I picked up my first anvil in trade for some vintage ammo. I figure I got it for about 450 worth of rounds. It's 210 lbs verified on a scale. Has a 3/4" thick hardened face has good rebound but no ring at all. The face is nice and flat but has a few chipped edges. I can not find any markings on it at all so I'm not sure who it was made by or when. Could anybody tell me anything about it. It's it a good trade and should I fix the edges with some 7018? Thanks

WHAT COUNTRY ARE YOU IN?  Any handling holes?  Depression in the base?

if you only want the anvil to display and not to use then fix the edges, getting the metal around the weld hot will affect the heat treatment, what makes you think the top plate is 3/4" thick and what type of hardness tester did you use

I apologize I'm new to the forum. I'm in USA east coast. It does have a depression in the base. I just can't find any markings on it. No handling holes.

 

 

6 minutes ago, the iron dwarf said:

if you only want the anvil to display and not to use then fix the edges, getting the metal around the weld hot will affect the heat treatment, what makes you think the top plate is 3/4" thick and what type of hardness tester did you use

I can see a distinct difference in the metal. It's not delaminated or anything though. I used a file to check for hardness. I am a newbi when it comes to these things so please forgive my ignorance to the subject

I do plan on using it to forge blades

more anvils are ruined by people repairing them than anything else, often anvils will show a line there to make it look like a thick plate, do a ball bearing test all over the top noting bounce and tap lightly with a small hammer to check for any changes in tone indicating hidden faults.

pictures of the underside and handling holes are helpful in identification, markings can be feint, try lighting it from an angle, light wire brushing by hand or rubbing in chalk to show marks.

check the feet for markings and both sides.

 

Looking at the thickness of the heel I am wondering if it's a cast anvil.

Looks like an old Fisher, possibly a Badger. More photos will definitely help identify it. Personally, I don't see anything that needs fixed and would be thrilled to add it to my stable. On second thought maybe not a Fisher, the feet look wrong.

If you add your location to your profile, we will stop asking where you are located every time you post. And if you're close, I'd be happy to come over and help you free up some space by taking one of those other beauties away.

Definitely not a Fisher or Badger, a no-name cast with that thick heel and misplaced pritchel hole. The edges would be better served by radiusing with a flap disk, and not trying to weld on it. Square edges are NOT desirable.

Welcome aboard Fireman, glad to have you. Please don't take a welder to that anvil, she's in darned good condition the HAZ will effect the heat treat on of the face and not for the good. At most radius the chipped edges a bit. Like John says, sharp edges are NOT desirable. If sometime down the line you NEED a crisp edge or perfect, read polished, face weld a shank to a piece of steel and use it as a bottom tool. You can make virtually any tools you need fit a hardy hole just depends on your imagination and skills sets.

We'll help you think of new and unimagined before bottom tools, you betcha.

I can't tell you what she is or might be, looks cast to me. Your file says the face is hardened so I believe she's either a steel face foundry welded to a cast iron body or a cast steel anvil. Unmarked ones aren't common but anvils and swage blocks were Journeyman founder's projects in some shops. The Alaska Road Commission was a shop in case, back in the day they actually ran their own foundry.

A little power brushing on the sides then chalking and wiping will bring out any stamped in lettering for photographing, if it existed or hasn't been wiped out. Oblique lighting helps bring out lettering as well.

Frosty The Lucky.

17 minutes ago, Frosty said:

Welcome aboard Fireman, glad to have you. Please don't take a welder to that anvil, she's in darned good condition the HAZ will effect the heat treat on of the face and not for the good. At most radius the chipped edges a bit. Like John says, sharp edges are NOT desirable. If sometime down the line you NEED a crisp edge or perfect, read polished, face weld a shank to a piece of steel and use it as a bottom tool. You can make virtually any tools you need fit a hardy hole just depends on your imagination and skills sets.

We'll help you think of new and unimagined before bottom tools, you betcha.

I can't tell you what she is or might be, looks cast to me. Your file says the face is hardened so I believe she's either a steel face foundry welded to a cast iron body or a cast steel anvil. Unmarked ones aren't common but anvils and swage blocks were Journeyman founder's projects in some shops. The Alaska Road Commission was a shop in case, back in the day they actually ran their own foundry.

A little power brushing on the sides then chalking and wiping will bring out any stamped in lettering for photographing, if it existed or hasn't been wiped out. Oblique lighting helps bring out lettering as well.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I will not weld on it. It really isn't that bad I guess. At least the face is flat. I am going to clean it up real good and take some better pictures. I guess it really didn't matter who made it to me as long as it serves my purpose. Is cast iron with a steel face all that bad? Should I have traded less for a possible no name anvil? I did do a ball bearing test on it and it bounced pretty well. 

what percentage is "pretty well"???

Steel faced cast iron anvils are quiet which is a plus; but they tend toward the lower end of the real anvil scale---unless they are a fisher which ranks quite well on my version of the scale.  My current using anvils in my shop are Peter Wright, Fisher, Hay Budden, Powell and Arm and Hammer (NOT Vulcan)

If it has a reasonable rebound and you are just starting out, then use it to learn on and start making money with it. I wouldn't sweat the value as long as it will do what you want. Most of us started out on a piece mild steel or if we were lucky a piece of rail road track. 

It's not bad at all and by clean it up I mean cosmetically, no grinding other than to ease the edges a little. A flat anvil face isn't necessary and believe it or not a sway makes it easier to straighten your work. I wish my first anvils looked that good.

Try dropping a ball bearing from about 10" and eyeball estimate how high it bounces as a %. 60%+ is a decent working anvil. Below 50% and it's a bottom tool holder as soon as you can find a better anvil. If it rebounds above 90% hide it and never take your eyes off it she's gold.

We really need to write the rebound %s down I can't trust my memory though I can bounce a bearing or ball pein and evaluate rebound.

Frosty The Lucky.

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

what percentage is "pretty well"???

Steel faced cast iron anvils are quiet which is a plus; but they tend toward the lower end of the real anvil scale---unless they are a fisher which ranks quite well on my version of the scale.  My current using anvils in my shop are Peter Wright, Fisher, Hay Budden, Powell and Arm and Hammer (NOT Vulcan)

It bounced up almost as high as I dropped it. Will cast iron rebound at all? I was tapping all over it and it seems to bounce back. It may be cast steel? I'll take better pics in the morning

Cast iron rebounds just not very well, it's too elastic. It sounds like cast steel to me. Even high end foundries have "false faces" in their forms to give the appearance of a separate steel face. My Soderfors does and Soderfors anvils have zero reason to do something cosmetic to impress people. Unfortunately a customer's perception can make them do dumb things like buy a Yugo when all the evidence says not to.

Frosty The Lucky.