Peter wright anvil. worth it?

[Vendarien Brunnbar]

I'm trying to buy my first anvil and ran across a 132 lb Peter Wright for $600 on Craigslist.  Is this a good deal, should I try and haggle, or is it not worth it?

[ironwolfforgeca]

that anvil is not in bad shape from what I can see

BUT ! $5.00 per lb is way high ! & should look new @ that price

[ThomasPowers]

If you live in Hawaii it's not too bad; if you live in England or Ohio or Texas it's way too high. I can't speak for South Africa.

[ianinsa]

In South Africa that would be a bargain if it included the car in the background! If it doesn't then try not to laugh too much or too loudly..

Vendarien, how about adding your location and it makes giving a sensible answer much easier. 

 

[Vendarien Brunnbar]

For those who asked I live in Texas.

[the iron dwarf]

if you add it to your profile so it appears under your name then people wont have to ask before they can offer help you may need

[GottMitUns]

I picked up 100 pound PW for around 300.00 in South Texas in OK shape, but that was after having feelers out for a couple of years among folks that have a natural ability for finding anvils.   5.00 a pound is more than I would go but that just me.

just for comparison a NC Tool 112# Cavalry anvil is 440.00 (3.92 per pound) and a peddinghaus 275# is $1795.00 (6.52 per pound)

If your in South Texas PM me and you can come by the shop and play with all three and maybe make a more informed decision. 

There is also a meeting of the Goliad Forge in Ander Tx this Saturday were you could play with a few others and LOOK at a Big Nimba, I don't think Mr B is ready to let anyone use his new baby yet!!  

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I recently bought a 138# Peter Wright at a garage sale for $100. I agree with the others in that $5 a pound is too high. 

Now on the other hand, if you are serious about smithing, how much $$$ could you make in the time it would take to find another one?  Also it really comes down to what YOU can comfortably afford to pay for an anvil, not what someone else can.  I would scrounge a big chunk of scrap steel for a lot less than what that anvil is priced at, and keep my eyes open for a better deal down the road. You don't need a "real anvil" to be a blacksmith. Scrap steel is in the tank at the moment-2¢ a pound here,  so now would be a good time to look. Even at $1 a pound it would be far less expensive than that anvil.

[Mark G]

I saw this anvil also. I live in San Antonio, so it's a little far for me to drive to.  and know that it's not as easy in this part of the country to find a good anvil. I agree that the price is high even for Texas. If you can get it closer to $4/lbs it would be a good deal.

[lawman]

I know when I was first looking for a used anvil in the over 100# range the pickings were pretty slim and the prices were way too high. 

I ended up saving just a little bit more and purchased a new Nimba Titan.

I'm sure that I could have found one eventually........but I gave up after a while. I couldn't see paying new price for an old anvil that was beat to hell.

I wish you the best of luck in your search.......but I don't consider South Texas to be an anvil rich environment.

 

I'm still on the hunt for a london pattern or south german pattern with a reasonable price tag......the search continues.

 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

If it isn't far from you, go check it out. If it comes out he hasn't had any calls on it,  tons of calls but all no shows, or a lot of lookers only, it plays in your favor.  Let them know that you are starting out in smithing, and that you will actually be using it as it was intended. I have had situations where once I had talked to them awhile they came way down, or gave me a great deal. 

Example; I bought a Kennedy top box with a riser from a retired machinist who worked at CalTech making radio telescopes. The box, and riser were chock full of high quality machinist  tools, and some he had made too. I was the only one interested in all of it, as most wanted to part it out. We chatted for awhile, then he told me that he would rather sell them to me at a lower price because I was going to use them, and not resell them. I got them for $550, and it took both of us to carry the top box to my truck. I grabbed some of my machine tool supply catalogs, and totaled up $6,200 worth of tools. It is that set that I have at work now, and I use them everyday. 

My Mom always told me that I had the gift of gab, and could talk to anyone on many subjects.  Just be genuine, and don't B.S. them. If you can get them to warm up to you a bit you can possibly come home with a good anvil at a price you can agree on. And MOST importantly bring the Benjamins!