Ringneck Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 I borrowed this anvil from a friend who doesn't know much about it either. The top is tool steel and has some damage on the edges. No markings on the anvil that I can find. Any idea of the maker and suitability for use with the damage? I'm guessing it's 150+ pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 What does the bottom look like? Is it in the USA? And it looks extremely usable to me; I see little damage that affects usability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Picture of the bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 I'll try to get one later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobS Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 First can we get less pictures of the chips and more pictures that actually matter. Like the bottom, front foot, both sides, rear, under the heel. The damage is not that bad. The main area of the anvil you most likely will be/should be using is over the sweet spot (over the largest area of mass). You shouldn't need to be hammering on the heel edges, unless you have some odd shaped piece of steel that needs to hang under the spot your working. Anvils do not/should not have razor sharp 90 deg edges. You want edges to move steel when you hammer not cut the steel. As for the little bit of sway in the face, it is fine. Forging is not machining. When you are forging something flat you are not worrying about 0.001" of run out. If anvils were required to have perfectly flat faces, they would have to be machined every few years. That means there wouldn't be any 100+ year old anvils left--they would be just a pile of dust on the machine shop floor. Have you noticed every blacksmiths tool in a smithy has basically no straight lines. The tools all have curves and shapes (exception of a "flatter"). Swage blocks are made of multiple shapes. Point is, unless the anvil looks like a saddle, it is fine. Even then it would still have a use in the shop. The most I would do to that anvil is possibly knock some of the "SHARP" edges off the chips and radius them a tiny bit so they don't continue to chip or possibly crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 Thank you for the info. Very helpful. Here is a picture of the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Trenton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 I've looked it over real good and don't see any markings. Thanks for the replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubalcain2 Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 yup. I agree on trenton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 Were some of the Trentons not marked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 They tended to be stamped fairly lightly and so many are obscured from wear and tear. The caplet bottom is distinctive of the Trenton---though they did sometimes share bases with the Arm & Hammer anvils---they were both made in Columbus Ohio; but by different companies. (I know this as I have a clearly stamped arm & hammer with a caplet base) A&H anvils often show the hammer marks on the underside of the heel from the steam hammer, mine does. Trenton is also one of the american makers that did elongated anvils---very handy for ornamental work! They are considered a top tier anvil. I have a 410# one that was identified by the caplet and smooth underside of the heel as the sides had been ground on. (Anything I say about that will get me banned for life with no parole!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 Thanks for the info, Thomas. I'm just getting started and it sounds like this will be totally usable. Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringneck Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 That's neat, John! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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