Gunny Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I bought this from my Great Uncle's estate sale. DIdn't even know he had an anvil. My dad remembers the anvil from when he was a boy in the late 40s but does not know if it was fairly new then or not. It is cast, but iron or steel I am not sure, likely iron. one foot has an 8 indicating 80 lbs. The other foot has a small 3, barely readable. I can see but not read the numbers to either side. Guessing this is a date and the placement seems to be xx3x but again, not sure. No other markings that I can see. Unfortunately, it was not used for blacksmithing but more for a heavy item to beat farm machinery parts against, cold. Pretty tore up. I have used it and it is fine except for the lack of a flat surface.19 inches long, 3 1/2 inches wide, 8 1/2 inches high, 7/8 inch hardy hole, 1/2 inch pritchel. Anybody have a best guess? Pics attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunny Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 Oh, From south western Wisconsin if that helps at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Not the best pictures, but I would guess it is a Vulcan brand, by the shape of the horn and overall. Not a highly rated anvil, and by the way it is torn up on the face, it might best be used as a door stop or counterweight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunny Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 Yeah, I bought it sight unseen and mostly because it was from the family farm. I might not have bought it if I had seen it first but I am still glad I have it. I don't figure it is worth much. I might try to grind the face down a bit since I dont think I can make it any worse. I plan on getting a better anvil when opportunity presents but it works for now. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Don't grind too much! Vulcans are notorius for their thin top plate. Perhaps a wood type belt sander would be better. Use a new belt. Be sure to blow out all of the sawdust first, and do use the dust bag. And after use, keep an eye on the sander for a while, just to be sure no sparks found any sawdust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Welcome aboard Gunny, glad to have you. I wouldn't do any grinding on a family heirloom, It probably won't ever be a good working anvil, it has it's real value as a family keepsake. You'll find other anvils in good condition to take up the craft with and this one has battle scars laid on by family. Let it tell it's tales in the imaginations of this and the next generation. Use a new acquisition to make memories and tales for family and friends. Dad gave me an anvil he said was off a family farm but I don't know about that. I didn't even know we actually had farms in the family. Then again we have a much larger family than I'll ever know but Dad was famous for a flexible memory.<wink> It's a farm anvil in the 55lb.+/- range and has see much the same kind of use as yours. My "family" anvil has a thicker and harder face that's easy to measure the thickness, seeing as there's a goodly size chunk broken out behind the horn. After all this jawing I've done about family keepsakes I think I ought to go dig it out of the Connex, clean it up and display it in the house by the wood stove. Eh? Heck, I'll even post a pic, maybe more. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 My anvil is a "Family Anvil". It was in the storage connex of my wife's grandfather when we inherited the house. It's a 150# Mousehole with a pretty beat up face and edges, but flat enough for a beginner like me. She has no memories of Papa ever using it, but it's still special since it came from him. I agree with the others about grinding on yours, I wouldn't. The only thing I did on mine is use a flap disc to clean up some mushrooming on the edges to prevent spalling. Here is a link to a thread I posted with a pic of it from before I even used it the first time. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yahoo2 Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 My Mums little memorial to local bushfire victims in her garden. She thinks its pretty funny when I complain loudly that every woman that sees it wants one in their garden and it's keepin' perfectly good anvils out of the hands of us impoverished blacksmiths. No sympathy at all. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.