Chris Mcfarland Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 I recently acquired an old anvil. I am having trouble finding information on the anvil. I though some of the guys on this website could tell me a little about it. Also, the anvils top is not very flat. Would you recommend I just get it machined and leave it at that or get it machined and then get a plate either welded on top or something along those lines. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 machine it if you only want to use it as a garden ornament, welding a plate on is a major job as you have to weld it oner the entire area and not just round the edges. best thing is to use it as it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommytaptap Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 The name stamped into it looks like Hay Budden, made in Brooklyn New York. They stopped making anvils in 1920's so its an old girl. I think the weight markings show its should be around 226lb. The figure (1) = 112ib(or one hundredweight) (4) = 112lbs(or four quarters) and (2) = 2lbs. It will be slightly lighter no doubt, due to its age, losing some metal in oxidisation and general use along its travels. Just use this fine old tool as it is-do not attempt any repairs-it will be ruined. Others will chirp in too on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 one of the top American brands of anvils, the weight stamp will be in pounds NOT CWT and so it weighs 142 pounds. And if you can read the serial number located on the front of the feet under the horn we can tell you when it was made. Smooth is much more important than flat for an anvil face, this combined with the fact that the hardened face is usually fairly thin means that ANY removal of face thickness is strongly contraindicated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welding on another plate properly requires a full surface weld so that not one bit of the old face is not welded to the bottom of the new face---usually cheaper to buy another anvil in better shape. Build-up welding on the face can be done IFF you use the Robb Gunter method of Anvil Repair; but is seldom needed. (In 36 years of smithing I have personally seen only a handful of anvils that needed such work to be useful. In general welding on an anvil lowers it's value as a buyer can seldom tell if it was done correctly and so has to reserve their bid in case it wasn't.) Anvils don't really get considered old until they are over 200 years; many of us are working with anvils over 100 years old. Hard to wear out a good anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommytaptap Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Thanks, Thomas. I stand corrected on the weight markings-it being an American made anvil. It'll be interesting to see how old she is too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 The 4 as the middle number would be iffy too as in CWT the middle should be 0-3 and a 4 would increment the first number and set the middle to 0---HOWEVER I have seen some "mis-stamped" weight stamps where they goofed and so had a higher middle number... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Thanks for all of the responses. I'm new to this forum and I enjoy all of the things everyone has to say. I just took some more pictures and I weighed it. It came in at 138 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoName Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Nice find. Hard too see that serial number, looks like 11,507 if so it is a 1894, or is it 115,017 that would be a 1906. That is according to AIA. N.N.F. Beautiful, Manchester, Michigan. USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 It's a solid waist up so 1906.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Welcome aboard Chris, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance. Every hour you spend working or even watching experienced smith is worth days of your time trying to figure it out yourself. That's personal experience speaking. Please don't try to repair or restore that fine lady, she's in excellent condition. Heck at just a century old she's still a youngster. Flat isn't very important, especially longitudinally very few operations work well lengthwise on the face. Straightening a project is a common operation and is actually easier over a depression using a wooden mallet. Even hot steel or iron rebounds from bending so moving it a LITTLE farther lets it rebound to straight, flat, etc. I straighten or "true up" make pieces the: straight, curve, flat, dished, whatever, I want on a wooden block with a wooden mallet. Using wood doesn't alter the texture or surface details like a steel hammer on the anvil face will. A photographic tip for catching detail on metal is to use oblique lighting, not a camera attached flash without a difusser. Put the light so it's shining across the face from the side, not straight at it. Aimed straight at metal subjects causes it to be reflected straight back into the lens and it glares out the pic. From a shallow side angle every little detail, dip and hump casts a shadow and light reflected off such details furnishes fill light. This makes things like stamped digits or such stand out more clearly. You can also dust it with a contrasting color powder, chalk or flour are good but powdered charcoal will do. Dust it then wipe it off lightly from ONE direction. The powder will be trapped in depressions and behind features making them stand out more clearly. If doing both the direction of the lighting might make a significant difference so take shots using both light angles. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 So with age & wear and possible differences in calibrations 138 is very reasonable for an anvil stamped 142. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Frosty, thanks for the info. I didn't think to put my location. I'm located in Coatesville Pennsylvania. I would love to learn from an experienced blacksmith and if there is one in here close enough please let me know. Thanks for the responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Note that many machinists or welders who are NOT blacksmiths and so don't understand how anvils were made and are used will often suggest they re-work and anvil for you---ask the machinists if you can forge red hot steel on the ways of their machine tools with a sledge hammer! Welders, well you can't do much with them...(Hi Pep!)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 My pleasure Chris I'd love to see that beautiful anvil back in use, it's good for a couple more generations before she needs a little touch up work. Honest. Next time just start typing in the text box at the bottom of the window. Replying to your own post isn't necessary unless you need a portion to make a point then delete all the pics consistent with making the point. Say I wanted to highlight the # on the foot of your anvil I only need that one pic. Deleting unnecessary pics and text helps keep bandwidth down for our brothers and sisters still connected by dial up. Telling us where you live in a post isn't going to stick in anybody's mind after we open another. Having it in the header puts it in view every time someone reads your posts. That way if someone HAS the "thing" you're looking for or is having a little get together, etc. they'll know you're in the neighborhood and maybe invite you. We all need someone with a strong back now and then you know. Just click on your name at the top of the page or in a post, then click on the "edit profile" button, edit and save. Easy peasy. It's not a rule though, just helps a lot. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Hmm - It looks as if the top plate is missing? I have never seen a Hay Budden with that much sway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 Not sure. Maybe someone could chim in and let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoName Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Fud, good eye. Chris, a couple more shots may be helpful, shoot from the shelf too the tail, where the face plate should be. Probably best with the anvil at 45s, say if you are looking North, the horn will pointing SW, then the next shot looking South, horn still SW. With indirect lighting, all ways a help. Oh yea, rebound? Hammer marks, on the face.... smooth, signs of use, or does it look like the surface of the moon? N.N.F. Beautiful, Manchester, Michigan. USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 I think I got the pictures you are talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankem Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Nice Pretty lady there! Enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 From your pictures, I can't really tell if the top plate is there or has been lost. What kind of rebound do you get using a ball bearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 It has very good rebound and a nice ping to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Just recently we had people say that an anvil had very good rebound at around 55% (which is actually pretty bad) and others with very good rebound over 90% (which is quite good). So which "very good rebound" is your anvil demonstrating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Mcfarland Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 I would say it is around 75-80 percent. Sorry for now being specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 So definitely has the top plate still in place and just showing signs of heavy usage; probably need to be reworked in another 50 to 80 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 9 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: So definitely has the top plate still in place and just showing signs of heavy usage; probably need to be reworked in another 50 to 80 years! IF you keep up the heavy use that is. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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