Can anyone  tell me the approximate  rockwell hardness of a 1922 350 lb soderfors anvil ? 

More likely to get a ball bearing test result here.

Welcome aboard Mike, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the gang live within visiting distance.

Have you tried a new single cut file on it? Just draw it across the face it should skate or almost. Soderfors anvils run around rc 60 + 2-4.

Does she have a model name? It'd be the opposite the side with Soderfors cast proud. I have a 125 lb. Soderfors, Sorceress #5 born in 1923. Best anvil I've ever used. I can only fantasize about owning one as large as yours. Mine will do anything I ask but it gets a little jittery jumpy doing heavy work. 350 lbs. would be a SWEET shop anvil.

Is she LOUD? Mine was brutally loud under a missed strike till I put her on a steel anvil stand.

Please post some pictures, we LOVE pictures and I'd be happy to use your's as pinups.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks Frosty I purchased the anvil about 18 months ago but have only just set her up in my new shop. I'm a farriery so most of the work is light work but what a difference compared to my cast iron BK anvil which is about 350 lbs also. The soderfors anvil is a far superior anvil . I will do the ballbearing test and post some pics of her asap.

Mike, congrats on your anvil.. Pics for sure???    Out of curiosity, Why the question about hardness? 

I bet it's because this is the first time he's worked on a really deeply hard anvil. The efficiency is astounding. I still remember the first time I used mine.

Frosty The Lucky.

Yes frosty you are right .  I have a 70 lb cliff carol  cast iron anvil I use daily. My work shop anvil was a BK cast iron anvil before that a old wrought iron forged  anvil. I made some shoes on the  söderfors  anvil and I was amazed at the difference . I did the ball bearing test  today 100% rebound. I was just curious how hard the anvil was in compassion to the Kohlswa forged anvil. I'm having trouble posting pictures not very good with computers. As soon as I sort it out I will post them. cheers from Australia Mike.

 

 

Gorgeous. 

Wow, a huge Congrats..  Very Envious..  

Yep, that's a lovely anvil. I can see Frosty drooling.

(P.S. Well, not quite 100% rebound, Mike; unless you have perpetual motion! I reckon my Kohlswa comes back at about 95%)

Interesting looking shop too. Could you post more pics?

Yes I agree . I video it then played it back freezing the frames, but I think as  the bearing bounced it moved closer to the camera which probably made it look higher.

Frosty isnt the only one.. drooling that is..

95% is fairly common for Swedish steel anvils. Not that you would expect anything less from the worlds greatest anvils. 

Be kind to the edges!

Ooooooooo...... It is stamped "Danemora". Me like.

My Soderfors:

A beat up 88 Pounder (but nice!) &

A 157# 1906. So fine.

Robert Taylor

I could never work out what it said thanks

 

screen shots of ball bearing test from 10"  2

 

Hey, no further comment from Frosty yet! He's probably too busy pinning up those photos.

I'm surprised at the interest and kind replies about the anvil. This is the first time I have ever posted anything on a forum.

Its easy to be nice to a guy with a giant soderfors.  At least for most of us. JHCC probably wants to kill you in you sleep from anvil envy.

Only if it were that size of Mousehole. 

Easy John, your envy  is showing. Don't worry though, those of us who own a Soderfors anvil are used to it. 

That's a beautiful anvil Mike though I can't open the screen shots you posted. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

That is a very nice looking anvil.

My 1928 168lb Soderfors has amazing rebound.  I filmed it in slow motion and I would say it is at least 95% rebound if not more.
 

 

I will have to do the test again. The results I'm getting are defying the laws of physics, hence  the screen shots, 95%+/- is the figure everybody quoting so assume this anvil is the same. But at the end of the day it's irrelevant all you have to do is work on it and you can feel the difference. At the moment I haven't got my shop set up, I just put the anvil, vice and stump in and sat my old gas fire on top of the coal forge. I need to make a flue for the coal  fire, it's good enough for now to work machine made shoes and shoe a few horses that I have come to me. I hope to have it all finished by the end of the year as next year I plane to work mainly from home shoeing and up skill in general blacksmithing . I have just picked up a 9 ton screw fly press which I have been fixing up. I have no experience with using one, I'm  looking foreword to playing with it.