Title said it all, just lookign to learn something before I start using it. Bought off a farmer who used to do some forgework but then left it to their farrier, you can see on the face the distinct imprints in places from the shoes. This is in Warwickshire, England if that help the identification, and by my estimates weighs easilly over 100kg. It has been painted black but theres also evidence of blue too.
Very new to this so any advice is very welcome
The photo with the ruler is just the square face. Including the horn it extended past the ruler.

Edited October 4, 201510 yr by JamesH
aditional indo

anyone please?

Best reccomendation, clean off the paint. with a stripper, something similar, or a light go with the wire brush. (Can always repaint later if that's the look you want.) Then if you still don't see markings, try rubbing flour or baby powder or some such into the sides to bring faint markings into better contrast. Look for markings on both sides, and usually around the feet at the front and back.

If that doesn't do it, post pics of the sides, front and back, and the bottom (sometimes there's a depression, and the shape may give a clue). You'd be surprised what some of the people on here can do with the faintest of marks.

By shape, english anvil, vaguely shaped like a mousehole or a foster, but then there were literally hundreds of English makers. Pritchell holes became prevalent post-1820-ish, but many were drilled in later. It almost looks like it's messing the step on the horn?

Either way, the most important part is it's a large piece of wrought iron and steel that you can perform topological reformation of ferrous metals while in a thermally excited plastic state. Looks like it's in decent shape.

As far as using goes there are two makes of anvils "good ones" and "bad ones"  do the ball bearing test on your anvil and figure out which "make" it is and then get to using it!

(and if it's a "bad" one use it to make enough stuff to fund acquisition of a "good" one...) 

Thank you both very much.
Wire brush I can do, the paint came with the purchase. I'd love to know the history and will take more pictures as soon as i can (stored at seperate address) the flour and babypowder is something i'd never thought of! thanks again!

 

Welcome aboard James, glad to have you.

I've never seen an anvil with a tapered face like that, IF it isn't an illusion from camera angle, lighting or some such.

Another trick for bringing out details in photos is to use oblique lighting, a flash will reflect straight back and glare out the details. If you lay the light to shine across the face and shoot straight on, details will really stand out. . . Well, much better anyway.

Other than photo tips I'm with Thomas, put her to work, even a cast iron junk anvil shaped object will work under steel that's hot enough. Long enough to buy a good anvil that is.

Frosty The Lucky.

Edited October 6, 201510 yr by Frosty

i'm stuck indoors waiting on repair people for now, but later i'll give it a good cleaning and report back.
Not sure on the taper myself frosty! Could be an un-even stump or maybe the lights caught one of the cold forged horseshoe lines

Pictures are here!
I can make out 3 numbers on one side, which are; "2  2  19" and on the other I can just make out a circle nearer the top. but it's very hard to see in person let alone on camera.
Frosty using daylight and  shinging it at an angle worked a treat!
Also took photo of the base, feet, and different angles.

does anyone recognise anything? i've been trying to do some online searching but nothing distinct. The feet tend to be wrong for a lot of the descriptions im seeing.

Postman has documented over 200 English anvil makers so far IIRC.  Not knowing the maker won't change it's usability at all!

2 2 11 is a weight in the CWT system: 2 x 112 + 2 x 28 + 11  so a stout lad!

Its more for the curious soul in me, I just like the thought of all the other people through the years who might of used it. Maybe it could of been one of my great grandparents? One of them had a forge just a couple of miles from where we found this one and apparently in his day was quite a known man!
Sometimes though I do think i over romanticise thinggs.....