Bought this Hay-Budden at a Auto swap meet a year ago. I figured that the base had been busted off and figured on adding a base so it could be used. I thought at the time the two large holes were someone's attempt to make it useful (a different way to mount it???). However, since then, I saw one on Craig's list that was just like it, including the holes. My thinking now is that this anvil was made without a base and with the holes for a special purpose. Has anyone seen one like this before?

Norm

   

 

Do the holes go all the way through the anvil?

Yes the holes are all the through. It weighs 97 pounds as is. I bought it in the Seattle area and the one on Craig's list was in Portland and mounted on a pipe welded to a truck drum. I'm wondering if they could have been off ships that were dismantled in the area?

Norm

I have one.  However, when I got it someone had welded bolts through the holes and angle iron to the bolts to make a stand.  There is a pic in the Show Me Your Anvil thread.  I have no idea why they were made like that though.

Is yours a Hays-Budden? Size?

Yes it is an HB.  Don't know the weight.  The markings on it are very faint and the unfortunate welding on it have obscured some things.  If I remember I'll take a tape measure to it to get the dimensions.  That should get you close enough for a rough comparison.

I looked up Buzzkill's July 31 post, also saw Daniel S mention seeing one on South Bend CL. I suppose you can't rule anything out, Hay-Budden did advertise taking custom orders of any kind. Howeve, these seems most likely they broke at the waist and the holes were a mounting or bracket method to put them back together, we've seen anvils listed like that including recently. In Norm's pictures the word BROOKLYN is cut off at the bottom of the material, suggesting there was more there originally.

More info on mine. The face is 4"x16" and the overall length is 26". The holes 5 1/2 inches apart center to center and down (at center) 3 inches. I did the bounce test and dropping a one inch steel ball from 12 inches it bounced to 10 1/2 inches. I don't think I agree that the three that I've seen (mine, the one I saw on the Portland Craig's list and Buzzkill's) could all independently get broken and three individuals in different parts of the country would each drill two big holes in them. I'm not including the one from the South Bend Craig's list because I don't know if it had the holes. I would think its more likely they were made for the railroad or the navy. Before I knew of the three like mine I thought like 101 H-B, but I don't think that can be the case now.

Norm 

After the March 3, 1900 fire that destroyed the Hay-Budden factory, they came back to ever increasing demand adding a 2nd shift and tripling output. It would not be surprising to have increased weld failures at the waist during training so many new workers. Also likely this was the period when the leaning profiles and other odd forms came out of Hay-Budden production.

 

Edited August 31, 201510 yr by 101 H-B
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More info on mine. The face is 4"x16" and the overall length is 26". The holes 5 1/2 inches apart center to center and down (at center) 3 inches. I did the bounce test and dropping a one inch steel ball from 12 inches it bounced to 10 1/2 inches. I don't think I agree that the three that I've seen (mine, the one I saw on the Portland Craig's list and Buzzkill's) could all independently get broken and three individuals in different parts of the country would each drill two big holes in them. I'm not including the one from the South Bend Craig's list because I don't know if it had the holes. I would think its more likely they were made for the railroad or the navy. Before I knew of the three like mine I thought like 101 H-B, but I don't think that can be the case now.

Norm 

 

The face on mine is 4.75 x 20 inches.  Overall length is 31 inches.  The holes are 6.5 inches center to center (using the welded in bolts as a guide). The height from the top of the face to the "break" or bottom is 5.25 inches.  There are also 3 visible "dimples" along the bottom of the stamped side which are about a half inch in diameter and a bout a quarter inch deep, but I see nothing like that on the other side. 

Edited August 31, 201510 yr by Buzzkill
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101 H-B, is it known why the "leaning profile"? I've seen it several times on the solid-top H-B and wonder what the thinking was...an attempt to incorporate the angled hammer technique into the anvil?

Randy, I'm not aware of any purpose for the leaning profile, and haven't seen any explanation. None of Hay-Budden's advertising illustrations I've seen show a leaning profile. I always took it as a little off the intended form, one of the results of the rising cost of labor or possibly less experienced workers.

I think I've seen another thread about a leaning H-B on IFI before, but couldn't locate it. I found a couple images, but I know I've seen more. We see a lot of anomalies in forged anvils even from the most reliable companies. One of the things I like most about forged anvils is that they're all one of a kind.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 201510 yr by 101 H-B
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Anvils were not intended to be perfectly squared and machined tools but many people now expect it - similar to the common urge to grab a grinder and square up every surface.  A leaning anvil was probably shimmed if it bothered the Smith that much.  Forging is not machining and was never intended as such...

i have a similar anvil ,it has a farriers clip on it .I just assumed it was a weak spot in the waist .I'll try to post pictures later .someone welded mine to a large steel post and plate. add a big old chuck of chain to the base and it woorks great. Smokey

 

smokey

Does yours have the holes?

If the holes go through the stamping I would think they were a retrofit done by someone else than the manufacturer.

I have noticed the lean in late anvils only, I love the look, they look fast standing still

the "lean" of the anvil is probably caused by the top and bottom halves of the anvil not being aligned perfectly before arc welding, this could be attributed to the increase in production stated earlier and just the nature of trying to weld 2 large chunks of steel together in a production setting.

Im thinking the anvils are probably square but the miss aligned top and bottom make it appear as if it leaning.BUT if anyone has a "leaning" anvil and just cannot stand it id be willing to take it off your hands FREE OF CHARGE, i will even pay for shipping lol. in all seriousness though, i love my HB and wouldnt trade it for anything. im pretty sure mine is an earlier model since it doesnt look arc welded but its hard to tell tho since it looks like someone was practicing their cold chiseling on the side if it