streetcore Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Hi everyone, An antique dealer not too far from me has a small 75lb farrier's anvil for sale and I'm wondering if it's worth considering for a beginner like myself? I've only seen the attached pictures and it looks like cast iron with a steel plate on top. The top appears to overhang the sides quite a bit and I've never seen one quite like it before. My first thought was to pass because it's cast, but I learned recently that some cast anvils, like the one's sold at oldworldanvils.com can be quite desirable. One of those "Church Window" style anvils came up for sale last month at a good price and didn't give it a second thought because it looked like cheap cast. So I thought I'd see what others had to say about this one. They want $300, so it's not really a bargain. Thanks very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 How is the anvil from your other post working for you? Unless you need a lighter anvil for travelling demos, I'd think seriously about holding off until something better comes along, especially if you're on a limited budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 I have a 150 lb Fisher, and its a cast anvil with a steel plate. It works absolutely perfectly for anything I do, which is mostly bladesmithing. Nice thing is too, its naturally quiet! More of a thud than a PING. Just because its cast doesnt mean its low quality. The steel plate is the important part. Hows the rebound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetcore Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share Posted October 9, 2017 Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with limited space and don't have room to setup a dedicated forging area. The anvil will have to be setup outside and it will be snowing here soon, so I'd like something I can store in the shed and pull out when I need it. The other one was a great deal, but it is over 200lbs. So it's difficult to move around and I still haven't figured out where to put it. I don't really want it outside in the rain and snow all year round. I'm also trying to learn about the different types of anvils, so I can tell the difference between a good deal and an overpriced ASO. 8 minutes ago, Will W. said: I have a 150 lb Fisher, and its a cast anvil with a steel plate. It works absolutely perfectly for anything I do, which is mostly bladesmithing. Nice thing is too, its naturally quiet! More of a thud than a PING. Just because its cast doesnt mean its low quality. The steel plate is the important part. Hows the rebound? I've only seen the picture. I'm trying to decide it it's worth the drive to have a closer look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Who's the maker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetcore Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share Posted October 9, 2017 2 minutes ago, Hotshoein4 (Mark) said: Who's the maker? Unfortunately, I don't know. I've only seen the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Can you lay hands on it? If so try scratching the face with a steel scribe or the back of the tip of your pocket knife. If it scratches it it's not a hardened steel face and a pass in my book. A rebound test is usually my next, I carry a 1/2" bearing ball in my pocket when garage saling or anvil shopping. 1/2" is plenty to test with and isn't noticeable in my pocket walking around. The exaggerated "face plate" is common on cast anvils, my Soderfors has a slight exaggerated face. It's a cosmetic feature to show it has a real face and doesn't really mean anything. If it's solid cast steel it's probably a good anvil, if it's a steel face plate welded on in the mold like a Fisher it's gold, if it's malleable cast iron it's Okay. Common Chinese or Mexican cast iron it's an ASO. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 Have you looked at what new anvils are going for? For a small portable shop the kanca drop forged anvil has one in that price range. Of course I sold an 80 pound piece of steel that makes a fine anvil for US$20 Saturday. Is there some reason you must have a London pattern anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Most modern cast farriers anvils are cast from malleable iron, mine has been dinged by my good hammers, but returns 60+% with a 1" steely. So they are usable anvils, not premo but usable. They are optimized for scroll work, all horn and heal, that one has turning cams and a clip horn, odd bits but nice wince you learn to use them. Hannner directly over the waist, takes some getting used to as as most the face end right over the waist, we all seem to want to forge closer to the horn, one also may want to make offset hardy tooling that will be heavily forged on. I will say they didn't use the horn much or the clip horn, as their is original paint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 JHM uses ductile iron castings, and they are nice anvils. This company sells a few different brands at decent prices. Anvilbrand.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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