Price tag for an used 286 pound (130 kg) anvil

[Frosty]

Dents, in a Soderfors? Have you done a rebound test? Check the area with "dents". Unless it's been through a fire I doubt one of two things, #1, they're actually dents but are some other damage, or #2 it isn't a Soderfors anvil, maybe an imposter.

 

It's been my experience with them that the face is much more likely to chip, crack or break than dent. I've never heard of a dented Soderfors.

 

If she's the read deal and hasn't lost heat treat, prepare to be spoiled.

 

Oh HEY! Where are the PICTURES! Wassamatta you?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Dabbsterinn]

the pictures are in the anvil section of the gallery, i'll be taking a closer look at how to get the pictures on the post tomorrow, when im well rested and thinking clearly

[ThomasPowers]

The "life" of the anvil is the fairly thin hardened face; removing any of it cuts its life down and may destroy it as an anvil.  Of the hundreds of anvils that have been shown on this site; I only recall *1* where I advised milling the face.  To me it's like asking " I want to make my race car go faster by making it lighter---is there any problem with removing the engine?"

[Anachronist58]

Looked at Pics in the Gallery.  Frosty, that anvil is marked Dannemora (for the Dannemora Mining District?)  My 88# Soderfors Paragon I so heavily dented that there should be an arrest warrant out for somebody.

 

And yes, the edges are definitely hard enough to chip, and someone saw to that also, in spades.

 

I have not been able to dent it myself while forging, or cold working 11018 welding electrode, But I have dented it in a test with a ball peen hammer, and a 15-5 PH rod.

 

Dabsterinn, your image of the face is a bit blurred, so please try to get another shot.  Looks to me like you have Plenty of sweet spot. Rough in over the rough, and finish in the smooth.

[Dabbsterinn]

The "life" of the anvil is the fairly thin hardened face; removing any of it cuts its life down and may destroy it as an anvil.  Of the hundreds of anvils that have been shown on this site; I only recall *1* where I advised milling the face.  To me it's like asking " I want to make my race car go faster by making it lighter---is there any problem with removing the engine?"

that's exactly the kind of answer i was looking for, excellent metaphor too

 

 

Dabsterinn, your image of the face is a bit blurred, so please try to get another shot.  Looks to me like you have Plenty of sweet spot. Rough in over the rough, and finish in the smooth.

 

Im going there today, I'll take lots of pictures of it and maybe clean some more paint off it

[ThomasPowers]

I have personally seen several anvils ruined as anvils by milling. 2 they clamped the base to the table and milled the face flat and parallel.  Unfortunately these were forged free hand under steamhammers and their faces were never parallel to start!  So they milled through the hard steel face at one end leaving it dead soft wrought iron---and folks *paid* them to ruin their anvils!  Another they just milled down the face until it was too thin to work on---but very flat and sharp edged!  (took 5+ hours using professional welding equipment by a professional weldor to get it back to usable...)  Note that cast steel anvils may not have a face plate;  however the depth of hardening is limited---they don't want a brittle anvil all they way through and so you still get "face" that can be milled to soft and useless under steel.

 

If you feel that you *MUST* mill the face of your anvil: FIRST flip it face down on the mill and mill the base parallel to the face!  The base is the place to get the face parallel!  Then flip it right side up and just kiss the face as lightly as possible!  Remember flat can get in the way when doing stuff like straightening blades; smooth is morte important than flat. AND SHARP EDGES DAMAGE WORK leaving stress concentrators and cold shuts in pieces worked over them.