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Help ID this anvil


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I see no evidence of a hardened face plate, which should be visible in a different texture on the face, and a demarcation line inside the hardy hole or at the heel. That is not a weld line, it is a casting seam, and a poor one at that.

You sir, have a classic ASO. Not a real anvil.

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3 hours ago, John McPherson said:

I see no evidence of a hardened face plate, which should be visible in a different texture on the face, and a demarcation line inside the hardy hole or at the heel. That is not a weld line, it is a casting seam, and a poor one at that.

Not saying the anvil here in question here is a Soderfors, but Soderfors are some of the best makes of anvils out there and many of them meet your description you mentioned. 

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It's located in the pacific northwest. It is not an ASO, it has a hardened plate and has outstanding rebound & ring, I've used cheapy modern day anvils and this one blows them out of the water with sound and rebound. I high lighted a picture where you can see the strike plate joinery. 

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Mm ... In previous photos the face plate seemed obvious, on this one not so much. i don't know. Inconclusive I say.

Yet if you say good ring and rebound, then that's what it is. it seems it has not seen much work, and the damage on the face is more from corrosion than hammers. 

Just use it and hit hot steel on it. Time will tell. Best of luck ! :)

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Am I imagining a vague letter or two on the side? Looks almost like a C and H. Have you tried a chalk dusting?

I'm no anvil expert but it looks like it would do all you ask of it. It needs work!

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I would be happy to be proven wrong. Polish one inch of that transition area and do a mild acid etch: vinegar will work. If there is an abrupt change in grain structure, then you are indeed lucky.

In twenty years of looking at anvils, I have never found an totally unmarked casting that was actually made with a steel face plate. Maybe you lucked upon a Swedish anvil with no visible makers mark. Maybe a real craftsman at a small foundry turned out great work after hours.

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So a little backstory, So the company I work for has been around for 70+ years give or take a decade. We used to be mostly a salvage company. We had 5 acres + shop space. Idk about 30 years ago we got a hold of a truck (like a 20-foot shipping container) Full of anvils. They're all sold and gone a long long time ago But this one has been in the back of my shop since I've worked there someone set it aside for shop use. But before they did that it sat in the yard for 20 years getting weathered.  I'll take some different pictures maybe grab the wire wheel. 

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