andreas Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 My brother in law just aquired this anvil. It's mine for $350 if I want it. It appears to be a Peter Wright, but the one side has a bevel on it and the name "Peter" is not there. All other markings are there, but that bevel makes me think that edge was damaged beyond repair and simply ground or cut away. Is this thing even a real Peter Wright? Still has good rebound and no dead spots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Do the rebound test on it and see if there's face damage. The bevel looks deliberate to me, it wasn't unusual for a craftsman with a strong regular trade to modify tools to suit. Blacksmiths were no different just look at all the variety in anvils.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Quite expensive where I used to live. Just a bit more than going rate where I live now. Where you live I haven't a clue!If the face is still hard the edges don't mean much; if you need a sharp edge make a hardy tool with 4 of them! (and remember that a 125 year old blacksmithing book says that only the clueless want sharp edges on an anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I don't see ENGLAND, so it was made prior to 1910.Quite a bit more than I would pay, but if you can afford it.....and anvils are hard to find wherever you are. Other than the modification, it appears to be in good shape.At that price range I may also suggest a trip to a scrapyard to see what they have for heavy chunks. You can get a lot more weight for the money at 20¢ a pound. A bad forklift tine will yield an anvil 150# on up. Just cut , and weld, or even use as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) I'm in southern Ontario. I have been to some auctions and seen smaller anvils than this sell for more. Going rate here in Canada is about $3.00 - $3.50 per pound, so even in the condition this anvil is in, it's a bargain. If I'm doing this correctly this anvil weighs 207 pounds (112 + 84 + 11). The rebound test, that the one where a 1"steel ball is dropped on the face and the bounce is measured? I can try that. What is an acceptable result? Anvils are quite scarce around here. Lots of people taking up the hobby. More often than not, the ones that do come up are in rough shape and not worth the asking price. Edited July 21, 2015 by andreas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 You can use a ball bearing of pretty much any size or a hammer. There are videos on YouTube of how to do it. The worst rebounding anvil I have is around 70% while the best is around 90%. For the price they seem to bring in your area, this sounds like a steal. There are probably cheaper anvils around, but this one is less than the going rate and sitting right in front of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 If that's a 3 in the middle then the price isn't bad; I was seeing it as a 0; but seeing it in person trumps old eyes on a pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 If you put your general location in your HEADER we won't have to keep asking you where you are. We're blacksmiths not memory whizzes, well most of us aren't, we aren't going to remember where you are after a couple posts.A rebound test doesn't need a specific size bearing or hammer, I keep a 3/8" bearing in my pocket when garage, yard, etc. saling just in case but I have kind of light ball pein hammers in the vehicles. Just eyeball the % of rebound or if you aren't good at estimating things like that, lots of people aren't. It's an acquired skill and rarely a born knack. Anyway, if you aren't good at judging by eye, keep a little tape measure in your pocket, I have a bunch of 12' tapes and keep one in every vehicle and walk around ones. They're cheap stocking stuffers.Anyway, hold the tape or ruler vertically with the bearing at the 10" Or whatever metric mark suits you, drop the bearing and eyeball how high it bounces. Don't worry about exact, a close estimate is fine but some guys have devised some really clever, accurate devices for the rebound tests.Test a pattern around the face looking for dead zones where the bounce reduces significantly and instead of a clink, or tink it clacks, thunks, etc. ANY sharp change is a red flag. Don't worry about rebound falling off as you work your way out the tail or towards the horn. The thinner the iron under the face the less the rebound, this is normal, don't sweat it, expect it.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Got my 1" ball bearing, try the rebound test and see what happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Peter wright did not cast anvils. They did use cast steel faces IIRC instead of shear or blister steel at some point. As to rebound; after experience it's fairly easy to take a hammer and make the "no good" vs "OH YAH!" call. The ball bearing test was just for folks who wanted to come up with metrics on the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 I did give it a few taps with a ball peen and it bounced pretty good. No dull sounds anywhere. Still going to try the steel ball test, just to be thorough. Just the German in me I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Did you end up getting the anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 The whole side and edge look like they were ground back to get a better edge to work with. Perfectly acceptable, as long as it was not overheated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Yes I bought the anvil. Did the rebound test with a 1" ball bearing . Frosty, you pretty much nailed it. About 8" (80% I guess) near the centre falling off slightly towards the tail and horn. No dead thuds or anything, nice crisp "ting" everywhere. Now I just need to mount it on something. Any recommendations there? Here she is In my shop. I was just going to mount it on a big piece of maple or something. Hardwood or softwood, any difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel S Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 If it's going to get wet, don't use red oak. I'm sure that maple would work as well as anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I see the base on the floor behind it. That tube, and angle will do fine. Look up a three legged anvil stand on here for more info. A tripod is more stable on uneven surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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