Ionclash Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Hello everyone, I'm just getting started in blacksmithing after wanting to do it for years. I came across this anvil for sale and was wondering if it's a good buy, he's asking $300 and says it's a 90# Hay Budden. Think it's worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxFire Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 They are great anvils but without knowing what kind of rebound it has, what anvils usually sell for in your area, and how badly you need a 90lb anvil I can't really say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Yes, No, Maybe depending on information you didn't include. I suggest you look up the ball bearing test and check the ring (HB's should ring if they are not fastened down) Not knowing how you plan to use it makes it hard to evaluate too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: check the ring I didn't think that the ring really mattered. a piece of pipe rings well but doesn't mean that it is a great anvil. Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ionclash Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 Well this would be my first anvil and my plan was to use it to learn on, so general purpose I guess? I was just wondering if it was even worth looking at for the price, I've heard Hay Budden are pretty good. I'm in West Georgia and from what I've seen so far it seems the average price is about $3 per pound. I'm taking a class in a couple weeks so maybe some more hands on experience would be better before I dive in whole hog. Thanks for the ball bearing tip though, another nugget of info to file away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firestarter Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 How many actual anvils (not RR track or harbor freight specials) are within a 5 hour drive on your Craigslist right now? That would be a deciding factor for me. I've seen zero here for about a month. That one would be worth a couple hours of driving to check out if I didn't have an anvil. People seem to put Hay Budden in their top 3-5 of old anvil makers. But if you've got options... well then it's up to your budget, and how much you want to own a classic anvil. Someone had an unknown 400 lb-er 4 hours away from me for 1600 bucks, shown in a line-up with a dozen smaller anvils. By the time I messaged about the others and got a reply, they only had two little anvils left. How's your market? Mine sucks for buyers. A blocky piece of scrap will work well for beginner skills. You can probably buy one for 25-30 cents a pound... maybe less. Resale would likely be the same to another smith, or a couple cents a pound back to the scrapper. It would probably be tough to lose much money on the HB you posted, provided it checks out OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 29 minutes ago, Firestarter said: A blocky piece of scrap will work well for beginner skills. You can probably buy one for 25-30 cents a pound... maybe less. Resale would likely be the same to another smith, or a couple cents a pound back to the scrapper. It would probably be tough to lose much money on the HB you posted, provided it checks out OK. Beginners? It isn't the anvil that makes a difference. A good smith can do fine work with what's at hand say a smooth. . . ish rock. I see you giving advice here quite a bit and you keep saying things I expect from a novice. I don't want to discourage you and certainly won't fault you for wanting to help but perhaps put a bit more knowledge and experience under your belt so your efforts pay better dividends? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firestarter Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Sorry??... Pretty sure I'm still under 10 posts. No advice giving going on here, Frosty, not 'til my previous post. And, of course you're right about the quality of tools relative to the quality of craftsman. The same is true in any craft. Perhaps that sentence you quoted could have been phrased better. I am a novice to coal fires and making good use of old anvils. I'm not a novice to heating metal, making stuff, or buying and selling old things. This post was mostly about buying and selling old things. Pretty sure my advice was right. I also find that sometimes it's OK to repeat good advice, even if it's something you've learned from someone else, instead of from decades of experience. Nobody else mentioned alternatives to a 300 dollar anvil in this thread. I did. If that rubs you the wrong way... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 4 hours ago, littleblacksmith said: I didn't think that the ring really mattered. a piece of pipe rings well but doesn't mean that it is a great anvil. Littleblacksmith I wish someone would invent a better phrase than the mostly-misleading "does it have a ring" that seems to be common. I'm not an anvil expert..not even close...but it seems to me that it's not about ring but what the sound of any ring communicates. "Ring" is sort of like judging whether coffee is good by whether it looks black in the cup or not: By itself it tells you very little unless completely absent--and even then, absence of strong ringing might be misleading for some superior anvils. One would never leave the bearing test to something as useless as "does the bearing bounce"--you need to quantify results. Maybe it's time to change "does it ring" to "what does the ring tell you". I understand that novices might not know what to listen for but at least it communicates that they should be listening for something other than simply the existence/non-existence of a ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Little Blacksmith; if your anvil is of a type that should ring and it doesn't----then something is wrong! It may be that the face is delaminating or there is a hidden crack in the body. The ring does not indicate that it's a good anvil; just not one with a hidden flaw---just like you ring a piece of china or a cast iron pot to make sure there isn't a crack hiding. You don't think they would make an anvil, it's just a cheap, fast, easy test that they are all together! It's like starting a used car you are thinking of buying and listening to the engine and looking at the exhaust. If the engine won't start it may not mean much but it sure means you do a more in depth going over of it! (leastways to me it does!) Now a good mounting set up can kill the ring on an anvil too and there are brands that are good to decent that don't ring. But it *is* something to check. I've run across a bunch of anvils that should have and didn't; including the first big one, 400#, I ever saw for sale. I "tapped" it with a bolt and the face *buzzed*---I wept all the way home as I was hankering for a big anvil and they can be hard to find. It was an auction and the recent anvils I had seen at auction went for top dollar even when they were damaged junk! (Stopped going to auctions soon after; got tired of seeing stuff that went for good prices early on mysteriously turn back up for sale later in the day...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 $300 is way out of my price range, and I have several anvils, but $3 a pound is what many are selling for. I bought 96# HB last year for $100.. Personally for that kind of green I would hit a scrapyard, equipment rental yard, heavy equipment repair shop, etc.. and get a big blocky chunk of scrap steel, not cast iron. $50 will get you around 200# today. Then I would take the left over $250 and outfit the rest of my smithy. Seriously, for $300 you could be outfitted pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 7 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: if your anvil is of a type that should ring and it doesn't----then something is wrong! I understand now. thanks. Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bveit Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Hey ionclash, I live near you and there is a pretty good supplier for tools and anvils in Cartersville. I'm new to blacksmithing as well but from what I can tell our area is pretty dead for buying anvils and the ones that are for sale are going to be on the expensive side. But check out the guy on Craigslist he is always going to different areas to buy anvils and tools. My instructor says that he is a pretty reasonable guy in his pricing. Good luck, bveit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harlow Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Would a992 steel make a good Anvil? I was looking at a piece of I-Beam that is 710lbs. The measurements are: Face is 5" thick and the web is 3" thick. Thank you for any information you have..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I beam or other structural steel makes truly poor anvils, you're better off with a large smooth boulder. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) 6 hours ago, Harlow said: Would a992 steel make a good Anvil? I was looking at a piece of I-Beam that is 710lbs. The measurements are: Face is 5" thick and the web is 3" thick. Thank you for any information you have..... If the web is 3" across and the face is already 5" thick, then you could cut the flanges off, and have5 anvils of differen sizes; look at Brian Brazeal anvils; they are used with the narrow end up and have diferent radii ground into the top face to use as a fuller. If its 710 lbs and a good shape, go for it. if you want more input, post a picture so we can see what you're talking about, Harlow. I know the ad you're talking about, that will work fine for an anvil, but its a little pricey including shipping; although, at 710lbs, it might be a keeper. Edited May 1, 2016 by Ridgewayforge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlinn77 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 6 hours ago, Harlow said: Would a992 steel make a good Anvil? I was looking at a piece of I-Beam that is 710lbs. The measurements are: Face is 5" thick and the web is 3" thick. Thank you for any information you have..... 26 minutes ago, Ridgewayforge said: If the web is 3" across and the face is already 5" thick, then you could cut the flanges off, and have5 anvils of differen sizes; look at Brian Brazeal anvils; they are used with the narrow end and have diferent radii ground into the top face to use as a fuller. If its 710 lbs and a good shape, go for it. if you want more input, post a picture so we can see what you're talking about, Harlow 6 hours ago, Harlow said: Would a992 steel make a good Anvil? I was looking at a piece of I-Beam that is 710lbs. The measurements are: Face is 5" thick and the web is 3" thick. Thank you for any information you have. The 710lbs H beam on eBay right. Unless they changed much in the past 30 years my dad was I ironworker and said they were like butter they used to knock the corners in with a spud wrench. And for $710+ s/h from PA to CA I believe it's too much you could get a decent Anvil or load up at a scrap yard to build the multi teir Anvil mentioned. In case you don't post pictures it's listed all over craigslist on the east coast, blt, phl, de, nj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harlow Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 OK Thank for the information. Yes those were the ones I was looking at on e-bay. There is also a guy close to San Diego that has a lot of stuff like those beams.. It is always nice when I have a question that there is always someone here who is nice enough to help. Thanks again, Harlow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytuyuty Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 On 4/19/2016 at 10:52 PM, Firestarter said: How many actual anvils (not RR track or harbor freight specials) are within a 5 hour drive on your Craigslist right now? That would be a deciding factor for me. That one would be worth a couple hours of driving to check out if I didn't have an anvil. Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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