December 31, 20169 yr I bought this anvil today just getting into blacksmithing paid 140 euro for it, it weighs 141 pounds it was an older gentleman I bought it off he owned it for 30 years it came out of Dublin airport here in Ireland apparently it was owned by Aer Lingus (Irelands national airline) came out of one of their repair hangers in the airport it was modified by them(possibly even commissioned) I would just like to know why it's shaped like this
December 31, 20169 yr Hard to say. All that rust could be covering the weld seam where they added a block of steel to an anvil that had the heel already broken off. Still, plenty of workable surface there and you could conceivably drill out the heel to add a pritchel and hardy hole.
December 31, 20169 yr Hard to tell from your photos, but does it appear that the heel area was forged as one piece as the body, or was the square-ish section welded on as a repair for a broken anvil?
December 31, 20169 yr Author its welded its only visible at the bottom of the block just checked it is hardened steel though
December 31, 20169 yr Whoever did that was definitely good with a welder! No telling what they needed it for, or why they didn't want the repaired heel level with the rest of the anvil. All kinds of crazy things go on in big factories!
December 31, 20169 yr Author Ill clean up the side of it tomorrow there appears to be a name its only 4 letters i can make out what i think is a f at the beginning i will take some better photos too in the daylight since its welded could i still drill a hardy hole and a pritchel would it not just break off (that weld has been there for 30 years its been like that since the previous owner bought it) should i clean it or just leave it as is?surely with a repair like that its not a collectors piece
January 1, 20179 yr I bet the F is the first letter of *forge* on Mouse Hole Forge. Should you clean it? Absolutely! Clean it by heating up some steel and hammering it over the face.
January 1, 20179 yr Author That would make alot of sense as most anvils in Ireland were imported from England or Germany ill update on it tomorrow and give it a test run. Had another look it does look like it says forge there is writing below it which i can make out and some above it which is almost completely gone
January 1, 20179 yr As far as drilling a hardy hole goes, I would just leave it. It would be a big enough project just to drill a pritchel hole. Other than making it look a little less broken, I don't see the point of the heel repair. It's too thick to use it as a regular heel. (For making BBQ forks, etc.) Not at all that it isn't a usable anvil. I would just hold your hardys in a vise.
January 1, 20179 yr Author im due to pick up a blacksmiths vice from the same person that sold me the anvil next week he is re threading it so ill just put hardys in that thanks ill leave the anvil as is
January 1, 20179 yr Author he is welding up the damaged parts of the thread and re filing it to to the right thread
January 1, 20179 yr I normally clean up an anvil after examining it first for markings ( try shining a light on it from an angle or rubbing chalk into it ) with a hand held wire brush, then examine again, then a pressure wash then examine whilst wet and then dry, then wire brush again. dont grind or weld on it, use it to clean up the face
January 1, 20179 yr Greetings 16, IMO... It looks like a MHF special build for inserting into a fixture for some kind of a power hammer. The squared off section appears to be designed to slide into something and no face plate. I would not modify it in any form and a simple stand made from square tubing works well for hardi tools. I have 2 and use them frequently, Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
January 1, 20179 yr Author Thanks for all the information lads I'll leave it as it is and start using it as soon as I get my new forge finished Thanks for all the advice
January 1, 20179 yr Author can't make out the name too rusted but it cane out better on camera than what I could see the chalk is where I can see some letters it's too far gone to see what make it is definitively ely
January 1, 20179 yr 3 hours ago, Jim Coke said: [...] a simple stand made from square tubing works well for hardi tools. I have 2 and use them frequently, Quite agree. This is my own portable hole, cobbled together from railroad tie plates and salvaged water pipe.
January 3, 20179 yr Why? Because they had a job they did often enough that they thought that investing time and materials into adapting the anvil made good sense. Does it interfere with what you want to do with the anvil? If so modify it to suit yourself. It's no longer "stock" so your changes won't affect it any more than theirs did if you do them to the same level of quality! It's a tool to be used not an alter!
January 3, 20179 yr 3 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: It's a tool to be used not an alter! Apart from the fact that TP means "altar", I agree entirely. Feel free to alter it if necessary!
January 3, 20179 yr I used to work at a seminary, and I often thought that many of the students and faculty pursued their ministry to gratify their senses of self -- in other words, their altar egos.
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