Buy or No Buy?

[mpc]

1st post ever.

I’ve been lurking on the board for a while gathering info on burners, grinders, etc... This anvil popped up on a local buy/sell page and I’m thinking of picking it up.  

All I know is the approximate weight (200 lbs) and the price $450.

What (if anything) can anybody tell me from the photos?

 

 

[Ranchmanben]

Looks like a Peter Wright which is ordinarily a top notch anvil. That one looks like it’s had a rather poorly done repair job done on it. Depending on where you’re located and the availability of anvil will certainly be a factor on wether or not you should purchase it. Where I’m located, Texas panhandle, I’d be tickled to buy an anvil around $2/pound. They usually sell for $4/lb and up. That being said, I’d go take a look and test the ring and rebound and if it passes the test offer the seller $400. I’d explain that it’s obviously been repaired and you’re taking on the durability of a welded on anvil. 

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yep, lots of ifs in a “repaired” anvil, 

if the edges showed slight delamination and that’s what he welded up

if he pre heated the anvil face to 400f so as to avoid cracking of the tool steel with out taking out the hardness

ifnthe face isn’t further delaminates...

so when I was a kid I had a steely (ball Bering) I played marbled with. And drop it from 10” all over the face. Anything over 5” rebound is good, 8” is great, any noticeable dead spot is delamination, the same can be done with a small ball pein, atlespast looking for delamination. As the sound will change 

[ThomasPowers]

The issue with welding up anvil edges is that if you do not properly preheat and slow cool them they can auto quench in the HAZ and so in use the edges can break off even deeper than the original problem.  Add that to the fact that anvils do not need to have sharp edges and in fact sharp edges can cause problems when you are forging and you get that repairs to the edges of an anvil should LOWER the price; not increase it.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

3 hours ago, mpc said:

1st post ever.

Like others have said, I would be very cautious about that anvil. If it checks out (ring & rebound) I wouldn't spend more than $350 on it. The repair job looks iffy at best.

BTW: Welcome to the forum. If you edit your profile to show your location, you may be surprised how many members are near you and a lot of answers are location dependent like the value of anvils.

[Fatfudd]

I dunno about some of the suggestions you have received so far. If the rebound is good and the ring across the top is good(no buzzing) get it. At $2/lb it would be a heck of a deal. It would be a great starter anvil, far better than what I started with 30 years ago. So what if someone messed with the edges as long as you have a decent rebound on the face its good to go. You can make enough money off an anvil like that to buy a Refflinghaus in the not too distant future.. Seems like everyone is getting a little too snobbish about the quality of the anvils that a person should be starting out on. To be honest, I used a Trenton for a number of years that some joker had welded on the edges and you know what, it worked just fine.The only caution is if the rebound isn't good or the top plate has a lot of buzzing sounds then yeah pass on it,

 

[Charles R. Stevens]

I think you mis understand fudd, I am just advising caution, like you. Check to see if the problems are worse than they seem or were mad worse buy welding on the anvil. Better a heavy drop than a damaged anvil 

[MC Hammer]

I don't have the years in that most of these guys do, but I think you need to ask yourself a question:

Is this anvil a stepping stone to a better one down the road, or am I looking to buy the anvil I'm going to have for a long time?

If it's just a stepping stone, Fatfudd makes a lot of sense with his suggestions.  You don't need a perfect anvil to start out with and if the bad welding job chips over the years it won't matter too much to you as you will be saving up money for that really nice anvil that you'll have for the rest of your forging years.

If you are looking for a great anvil to last the years, the others comments of caution make the most sense.  That's a lot of money to lay out for something that is a big question mark with the welding that has been done on it.  I'd have to pass on it if I were looking for an anvil to last the long haul.

My crummy 2 cents is that if you are looking for a beater anvil, there are plenty more out there for less money that can be used hard without worry.  I personally wouldn't spend that kind of money on a welded anvil when I didn't know who welded it and if they did it properly without damaging the rest of the face plate.