:confused:Hello Guys and ladies,
I have just purchased a small post anvil from ebay and I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT ANYTHING ABOUT ITS ORIGINS OR HISTORY.
Has anyone come across one of these before? Dont know if it is ministry of defence or war department item, this info in the description may just be a red herring.
Any help would be greatfully recieved Thanks Ivan (hammerandtongs)





IT was DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
square topped anvil block that looks to be unused. Item has no markings or casting marks, came with other old X WD MOD tools that were put away in storage 50 to 65 years ago. All edges are sharp and not marked. A book of matches gives and idear of size.

Bottom 6 x 6 x 6"inches,( 15 x 15 x 15 cm, )

Top 4 x 4 x 2.5" inches, ( 10 x 10 x 6.5cm ) very heavy item 20kg.

I' d be real interested to know what it is, as well.

looks like a block riser from a drop hammer of some kind to me.

Yes I would guess it was cast iron and used as a spacer on large machine tools and so not an anvil per say. Can you spark test the top part?

tHANKS FOR YOUR REPLIES GUYS.
I can honestly say if this turns out to be a riser block and not a small anvil Im going to be pretty disappionted.I hade intended to use it as a striking face anvil i.e. used as a small portable anvil. Guess ive only myself to blame .Having said that the discription did include the word anvil. Seems like I may have purchased a riser block and not a small brick type anvil. Sill maybe I can harden up the top if it turns out to be too soft .....

Regards Ivan (H&T)

That doesn't stop you from using it for that. Is it cast iron or steel? If steel then you have achieved what you set out to do. If cast, you bought maybe somebody else would as well and you can go looking again.

Have you tried any kind of bounce test with a ball-bearing or something similar?

Good rebound and a good spark test will tell you a lot.

Don

if its cast iron....you still have areal nice flat surface ...you can always go and get a nice steel plate to put over top of the surface...so you dont ruin the flat surface....its a cool piece .... I was going to bid on it..

Hi Ive now got the said item. The top block (seperates from the lower 6 inches by 6 inches by 6 inch base) is a hardened and machine ground block-measuring 4 by 4 inches by 2.5 inches high.. shows fine dull yellow sparks the top block shows no impresion when a centre punch is hammered onto the top face. The lower base part has a cast middle with a thick steel plate about 1/2 and 3/4 inch thickness sandwiching the casing. Internal support flanges cast in the inside of sandwiched casting. Weighs about 40lbs.Not sure if I weld the whole thing together top block to base it would withstand the blows if used as a post anvil? IM guessing that a casting is not the best to resist shocks being transmited ?
What I wanted was a post anvil.
Regards Ivan Thanks for your replies thus far.

Looks like a saw makers anvil to me :)

don't discount cast iron for a base, look at the bottom of this anvil, its a cream seperator base with small thin cast iron legs. it has been in the shop all the 55 years I was there and got lots of use some of it hard use with a sledge.