Forrest Betts Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Did some light clean up on my 1912 solid steel Hay Budden anvil. The picture is a before shot. Check out the video and tell me your thoughts. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I don't know enough about Hay Budden anvils to know if they are actually cast from carbon steel, but, if it actually has a hard face welded on then you shouldn't have hit it with that flap disk. It certainly looks much better though! Instead of welding the edges you can easily make a hardy tool with different radiused edges. Give it a long shank that sticks out the bottom of the hardy. If you hollow out a long groove in the shank you can jam a wooden wedge in the presses into the bottom of the anvil and you will have a tight hardy tool you can pound on. There are threads on IFI in which people much more knowledgeable than me talk about how and when to weld the corners of an anvil. The threat in doing it is in tempering the face and having to harden it again. Not fun. Enjoy smacking metal! Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Hay Buddens are some of the best anvils in the world. The older ones are wrought iron bodies with a high carbon face plate, But later models have forged tool steel all the way down to the waist. Trentons are the same story, but the ones that have solid tool steel tops have cast bases instead of wrought iron like Hay Buddens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Hot metal being beat on the anvil would have cleaned up the anvil face and horn and given it a shine without removing any of the metal or useful life. May I suggest that you use the anvil for a year or so before you, or anyone else, do any welding. If you need a sharp edge then make a hardie tool and a plate with sharp edges that cover the face of the anvil. It is your anvil and your choice on the methods for cleaning it up. The larger question at this point is how are you going to replace the 100+ year old patina you removed, and protect the anvil from rusting? Safety suggestion: You are wearing a face mask to protect your lungs from any air borne dust, rust, and debris. That same air borne dust, rust, and debris that was turned loose inside your building has now settled on and all over everything in the shop. When you just walk past, it will become disturbed and become air borne again, only this time you will not be wearing the dust mask. How are you going to clean up the shop of all the air borne dust, rust, and debris? How are you going to stop it from from being tracked into the house or car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 the trentons have cast *steel* bases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 This is a solid steel Hay Budden. It wasn't cast. It wasn't made in separate pieces. Full forming dies used to form the anvil in one piece. Round plunger mark is a dead giveaway if the "SS" is not visible on the serial number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin A King Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Someone with more knowledge than me will chime in. IF this is truly a 1 Piece Hay Budden Anvil (Which it appears to be), it is extremely rare. Your antique collectible value will be quite high. Possibly consider researching the collectible value before weld repairing the face. You may be surprised at the value of this anvil due to the rare 1 Piece forging. If my memory serves, Hay Budden did not make very many of these true 1 piece anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I watched the video, and I think you guys are right. Excellent find! Don't do anything else to it until you know what you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Betts Posted November 18, 2016 Author Share Posted November 18, 2016 Thanks for the responses. I attached a picture showing the SS stamp next to the serial number. Had already done my homework and looked it up hence how I found out it was dated 1912. It's the real deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 stink'in nice anvil. i'm as much of a die-hard soderfors guy as c-1 is a die-hard HB guy, but I'll admit that that is quite the find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Out of curiosity, I started watching your video....when you took the grinder to the old HB, that's when I turned it off. Your anvil; do as you wish of course, but the grinder made me sad for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 The idea is to avoid removal of the hardened face material. Some are made thin. Others wear thin. So any removal can harm the rebound even if it is thick. Sometimes it isnt hardened deeply. Then there is the patina. It's old. I guess it's worth something. Maybe not. That is up to the individual. This mouse hole I cleaned up was quite rusty and with a layer of paint atop the rust. I didn't fell badly about grinding off the paint and rust. The face was the same. As you can see it is very much worn and damaged. I didn't feel remorse grinding that. Nor did I see any black helicopters circling overhead from the anvil search and rescue service while doing so. It still is a severely worn and damaged anvil that bounces a ball bearing with incredible rebound. And It looks better than painted rust. My point is do whatever you like. Please don't damage a quality anvil in decent shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 The idea is to avoid removal of the hardened face material. Some are made thin. Others wear thin. So any removal can harm the rebound even if it is thick. Sometimes it isnt hardened deeply. Then there is the patina. It's old. I guess it's worth something. Maybe not. That is up to the individual. This mouse hole I cleaned up was quite rusty and with a layer of paint atop the rust. I didn't fell badly about grinding off the paint and rust. The face was the same. As you can see it is very much worn and damaged. I didn't feel remorse grinding that. Nor did I see any black helicopters circling overhead from the anvil search and rescue service while doing so. It still is a severely worn and damaged anvil that bounces a ball bearing with incredible rebound. And It looks better than painted rust. My point is do whatever you like. Please don't damage a quality anvil in decent shape. I recently uploaded a pic of my abused mouse hole and striking plate I have for tasks requiring an edge. I have no problem using this anvil. My hay budden on other hand...........it's literally too nice and often times will not use it. Crazy I know. Look for a nice one and then you find you need a trashed unit too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Funny, I tend to not wear my Sunday Go To Meeting Clothes when smithing and am under a strict injunction from my wife to only wear my grungies when I'm forge welding. I don't consider having differing anvils suitable for differing tasks any more "crazy" I have one missing it's heel that I use for heavy work and new students with "lightning like reflexes" (won't hit the same place twice!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanglediver Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 I polished an Estwing hammer once just to see how nice it would look. Then I went back to work with it. I don't polish those Estwings any more, the ones I use get plenty of that by working. So I know an anvil will polish up the same way. Mod note: Copyrighted image removed. If you have permission from the copyright holder to use their image, please provide that to IForgeIron in writing and we will restore the image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan buswell Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 the guy who was cleaning the anvil. I have one just like it. it's been in our family for over 100 years. weighs 160 lbs. no markings. small chip off the one corner. does anyone know the worth and maybe the manufacture thanks Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtG Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Dan, I suggest taking pictures of the anvil. Any logos, numbers, identifying features, what the bottom looks like, etc... then post your own topic, say, "Please Help Identify Family Heirloom" or whatever you want to call it, in this section. Also, welcome! Be sure to update your profile with a rough location- you may be surprised to find someone fairly nearby! That, and we have members from all over the world, so knowing if you are in, say, South Africa, Germany, Taiwan, or maybe upstate New York, may help with future questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Mm ... this thread should be called how not to clean an anvil. Anyway ... could be worse, could have taken it to a machine shop to mill flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 10 hours ago, dan buswell said: the guy who was cleaning the anvil I doubt he will see this, hasn't been on the forum since 2016. Like CtG said start your own thread with pictures and location. If you haven't read this, I highly recommend it to get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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