January 21, 20188 yr I’d appreciate any help you all can give me. I’m wondering how to clean up my anvil. I’m also wondering if any one can weigh in on what you think it is worth. I know I got a deal at $50. I’m just curious. Thanks
January 21, 20188 yr (With apologies to Thomas) Value is driven by its location. Are you in Kazickstan, Indonesia, Australia, etc. ? Put your location in and you’ll get better answers. Even around the US price will vary. It is a great deal regardless at $50
January 21, 20188 yr Nothing needed except a good wire brushing, then use it. Do not grind or sand it. Just use it.
January 21, 20188 yr You did good on that one! What is the weight of it ? Many questions , we need to know to answer your question.
January 21, 20188 yr Well the picture says: 1 1 15 so originally 155 pounds And if in the USA, (there are over a dozen countries that use the term Dollar for their currency) I'd say at least US$2 a pound if it passes the bounce and ring tests---without that data it's like asking how much a used car is worth without saying if the engine and trans,mission work!
January 21, 20188 yr Author Sorry for the lack of info. I’m in Illinois. The anvil definitely rings and a ball peen will bounce off the face.
January 21, 20188 yr A ball peen will bounce off a cast iron ASO's face too just not nearly as high. Which is why the bounce test with the ball bearing produces data you can compare with other anvils. Mid west is generally one of the cheaper areas to get anvils; but at US$50 you still got a bragging deal!
January 23, 20188 yr Author So I found a 1” ball bearing and did the drop test several times. From 10” I got a rebound of about 90% for the front 2/3rds of the face and a little less near the back end. Thanks for your help.
January 23, 20188 yr That is a great looking Wilkinson anvil. I have one nearly identical, except mine is just a few pounds lighter at 143 lbs. A REAL STEAL!
January 23, 20188 yr 90% rebound on a 50$ anvil. thats the kind of thing people say "I heard of a guy who_____" about for years...
January 23, 20188 yr That's a keeper. I have owned one Wilkinson and it gave me good service for a year. Mine was just over 100lbs with a bit of a saddle but great rebound. I got it in trade for a couple of Fraternal swords made by Ames. If I remember I had around a hundred bucks in it and sold it for three hundred. Fifty dollars for any real anvil that hasn't been in a fire or shot out of a cannon is a great deal. Enjoy!
January 25, 20188 yr On 1/20/2018 at 8:47 PM, Farmall said: Are you in Kazickstan Where is Kazickstan, anyway? Is that like Kazakhstan, but icky?
January 25, 20188 yr Why yes it is. It is where Dr. Suess based the Kingdom of Didd for his story, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”.
January 25, 20188 yr Yes, in a boat, with a goat. Not with a Fox in Sox. Haven’t you ever heard of people speaking of how good the anvil didd? Where do you think the term “I didd it” comes from? lastly, from Marvin K. Mooney,would you please go now”? - “Go I said, and go I meant. The time had come, so Marvin went.”
January 27, 20188 yr $50 was a great deal. As far as cleaning it up, take a wire wheel attachment and put it on an angle grinder. This will take all the rust off without removing the patina that makes it look nice. After all the rust is removed, give it a good wash with soap & water, dry it really well and then oil it with boiled linseed oil or use clean motor oil. I used 5W-30 on mine and then I give it a light wipe down after forging on it. You'll be surprised how nice it looks when you are done. Just be sure to wear safety glasses because those twisted wires fly off and go everywhere. I see you even got a nice stump to go with it. Don't laugh, I had to take 2 buddies to go roll one up in a truck that was laying on the side of the road. You have a nice starter anvil there. Like has been said, do not grind the face of it . The best advice I hear on this forum is to use it for a year before you decide to do anything like grinding or "repairing" to it. My take is that many smiths used that anvil before you to feed their families. It's seen a lot of honest work and none of the smiths that used it before you saw fit to "repair" any of the issues you may find with it. That tells me that the imperfections didn't matter a whole lot or these earlier guys would have fixed them up. You will however have to do something manly around that anvil soon to remove the effects of pink chalk
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