I have been looking for an anvil for sometime with very little luck. I received an email response to one of my wanted ads and wanted your opinions. He is trying to find a weight for me so for now all I have are these two pictures and vague dimensions of 28" long with a base of 13"x13" As you can see there is significant damage on this poor old thing with part of the hard face missing. Should I even consider this or tell him thanks but no thanks? At this point we haven't talked price. Thanks in advance for your help!

Make a nice boat anchor. If I got it free I'd take it, other than that I would pass.

Make a nice boat anchor. If I got it free I'd take it, other than that I would pass.

Well since I only own kayaks, I will take your advice and let this one go!  Ive been thinking that was the best way to proceed, thanks for confirming!

even a good anvil makes a good boat anchor

sure this is not a pritty anvil but if its inexpensive and it should be with the damage to the face check the rebound on whats left and if its good then have at it the edges and the fact that the part of the face of the anvil that is intact is flat and the horn and hardie hole are both in good shape

all in all it sure looks like its still usable

i would love a anvil like that to keep in the shop as a have at it anvil for beginners {provided the rebound is good}

just my 2 cents

IMO depends on price and how much in need of an anvil you are.  Looks like it could be usable if rebound is good and with the damage to the face you can use that to get the price down.

Really hard to tell a lot from the pictures but what I can see is it looks like a wrought anvil with welded steel face. If it has some rebound even with the apparent damage it would be much better than a cast aso in perfect shape. It looks like it still has a good bit of decent face for work surface and if the price was good I'd jump on it. Some day you will find a better one and that will be a good second anvil. If they want top dollar though I'd move on.

Less than US$1 a pound and I'd snatch it up as a rough work anvil, at US$ a pound I'd gert it if I really needed an anvil---like I didn't have one.  Over that I'd smile and wave bye bye

I'm not seeing what the problem is, to be honest.  It's heavily rusted, sure, but that's not that big of an issue.  The missing face plate is a bad thing, but there is still plenty of hard surface directly over the waist of the anvil, the sweet spot, and that's where you do the majority of your hammering.

 

Is the price right?  I wouldn't pay more than $2/lb for the thing, to be sure, but what is the pricing and availability like in your area?  

 

28" AOL and a thick waist means it will be a very good general working weight.  The amount of face plate missing isn't extreme and could potentially be welded back up with the right rods.  Or, you could look at it as having an extended cutting table.....

 

I certainly would want either better photos or a personal visit before committing to the purchase.