HP500 Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hello everyone, first post. After spending the last couple of years looking for an affordable anvil without any luck, I finally came across one within my price range. However, I don't know what brand it is or how old it is. I cannot find any markings on it. It also has some damage on the edges of the face. The anvil weighs exactly 160# and has been sitting outside for years. If I want it, I can purchase it for $160 USD. Here are a few pictures. I can post more if needed. If anyone can tell me what brand it is and if it is worth the price, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 The face looks very thin and a tad fragile; can you see if the base material is cast iron or wrought iron? My local scrapyard sells blocks of steel for US twenty cents a pound that make decent starter anvils, $160 (BTW is that Singapore Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Australian Dollars,...?) seems a bit high to get a hardy hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Thanks for the quick reply. That would be US$. Here are a few more pictures. The face is almost completely flat, with maybe 1/16" gap on a small section of it. It seems to have a good bounce when I let a hammer fall on it (I don't have a ball bearing yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 OK The swelling below the hardy hole is often indicative of the Badger Anvil. A cast iron anvil with a steel face much like the Vulcan. If so it would be much harder to repair than one with a wrought iron or steel base. The flatness of the face combined with the thinness might indicate that someone had ground it flat sometime previous which to me ranks up there with grinding an old master painting to get the surface "flatter". OTOH they tended to be thin anyway. They were not a top tier anvil in their day. Anybody else know of another anvil brand with that swell below the hardy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I wouldn't pay that much for that anvil, due to the extent of the damage. I would walk away or just offer $40. All you are getting is a hardy hole, and a little bit of real estate to work with. I agree with Thomas, you would be better off spending that $160 at a scrapyard, and on other tools. $160 is enough to get everything you need to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 looks like someone has tried to reweld the plate along one side with arc, check how it sounds when you tap it in that area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Look for old forklift forks, large bucket pins, large diameter shafts and axles, etc Rental yards, and heavy equipment shops might have some good materials to scrounge. It doesn't have to look like a London pattern anvil to be an anvil. A simple block of steel will suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Thanks for the info, this is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.morse Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 HP500, where are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 2 hours ago, j.morse said: HP500, where are you from? Western NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Surely not the worst anvil I have seen. Probably not worth $160 though. Since you have been hunting anvils for a while, don't say no, just make an offer ... a low offer. Try $40 and see what they say. And then just use it as it is. You can always go to one of those anvil repair meeting and be the star of the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 That anvil is just about worn out. Walk away and look for a better one. Most of the horn steel is missing, you have no edges to work with, and what is left of the face plate is very thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Most anvil repair days don't work on cast iron anvils if the steel face is missing over parts of it. I have had a vulcan "touched up" at one but no major work was needed. The costs of the rod for working on cast iron can be pretty hefty. Cheap it would be a nice hardy holder to go with a block of steel anvil; but most folks think they are made from gold lately... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Good info thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 UPDATE: I was able to work out a pretty good deal. The anvil is actually owned by one of my neighbors. He is in the US Army and will be out of town for quite a while. He graciously offered to let me "look after" his anvil while he is gone. So, I'll have the use of something while I continue to search for an anvil in better condition. That leads me to a question: I've never used an anvil before, so please forgive me if this is a stupid question. If I attempted to make something like a flint and steel striker or a knife of some sort, what difference would a high quality anvil make on my success versus using the beat up one I have access to? I sure there will be a difference but I'm not knowledgeable enough yet to figure it out on my own. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 the better the anvil the easier it will be to work on. that's the main reason folks look to buy nice anvils. not to say that it can't be done, and well on an anvil like that one, but it would be easier with better equipment. personally I would not have much trouble with the projects you named on an anvil like that, but how well you do depends on your skill level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 a thousand hours with the hammer on a $100 anvil will far exceed 10 hours on a $1000 anvil! Remember you need to make a number of the same item to get good at it. Folks who expect their first one to be "perfect" are generally disappointed. Especially when they are making it for someone and NOT budgeting enough time to learn how to do it first. 6 times is a good rule of thumb to get decent at a particular item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 That makes sense. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 45 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Remember you need to make a number of the same item to get good at it. Folks who expect their first one to be "perfect" are generally disappointed. Especially when they are making it for someone and NOT budgeting enough time to learn how to do it first. 6 times is a good rule of thumb to get decent at a particular item. Yeah, when I first started I Fiddled I could make about 6 railroad spikes in an hour. Of course a railroad spike knife was my first project I made. Who would expect less? Yeah, it took me about 4 hours for my first one! So, another thing HP500, Start SMALL! don't try Making a sword or a knife as your first project or 4th. Get some basic skills down, and personally I wouldn't recommend starting with anything bigger than 1/2" stock. Littleblacksmith 3 minutes ago, littleblacksmith said: Yeah, when I first started I Fiddled I could make about 6 railroad spikes in an hour. Whoops, Meant to say "Yeah, when I first started I Thought I could make about 6 railroad spike Knifes in an hour". Was listening to If your Gonna Play in Texas while I typed that. If any of ya'll know that song than you will know where I got the word fiddle from. Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyiorn Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 ....in the band....haha... HP, just practice as much as possible, the more you do the better you will be. I tend to try to buy the best tools that I can afford that way I can't blame the tool for a bad job ( just blame myself and try again )but anything is better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 HP5, Don't ask permission, just start!! Use whatever you have available, some of it will end up in the "Bish Pile", some won't. Don't be afraid of making Bish, the Bish Pile will grow, all by itself. That Anvil is better than a Rock, you will save the time of hunting for the Rock!! Enjoy the journey, there is a beginning, there is no end. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks everyone. I'm looking forward to starting the journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 If you need a better edge you can make a tool that drops in the hardy hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 I was working on some chilies forged from black pipe last weekend and really enjoying how the rounded edge of the anvil made a perfect fuller to touch up the stem/body area with my favorite crosspeen. Delicate work as I was using very small pipe, less than 1/2" OD, never a problem "cutting" the stems off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 On 1/10/2017 at 7:57 PM, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: If you need a better edge you can make a tool that drops in the hardy hole. Thanks! On 1/11/2017 at 2:29 PM, ThomasPowers said: I was working on some chilies forged from black pipe last weekend and really enjoying how the rounded edge of the anvil made a perfect fuller to touch up the stem/body area with my favorite crosspeen. Delicate work as I was using very small pipe, less than 1/2" OD, never a problem "cutting" the stems off. Do you have any pictures of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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