I was gifted this Armitage anvil last weekend. The top face is pretty beat up, but I'll try using it and see how it does. Also had a hardy tool shank stuck in it that I punched out after letting it sit overnight with penetrating oil. Markings appear to me to be M&H .... Armitage.... Mouse .....1-0-16 -- so 128 lbs?

I don't have access to the Mousehole book - can anyone give me an approximate age guess?

This is the third anvil I've seen lately that has numerous center punch like holes in the sides - what job/process was being completed to leave these marks on anvils???

If the stamping reads, "M&H Armitage Mouse Hole", these anvil were made from about 1820 to 1835.

Mr. Postman records at least 12 different variations of maker marks on Mouse Hole anvils.

Generally the punch and chisel marks were made by the smith who made them, testing the hardness .

14 hours ago, tanglediver said:

If the stamping reads, "M&H Armitage Mouse Hole", these anvil were made from about 1820 to 1835.

Consider also that Mousehole started adding pritchel holes around 1830. If there's a slight bulging around the hole on the underside of the anvil, then it was punched as part of the manufacturing process; that means your anvil is roughly 1830-1835. If there is no bulging, then the anvil was probably retrofitted with a drilled pritchel hole and is probably 1820-830.

1830; the London pattern postdates 830 by many a century, Mr Hammer!

Still a good bit of useful life in that anvil if it isn't delaminating further on the faceplate. Yes, use it as is. 

I have what I believe is a mouse hole anvil, it was found in pieces and I put it back together and it is a great anvil with good ring /rebound. I have been using it for years and just discovered some markings and would like any info I can find on it. I have used many anvils and this is a good one just a little ugly'

Welcome aboard Metal 1905, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many members live within visiting distance. 

If you wipe the yellow stuff off surface it'll make stamped characters and features like  LOGO stand out. Right now it's blending everything together too much to read well. Oblique lighting when you shoot pictures will help make textures stand out better as well. That's light from a low angle to one side. Direct lighting like a flash reflect straight back and glare out details of texture. 

What's that old lady weigh? From what I can see the face looks to be in good condition with only minor chipping on the edges. Can't see the horn through the rag though. Mounting it on a birch block looks very Alaskan, it's about our only hardwood of any size.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

I'm in the north branch part of Mich, the hardy hole end was broke off and most of the horn missing, the only parts I couldn't put back on was the two missing feet. If you blow up the pictures you will see the little bit of marks, so much pitting I removed the yellow a little at a time but no luck. I can see from the pictures the stone weight (Some of it) and two or three letters, she is 178 lbs set on a bath scale.

3 hours ago, metal1905 said:

I'm in the north branch part of Mich

We won't remember this once leaving this post, hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show it. READ THIS FIRST

Will the date be on top of where it says m&h?

.and will it be the actual date or markings ?

Very few anvils are Date stamped; some American anvils have a serial number that can be correlates to a date.  What you are working with is configuration---does it have an original pritchel hole?  And what is stamped into it.

Date has very little to do with how good an anvil it is or the value of the anvil; but if you must know, buy a copy of Anvils in America and try to match the stampings to what is recorded in it. (I have a 1828 William Foster which I paid US$15 for as it was in terrible state---WF are one of the few date stamped english anvils)

Any specific markings anyone can tell me of?? I’ve got one that the only thing I can read is the word “patent” n then a round stamp..  can anyone tell me of markings it might have elsewhere that tell me what kind it is?

Welcome to IFI Jeffrey. Have you read this yet? READ THIS FIRST

Pictures of your anvil would help, also knowing where in the world you are located. Hence the suggestion to edit your profile to show location.

"Anvils in America" has over 500 pages dealing with anvils, their configuration and their stamping."Mousehole Forge" (both by Richard Postman) has over 100 pages on just those anvils.   I am in the middle of moving and cannot type in that much stuff as well as not wanting to abrogate Mr Postman's copyright---he's a nice guy and has identified several anvils for me when I saw him at Quad-State---including one missing the entire top half of the anvil and only having the weight stamp and the flats on the feet to identify it from.

ISTR that Postman's book on the Mousehole Forge has some date correlations on the exact stamping used . Unfortunately my copy is 200 miles north of my present location.

Once again, I see another Mouse Hole with the same marking as my own, dating from 1820-1835.

Nice anvil, a little wire wheel  session will have it cleaned up nicely. Congrats!

It is for sale along with my antique forge both for $1,100

Wow, either one or both of those must be 24K gold plated!! Post pictures of what you have.

Well I once sat a *MINT* NOS buffalo "RR" forge, WWII surplus, complete with all the bells and whistles go for US$1200 back in the 1990's. Never had a fire in it and stored in a warehouse since WWII. Original paint even in the bed!  I saw it at a used machinery company that had been big army surplus folks way back when.  I mentioned it on rec.crafts.metalworking (back when the net was ascii based!) and a fellow working off shore oil---in the gulf I believe; bought it and had it shipped!

Good day, new to the site and hobby, been reading about it for years. Ran across this Mouse Hole this morning. I think it is a good purchase but wanted to run it by you guys. For what I have read and watched it seems to be in really good condition. It has what I think to be good rebound. 

What is the percentage rebound when doing the ball bearing test?  You don't need to guess; it's an objective number!

That type of anvil should have a ring when tapped.  Does it?

How thick is the face plate? Any signs of grinding or welding on it?

Stamped weight is 136 pounds.

Not knowing the price and the location makes it hard to tell if it's a good purchase or not.

I have a 136# mousehole also, not as good shape as yours looks, but it works great. If the rebound is good you have an excellent anvil. Remember not to grind the face, just take a wire brush to it and give it a coat of BLO (boiled linseed oil) Check the rebound with a ball bearing dropped in front of a ruler from 10" to get % of rebound.

The face seems to be about 5/16 thick, the ring is deafening,  no grinding or welding and the belly (?) Is only about 1/16". 

I am in Virginia Beach area and paid $400 for it. 

 

I unfortunately can't find my ball bearing.

 

The scale weight is 132#

US$3 a pound.  Well within tolerance and actually on the "good deal" side of things.   Well Done!