HP500 Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 After a long search, I finally found an anvil. It is a Peter Wright marked 1-2-2 so I believe it is supposed to be 170 lbs. The actual weight on a digital scale was just over 164 lbs. The face is very flat, it has a great ring, and the rebound was around 90%. It has hammer marks, but I can live with that. I did an online search to see if I could determine the age but I came up empty. If anyone has a good estimate, I would greatly appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 1885-1910. Also, that's a really cool stamp on the foot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Does anyone know the significance of the stamp on the foot? Google didn't help. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 No one really knows what those marks signify. Richard Postman suspects they are inspectors marks. Yours is the coolest one I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 That's a gem, and a great size too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 Thank you very much. I couldn't wait to try it out, so I made an attempt at forging my first flint and steel fire steel. It is not perfect, but I was happy with it and throws sparks like crazy! It is sitting on top of a beat up anvil that has been on loan to me until I could find one of my own, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 That particular style of steel was in use for about 1000 years you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 10 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: That particular style of steel was in use for about 1000 years you know. It is a tried and true design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 I remember one time talking with a fur trade era smith and he was twitting me about making 1800's steels for a viking event until I dug out my copy of "The Viking" and showed him the ones that have been excavated by archeologists---and then asked him for his sources, (I knew they were used in his era too; but wanted to see if he had researched them or was just copying a copy of a copy...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 Thomas, is "The Viking" a reference book? It sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 Well there are a number of books with that same title; some people know it as "The Prune People Viking book" as the drawings have people with "prunelike faces". I like it as it has some very nice archeological drawings of physical culture in it, Good drawings are often easier to make things from that photographs. I actually have 2 copies the Tre Tryckare edition, the Crescent Books edition and I see that there is now a RH Value books edition Anyway The Viking Tre Tryckare should get you started hunting them down. I believe they are all using the same cover art so once you see it you will know it. (and a hideous curse of search engine programmers that don't first consider that you actually want to see the hits for exactly what you entered!) Aha ABEbooks.com comes through: The Viking: Settlers, Ships, Swords & Sagas of the Nordic Age Rh Value Publishing (Published by Crescent) ISBN 10: 0517445530 / ISBN 13: 9780517445532 / Used / Condition: VERY GOOD / Hardcover Price 3.98 Free shipping inside USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP500 Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 Great, that is very helpful. Thanks Thomas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarntagforge Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Hello! I also found a Peter Wright anvil but didn't buy it yet. I found it on an online flea market, the seller said he couldn't make out the stamp but I saw straight away that it's a Peter Wright. I have two questions. In what sizes were these anvils made? For example 50, 75, 100, 128, 160 lbs... what weights did they have? The seller didn't know the weight. Also, what's the deal with Peter Wright anvils? I know they have good rebound, and they look very good. Also I know new anvils are so expensive so better buy an old one instead. But there are hundreds of manufacturers! It almost seems like it's The most popular anvil on these forums. Is it all talk or what's the actual deal with it? I'm just wondering! They're really fine anvils! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 40 minutes ago, Jackhammer said: Hello! I also found a Peter Wright anvil but didn't buy it yet. I found it on an online flea market, the seller said he couldn't make out the stamp but I saw straight away that it's a Peter Wright. I have two questions. In what sizes were these anvils made? For example 50, 75, 100, 128, 160 lbs... what weights did they have? The seller didn't know the weight. Also, what's the deal with Peter Wright anvils? I know they have good rebound, and they look very good. Also I know new anvils are so expensive so better buy an old one instead. But there are hundreds of manufacturers! It almost seems like it's The most popular anvil on these forums. Is it all talk or what's the actual deal with it? I'm just wondering! They're really fine anvils! as for their weights I believe there were several this one is mine and weighs 290 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thief_Of_Navarre Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Every weight you can imagine, mine is 141 but I've seen ones marked 139 and 140 so I guess they just made, weighted and stamped. Construction wise they are typically steel faced on a two piece solid wrought iron body. Mine annoyingly has a dead spot right in the middle of the face, rest is 85-90% even near the heel; rings almost as loud as my brooks (deadening measures and ear defenders a must!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 I agree with any possible weight. I have two PW, one is 230 and the other 405 pounds so not a standard size. As far as quality, they are good anvils but they are not tops. Usually the german or swedish anvils are best and PW are somehow softer in comparison. Not that a hobby smith would ever feel he was shortchanged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 The target weights on forged anvils seem to have been like the Boy Scout who shot an arrow at the barn and then painted a bullseye and rings around it. In other words, they would aim to make a general size, and then they'd weigh it and stamp it with the actual poundage afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Well why PW? They made a LOT of anvils and they exported to America! Would you expect to run into more often something made by the hundreds or the hundred thousands? Also folks in America were "used to' PWs as compared to other anvils they had never heard of. When buying something your livelihood depends on are you going to go for something you know should be good or "bet" on some brand you never heard of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarntagforge Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 On 2017-06-22 at 8:30 PM, ThomasPowers said: Well why PW? They made a LOT of anvils and they exported to America! Would you expect to run into more often something made by the hundreds or the hundred thousands? Also folks in America were "used to' PWs as compared to other anvils they had never heard of. When buying something your livelihood depends on are you going to go for something you know should be good or "bet" on some brand you never heard of? Okay, thanks for the answer. But I'm talking about this day and age. Does that hold true still? Nowadays we can google an anvil brand and know how to test it and what to look for in an anvil, still it seems Peter Wrights are quite popular? Everyone has one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 What's the question Jackhammer? You want to know if PW is a good anvil, the answer is yes. As for being popular ... not sure what that really means. Popular as in there are lots of them, yes! popular as in everyone likes them ... I don't know. I suppose there are not many reason to dislike them. Like I said before PW are softer then comparable German or Swedish anvils. I have seen PW squashed like plasticine by long time abuse. From what I have read, they used to advertise using pure wrought iron in their production so their zeal was probably the reason for the softer product. In later production they started to make the face convex to compensate for depression of the face. Other manufacturers would use a mixture of steel and by pot luck incorporate some with more carbon that made the anvil harder. German or Swedish do get chipped edges, yet never seen one with big depressions on the face. If you are after 'the best possible anvil' you are in difficult territory where everyone has different opinions. Nimba, Refflinghaus, Peddinghaus, Kohlswa to name a few that still make new anvils are tops and you pay top dollar for them. Yet not as high as some people believe and it pays to know the good anvils new prices, since a lot of people pay more than new in the false believe that old is better than new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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