I recently purchased this 209 pound anvil and (Has 1 3 13 markings on it, though they are fading) looking to hopefully ID a maker?

I tried to clean it up, but still didn't see anything that could be clearly defined as a maker's mark. Also can't see the underside without un-mounting it (which I plan to do because the angle steel used to mount it doesn't provide a solid mounting option), but I'm hoping the flat-top helps make a positive ID.

Thoughts?

Flats on the feet,  CWT weight stamps; I'd go with Peter Wright.  Has the face been milled down or is that one of the variants of a London Pattern? (Check with the ball bearing test please.)

The face is suspiciously flat and level with sharp edges where it's not mushroomed a bit. 

Note where the horn looks like it sticks up a bit at the horn/face interface?  My guess is milling and a destroyed anvil.  Sure hope they tested it before getting it!

22 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Note where the horn looks like it sticks up a bit at the horn/face interface?  My guess is milling and a destroyed anvil.  Sure hope they tested it before getting it!

You betcha! For the price, it was worth the potential that it was salvage-able. Seemed like a worthwhile cause at the time; seeing it in daylight has me wondering if it's worth/capable of being fixed now.

41 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

The face is suspiciously flat and level with sharp edges where it's not mushroomed a bit. 

Definitely ground down - was hoping the remaining steel was enough to salvage it.

46 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Flats on the feet,  CWT weight stamps; I'd go with Peter Wright.  Has the face been milled down or is that one of the variants of a London Pattern? (Check with the ball bearing test please.)

Tested when picked up - got a good 80% rebound on "most" of anvil (where plate remained). Significantly less when the ball was dropped on the few wrought iron pieces showing through.

Oh, dear. I hope you didn't overpay.

Well the entire hardened face plate is gone leaving only wrought iron. It Can be fixed but not inexpensively. There are many ways to do it wrong, I have heard the Robb Gunther method is a good way to go. 

You haven't put your location in your profile settings, so we can't recommend anyone near you who does anvil repair. Please do so now, and while you're at it, READ THIS FIRST!!!

Welcome to IFI!

6 minutes ago, JHCC said:

Oh, dear. I hope you didn't overpay.

Was reasonable enough that I didn't mind having a 200 lb paperweight

You must have strong winds where you live.

5 minutes ago, JHCC said:

You haven't put your location in your profile settings, so we can't recommend anyone near you who does anvil repair. Please do so now, and while you're at it, READ THIS FIRST!!!

Welcome to IFI!

Thank you, I believe I have fixed it!

Last time I was present when an anvil that had been face milled was repaired it took over 5 hours of welding by a professional welder using industrial equipment and a lot of grinding media---don't forget the preheat too!.

So not cost effective to have it done professionally.

If you can do it yourself and get a good deal on consumables you can have a good anvil but there will be substantial costs involved in the repair: electricity, rod/wire, grinding media, TIME, propane for preheat, etc...(the one I mention above was done at an ABANA affiliate "anvil repair day" a great way to get expertise at a low cost!  My 400#'r was the other anvil at that workshop. It had air arc gouges on the face after abuse by a copper mine maintenance crew. I only paid for the consumables for my anvil...)

2 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Last time I was present when an anvil that had been face milled was repaired it took over 5 hours of welding by a professional welder using industrial equipment and a lot of grinding media---don't forget the preheat too!.

So not cost effective to have it done professionally.

If you can do it yourself and get a good deal on consumables you can have a good anvil but there will be substantial costs involved in the repair: electricity, rod/wire, grinding media, TIME, propane for preheat, etc...(the one I mention above was done at an ABANA affiliate "anvil repair day" a great way to get expertise at a low cost!  My 400#'r was the other anvil at that workshop. It had air arc gouges on the face after abuse by a copper mine maintenance crew. I only paid for the consumables for my anvil...)

Good to know! I'm new to the forum and smithing as a whole, so I appreciate the ABANA affiliate advice!

Based on convos with various folks around me before purchasing this, I was lead to believe if it was ground down to just the wrought iron it could still be used for some light work - is that "fake news"?

maybe some light work on pewter or lead but be careful not to miss or you will mess it up.

 

Sure you can use it; it just won't be as good as a 200 pound chunk of steel from the scrapyard.  The hardy hole, pritchel hole and the horn will still be useful tools. I might have gone as much as US$1 a pound for it and hope to hit up another repair day some year. (Of course I have a number of good anvils in good condition already and have an allowance to spend on my vices/vises/stuff I want!)

imagine a level area of loose sand or dirt with a half inch thick layer of concrete on it

 

now imagine hitting that all day with a 14 pound sledge hammer

 

what do you think will happen?

 

this is what happens when you have a thin hard layer over soft wrought iron, your ball bearing was not enough to damage it and it still bounced.

a thin layer of hardfacing will do the same.

repairing this will cost a bit unless you only want a garden ornament

Just now, the iron dwarf said:

imagine a level area of loose sand or dirt with a half inch thick layer of concrete on it

 

now imagine hitting that all day with a 14 pound sledge hammer

 

what do you think will happen?

 

this is what happens when you have a thin hard layer over soft wrought iron, your ball bearing was not enough to damage it and it still bounced.

a thin layer of hardfacing will do the same.

repairing this will cost a bit unless you only want a garden ornament

Very good analogy! Helps make my decision to throw it up on Craigslist as a lawn ornament or something someone else can pay to repair much easier.

If I had it I'd use it for the horn and hardy hole and find a chunk of steel to use as the anvil until something better came along. 

Forge welding a new face on would be the best way to repair it.

 

Well as much trouble as they had forge welding the face on with decades of experience smithing and superb support; perhaps not the "best" way for someone starting out.

It is the best way to do it none the less.

I believe a full penetration arc weld is better given how many forge welded faces have failed over the years.

With proper heat control, and good consumables, arc welding is certainly doable. 

Yup, first thing I was told by a farrier friend when he saw pictures of my anvil was "Nice anvil, you need to take it to a machine shop to get the face milled and edges ground to sharp corners."  Thankfully, I'd been reading everything I could find on this forum about anvils and knew his advice was a death warrant for my new anvil.  I say this because it's likely the person who had it before you was given the same advice.  What a shame, but what is done is done.

I've seen an amazing number of anvils seriously damaged or with their usability destroyed by "Master" Machinists or Weldors.  I've decided that being master of a different craft does not mean you know SQUAT about blacksmithing and how anvils were/are made (I know about half a dozen ways anvils have been made just in the last 200 years...); or used.   "Practical Blacksmithing", Richardson, published over 120 *years* ago says: "For my own part I am satisfied not only that sharp edges are useless, but they are also destructive of good work. I cannot account for their existence except as a relic of a time when the principles of forging were but little understood."  Vol 1 page 111

Folks get all tied up into what they think rather than taking time to learn what is correct...so my basic take on working on a new to you anvil: "FIRST: DO NO HARM!" In 37 years of smithing I have actually seen several anvils where I would advise milling the face; I think the count is up to 3 now; vs the thousands of other used anvils I have seen.