Hello, I am new here and I hope you can help me with a question on an anvil I recently got. It is a peter wright , 125 lb. It was pretty rusty and dirty when I got it. 

I cleaned it up. It has about a 1/8 dip in the center of the face. The rebound felt OK with the hammers, but I decided to check with the steel ball. I was getting around 80% for the most part. 

But there is about a 2-3 inch square that Is less, around 50%. Why do you think this is, A manufacture flaw, someone running a gas ax in the spot a lot. It's not a show stopper, just wondered what others thought.

Thanks

The 1/8" sway? is nothing to worry about and can be useful in straightening longer pieces. If it is a dip like a depression it might not be as useful.... 

Is the 2-3" deader rebound spot over the sweet spot on the anvil? Meaning from the step to the area under the body mass at the tail. Eh, even if so it's still usable just a little less efficient. If not no worries. Sure it could be either of your guesses as to cause. Got pictures?

Thanks for the reply. My terminology isn't always the best.  Not sure if I am doing right with the photos. I know as much about computers as I do on the working of a woman's mind.

The collar on the anvil is the dead/sluggish spot. It may be a bit bigger. I don't have this one set up for use, but I played around with different hammers today to see how it reacted. All in all pretty good. You could just notice the spot, the rebound just wasn't as sharp. If one didn't know about it, I guess it would be less. It appears to have seen use, which it should of. It will work.

Thanks again

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May be a touch of delamination radiating out from where that bight on the edge was hit. Sorry to tell you this; but it may mean your anvil only has a century or two of uselife in it before it needs to be repaired.

That anvil looks like a typical PW. A few chips, a bit of sway, some imperfection and 100 years more of work in it.

A real work horse and nothing to brag about. Just what a blacksmith can use every day.

Peter Wright stuff, be it anvils or vices were most likely always intended for the average Joe and not for the elite with the measuring stick.  

Enjoy it as it is, I have two of them and they will be good for 3 more generations of blacksmith. 

I think you'll be just fine with that anvil.  Use it and see if the rebound problem gets worse which could mean more problems under the face plate.  When you tap that spot with a hammer does it ring or buzz?  Buzzing would indicate some possible problems with delamination under the face plate.  Still quite usable and 80% rebound is good.

Looks like a good usable anvil. 

It should hold up just fine normal use. 

thanks for the help on this. Appreciated. On a side point, a guy dropped off a bunch of railway spikes. Some are old, but others appear new. Does anyone know if the metallurgy will be the same. Just curious. Thanks 

Depends on how old and how new I would think. Spark test them. 

I have RR spikes that came off my property (abandoned in the 50s N. Arkansas & MO Line ) that run from wrought iron to mild steel & medium carbon. My wife just made a steak turner out of an old wrought iron one.