Help Identifying this ~300lb beast

[jdawgnc]

I checked out that mark and I'm pretty sure it's just a gouge... That middle area is just so beat up it's hard to tell for sure though. It's funny, bathroom scales all weigh over 300lbs now, but they are also all made of glass. Gently sitting a 200-some-odd lb anvil down is kinda hard! I'll let you guys know as soon as I get it weighed though (I'm leaning towards the 281 myself,) thanks again for all the help and insight.

[jdawgnc]

Haha, I got it! Weighs in at 296 pounds. Took some finagling, but I got a scale that seems reliable. 

 

[C-1ToolSteel]

Yipeee! That's one chunk of iron! (With a tool steel face plate)

[jdawgnc]

Yep, now I just have to build it a suitable stand and get to work. The stump I have my 100lb mousehole on isn't near big enough! I'll take some pics once I get it all done. Gotta build a new coal forge too to go with it. I think the shop is about to get a MAJOR facelift! Woohoo!

[Tubalcain2]

cool beans.

[C-1ToolSteel]

Keep us posted!

[Northernsmith]

10 hours ago, jdawgnc said:

Haha, I got it! Weighs in at 296 pounds. Took some finagling, but I got a scale that seems reliable. 

 

Cool jdawgnc, I have its sister!  My Peter Wright weighs 300 pounds even and is a great anvil.  Enjoy!

[Marc1]

I have been trying different formulas to guesstimate the weight of an anvil.

One that comes close is this:

Height x lenght x width in inches. Add 2/3 to the result and move the decimal point to the left one place. That is the weight in lb 

In your case, 12x30x5= 1800. Add 2/3 (1200) = 3000. Take away one decimal point ... taraa ... 300 lb

There may be a way to convert it to metric, but I couldn't be bothered. It works ok with inches and lb, happy with that. Tried with a few of my anvils from 42lb up to 230lb and it works to a t ... 

I started trying when I came across someone else's formula that was from memory, hight x length minus 105, but it only works for some sizes, and ignoring the width will inevitably produce large errors. You anvil at 300lb has the same height and length (12x30") than my PW at 240lb only mine is a bit skinnier at 4.3" so I tried to incorporate this value. if others can try this formula and report results, we may be onto something. If it produces consistent errors we can adjust the number added to it  (2/3) to correct up or down.

PS, all my anvils are London pattern. A german pattern with two horns and usually wider may need a different value added to it (or not)

   

[beech]

Simplifying that formula would be (length * width * height + 2/3 x (length x width * height))/10, = (5/3 * (length * width * height)) * 1/10, = 1/10 * 5/3 * (length * width * height) = 1/6 * (length * width * height).  So 1/6 * 1800 = 300.  If a different fraction was added it would simplify down to being multiplied by a different fraction (1/2 would change it to 3/20 instead of 3/18 (=1/6) ).

[beech]

I tried the above with my 170 lb Trenton (29 1/2 x 10 3/4 x 4 1/8), and got about 220 lbs.  Of course the formula would be different for different brands with different shapes,etc.  It appears that 3/10 would be about right for mine, instead of 2/3.  I guess this thread got sidetracked....

[ThomasPowers]

That formula would be dependent on the style of anvil as well; gracile vs robustus;  My squat heavy Fisher would give a quite different value than my long lean Trenton and they are both london pattern.  (Mouseholes vs Arm and Hammers; etc)

Of course you could add your anvil to a full container of water and measure what overflows and multiply by the specific gravity of WI or steel---pretty close for both of them.

[C-1ToolSteel]

...And then you have TFS making aluminum bases.

[Tubalcain2]

no kidin. i never did get that.

[SLAG]

Be careful regarding T.F.S. (Texas Farrier Supply), They do not mention that the bulk of the anvil's body that they sell is cast iron (although malleable cast iron), with a steel top.

Using an aluminum base is the next step in cutting costs and maximizing their profits.

Personally, I would throw in several hundred dollars more and get an all steel anvil. Like a Refflinghaus, Kanka, or similar make.

The foregoing is my personal opinion, and no one else's,  including this site and it's management.

SLAG.

[JT]

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 0:55 AM, Marc1 said:

I have been trying different formulas to guesstimate the weight of an anvil.

One that comes close is this:

Height x lenght x width in inches. Add 2/3 to the result and move the decimal point to the left one place. That is the weight in lb 

In your case, 12x30x5= 1800. Add 2/3 (1200) = 3000. Take away one decimal point ... taraa ... 300 lb

There may be a way to convert it to metric, but I couldn't be bothered. It works ok with inches and lb, happy with that. Tried with a few of my anvils from 42lb up to 230lb and it works to a t ... 

I started trying when I came across someone else's formula that was from memory, hight x length minus 105, but it only works for some sizes, and ignoring the width will inevitably produce large errors. You anvil at 300lb has the same height and length (12x30") than my PW at 240lb only mine is a bit skinnier at 4.3" so I tried to incorporate this value. if others can try this formula and report results, we may be onto something. If it produces consistent errors we can adjust the number added to it  (2/3) to correct up or down.

PS, all my anvils are London pattern. A german pattern with two horns and usually wider may need a different value added to it (or not)

   

this formula doesn't seem to come even close to the weight of my Arm & Hammer... the dimensions of mine are 38 3/4" X 15 1/2" X 6" ....maybe I'm doing it wrong but 38.75X15.50X6 = 3603.75 add 2/3 (2402.50 ) = 6006.25 my anvil is not even close to 600lbs. JT

[Marc1]

I am sorry to disappoint JT ... so what is the weight of your anvil?

 

 

On 1/8/2017 at 8:44 AM, ThomasPowers said:

That formula would be dependent on the style of anvil as well; gracile vs robustus;  My squat heavy Fisher would give a quite different value than my long lean Trenton and they are both london pattern.  (Mouseholes vs Arm and Hammers; etc)

Of course you could add your anvil to a full container of water and measure what overflows and multiply by the specific gravity of WI or steel---pretty close for both of them.

Mm ... Archimedes hei? ha ha, not very practical but very precise. 

 

Of course the "formula" is not an exact measurement, it is like I said, a guesstimator. 

Multiplying height width and length gives the volume of an imaginary prism and includes all the open space under the anvil and the horn and heel. 

A reduction has to be used to cut away all that air. I came up with divide by 6 and it works for some anvils, Kohlswa, PW and a couple of no names I have. 

If it does not work for wider anvils, then we may be able to change the correction factor according to width. It seems to work for anvils that are under 5" wide. May be for 6" wide it must be divided by 6.5 ? 

It is a work in progress. and if we get more people posting dimensions and weight of their anvils, we may be able to find the proper anvil weight guesstimator.

[JT]

Hi Marc1, mine weights in on a +- 20lb. scale at 460lbs.