Found this at the local scrapyard:

The specs:

Weight: 192 lbs

Dimensions:15 in. X 12.5 in. X 3.5 in.

Rebound from a ball bearing dropped from 12 inches: +/- 5 inches

Composition: unknown

 

Is it worth breaking my back hauling it to the shop and finding a good stump for it?

 

Thanks, as always

no one said a anvil needs to look like a modern london pattern, the japanese have been using what looks to anyone as a simple block of steel, as well as the long time sawers anvil.  you made a great find, take it home and use it.  It is a perfectly good 200# anvil, that happens to be all face @ 3.5 wide.

 

Or you can drop it off here and I will use it.

Even mounted on end would give ya one heck of a sweat spot. If you could mount it like that would probably work pretty good depending on what your forging.

search on "striking anvil"  and then *gloat*!

 

My brother just gave me a piece of 2" 7.5" x 14.5" that will be a student anvil at an "away" set up.

You did good, if it was half that big I'd recommend carving 3 of the edges with different profiles for swages, but it's a tad hevy to be wrestling around.

any self respecting smith would be happy to have that to hit on. I would stand it with the tall side vertical if it were mine.

You can mail it to me??

 

Turn it on edge so the 12" side is facing up, then start forging.  There is absolutely nothing about a london-pattern anvil that is required for 99% of all smithing, and that 192lb anvil will serve you well for decades to come if you mount it properly.

 

Even if you find a london-pattern anvil next week, that heavy plate will still serve fantastically as an "upsetting plate" by simply laying it on the floor when you need to upset a long bar.

 

Or, you can mail it to me.....

I wonder if you could tig a tool steel plate to the top with some stainless filler rod?  That would make for one sweet anvil, I would imagine.  That is one heck of a chunk of steel, regardless!

Looks good to me. If it isn't $1 a pound I would drag it home. I hate pounding things into my anvil hardy and paid another smith to make 4 four inch by one inch bolsters with a hole dead center in each the size of my hardy hole. If I bust one or two of those I will just switch to one of the others. They are welded [by a friend who is a great welder, thanks, Bill!] to heavy tubes with heavy bottom plates, all different heights for different uses.

Dave