him a tool that he can use to create things with his own two hands, and learning how to do that is invaluable for a young man. You never know, blacksmithing could turn into some great father-son bonding time, and you can't put a price on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLyman Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Thanks! I will try that. We set it out in the sun today and weighed it. It weighs about 165 pounds. My son says it is cast. We could also make out Sheffield, so from what I could find on the internet it was made by Charles Hadfield in Sheffield, England around 1833. I'm a propane driver and saw it sitting in a customer's yard on a stump, so I called later and asked if he was interested in selling. He was and wondered what I would offer him for it. I said $100.00 and he jumped at it. If it's not a good one it will be a nice antique at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.D. Mitchell Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 You got a heck of a deal on that anvil! That's a good weight too, heavy enough to do anything you'd want but light enough to be able to move by yourself. It's definitely not a cast anvil though...that anvil has a forged wrought iron body with a plate of tool steel forge welded to the top. If you look closely you should be able to see a seam line where the two were joined. The other way you can tell it is a forged anvil is because the writing is stamped into the side of the anvil. If it was cast the writing would be raised above the surface of the metal. Sheffield is a common English anvil manufacturer, but there are others on this site who can tell you much more about them than I could. Great deal on a great anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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