Here's my new to me 236# Fisher anvil (was 250# before the heel was broken). I have no clue how the heel was broke, but it still has good rebound and for the price I paid for it I'm not too worried about it. 

Anyone have any idea what the raised bits on the horn are?

 

could be from welding on top of it

Don't worry about those, file them off by hand to minimise removal of steel. It could be someone's idea of keeping the anvil steady, may be a bracket welded to the horn and chained to a roof rafter. 

On thing you will need to do now is a strong steel stand and an even better anchorage particularly on the side of the missing heel.

i was thinking in bolting a lead counterbalance on the heel side but it would need to be a substantial one because it would be offset towards the center of gravity and perhaps is not worth the trouble. 

2 big bolts on each leg, linked by a bent flat bar and a heavy stand should be the go. 

The bolt lugs on the base are just cast iron, so it's no worry about seeing them snapped off. Shame to lose them, but they break off pretty easy when you torque the bolts down unevenly and such.

The bits on the horn could be anything, and I'd just take them down with a file as Marc said.  Quick work, that, and it'll be no bother down the road.

You're very lucky to have found the face in such immaculate condition.  I'd dearly love to have my Fisher's face in such great shape!  Overall, you've not lost much by losing the heel.  It's a convenient thing to have, but hardly the end of the world.  With the horn and face in such great shape, you've got a million and one things you can do with that beauty.

Or just mail her to me and don't trouble yourself!

What a beautiful starting anvil!; brush the rust off and get to pounding!  I like such "damaged" anvils as they are often sold at a heavy discount and often still in Great working shape.

(OTOH never pay mint condition prices for an anvil with major damage!)    I have a Powell missing the heel but with a beautiful face that I paid US$40 for from a farrier about 20 years ago. It's the one that stays outside my rental and hasn't walked yet.

I've got a large piece of 1/2" plate metal I'll be using as the base for it, and angle iron for the legs. Still working out the details of the design so any suggestions are welcomed.

I paid $150 for the anvil, which I feel is a pretty good price considering the condition! 

Great anvil at a great price. Even broken as it is. 

Take a look through the anvil stand thread for some ideas. 

2 hours ago, BradC said:

I've got a large piece of 1/2" plate metal I'll be using as the base for it, and angle iron for the legs. Still working out the details of the design so any suggestions are welcomed.

Check out the thread that documents the design and construction of my anvil stand. Even if you don't do precisely what I did, it may give you some good ideas.

 

Thanks for sharing, this is very helpful

@BradC, you're welcome, but there's no need to quote a previous comment unless (A) you're addressing a very specific point within a larger comment or (B) you're replying to something that's had one or more other comments posted subsequently. Excessive quoting makes threads harder to read and eats up bandwidth, especially for our members still using dial-up.

I know you're new, so if you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!!