Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Hi, I need an anvil because all I have right now is just a drive shaft standing up on a log and I saw this one on craigslist. I can't get much information about it because the sellers are an old couple and the guy is not in the house right now. Anyway I think it is a mousehole and it might weight 180-200# I called a long time ago and he said it was 150$ but it would be a long drive so I'm going to have to pay the gas for my mom and dad (I'm 14). I live in Idaho and the anvil is in oregon about 3 hours drive. Any pricing tips especially ID would help out thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Well I can see that the leftmost number is a Zero and so it's under 112 pounds. If the middle number is a 2 it's between 56 and 83 pounds if it's a 3 it's between 84 and 112 pounds. The stampings look like mousehole to me as well. Decent brand in decent shape, under $3 a pound---but how much will the drive cost you? If it was near me I'd be tempted to buy it! (Of course I'd offer US$2 for it to start...) What do you plan to forge that that anvil, small as it is, would work? Around here that anvil would have been sold the first day at that price. How long is a long time ago? Remember Mouseholes were weight stamped in the CWT system: Leftmost Number x 112 + Middle Number [0-3] x 28 + Remainder pounds [0-27] Never rely on someone telling you what they *think* it weighs; many people over estimate weight by up to hundreds of pounds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Well, the drive will probably cost $100+ and I might have to save a bit because i am just saving for a car. I do know I just talked to the guys wife and she said he has a nice one that he uses and one for sale which I'm guessing is this one but she said to call at 6pm because he might be back in the house. I hope it is more than a 100# because the drive shaft anvil I have right now is 135# I bought at a machine shop down the road. I mostly plan to forge tongs, knives, maybe some decorations for my mom, but nothing over 1in. It has probably been 3-4 months so maybe he will go down in price especially because he already has another anvil. I pulled the picture up on a program and have it zoomed and is pretty obvious that it says "armitage" at the top and "hole forge" at the bottom of text. And the numbers look like 0.2.27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 So 0.2.27 =56 + 27 = 83 pounds. A good light weight for a travel anvil, light for a shop anvil. Cheap at $1.8 a pound; but with the $100 travel expense that would make it US$3 a pound. How did you find out about it? If it was posted in a public forum it may be sold already. Now how badly do you want/need an anvil that sized? Could you use it to make items to sell and so pay for it? Finally if you later decide that smithing is not your cup of tea; you should be able to get what you paid for it (including travel expense) in the current market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Craigslist, 83 pounds is not convincing yes hopefully sell knives and other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 As mentioned it would have been sold with a list of backup buyers in just a couple of hours out here! If it's not for you; stop worrying about it and go on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Yeah, I might wait a little bit and see if I sell something on etsy. (I knapp and sell obsidian knives on etsy.) (that is how I paid for all of my tools and stuff.) Are mouse hole anvils worth that much? would it be worth it to try and get this one? I have never bought an anvil before. Thanks for all of the help drms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 From what I can see it looks to be in good usable condition. Mouse holes are usually good quality. I purchased one just under 100#s as a travel anvil for smaller work and with a good base it works fine. Never know, if you convince him you are serious and going to learn and keep at it you might get a little better price. Maybe an obsidian knife as partial trade? It usually never hurts to ask or offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 At under $2 a pound it is definitely worth it in today's market. It's the extra costs that make it's cost go up. Have you explored using TPAAAT to try to find anvils that are NOT on the open market and so might be at a better price and local to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Ok, I will talk to my mom and dad to see what they think too, I don't know what tpaaat is Thomas. I mostly would need a regular anvil because the ASO I have now doesn't have a horn and it's not hard on the surface. But maybe I can convince him of a trade like das said or just go down in price like I said he hasn't sold it and it's been a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 if you were to google TPAAAT site:iforgeiron.com you could find out. (The search function built into these forums is not very good. Far better to use your browser's search function with iforgeiron as one of the search terms.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Ok I looked it up I think I'm going to talk to my neighbor and see if he has or knows of one for sale. And I'm going to talk to the guy selling the anvil tonight to see his updated price..and maybe talk him down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Talk to *everyone*! Last one I found was talking to a 92 year old lady at Church.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Ok, I called the guy and he said that it is a mouse hole anvil and it weighs 88#...HE WANTS $900 FOR IT. It was made before 1860 I think he is out of his mind on the price. He also has a 100# vulcan with a plate welded on top (looks really bad) for $175. So that is a no-go wish me luck to find another one that is closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Ayup, he's out of his mind. Unfortunately YOU asked him how old it is like that makes a bit of difference so he KNOWS old is valuable to you and the price went up. Go to a scrap yard and find yourself a piece of heavy steel. FORGET about the shape it's not important it just needs to be reasonably heavy steel. An old truck axle on end makes a superb anvil. If you find another one keep your gob shut about what excites you about anvils all talking like that does is run prices up. Rehearse in front of the mirror, learn to look unimpressed, develop a sigh that says, Drats I wasted ANOTHER trip for a rusty piece of junk anvil. People say antique or vintage to me I tell them I don't pay extra for rust and start looking for something of interest before I leave. These are looks you have to learn to adopt like a suit of clothes to be successful: negotiating, bargaining, dickering, etc. Your opponent needs to know you're a split second or one more insult from putting your wallet back in your pocket and leaving for greener pastures. Unfortunately when you're young you get snookered frequently, almost all the time actually. We all did and it's not hard not to take a kids money when he's waving it in your face jumping up and down and jibbering about what a great whatever it is. Don't sweat it we all had to learn, some folk never do and we all get caught by our enthusiasm now and then. I was so excited I spent about $10.00/lb when I bought my Soderfors and I could've gotten it for a LOT less, the guy was getting a divorce and really needed the money. I was a kid though and snookered myself. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 Yeah, frosty that is great advice I didn't ask him how old it was I was to busy trying not to laugh my face off. I was looking at NC anvils and on centaur forge there is a new one that is a 70lb "knifemakers anvil" for $310. I actually have a 135# drive shaft on end as an anvil right now It is pretty soft and there is no horn obviously so that's why I have been looking at anvils. I think if I was to spend $310 on a 70# anvil I might as well pay the extra cash for 112# calvary anvil at around $450 so I would not have to worry about the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 I hope you didn't try hard enough the seller missed you were laughing at his asking price. Horns are over rated and largely a western thing, modern Japanese sword smiths use stake anvils often at near ground level. What you need is a portable hole (PH). It's just a piece of square tubing or a hollow square channel you weld up out of bar stock. Mount it on end at a good working height on it's own stand and you're ready to rock. Need a horn? Forge one to fit your PH and . . . Swages, fullers, bending forks, what ever darned thing you need. Don't forget it's portable, unlike one stuck in the anvil. (ugh!) This means you can leave the hardy mounted and not worry about punching it while you're hammering. You can use it as a helper to hold long stock on the anvil or in the forge. You probably should put a pritchel hole or two on it too so you can hold things with a hold fast. The pritchel hole in the anvil will hold stock while you're working it in a swage on the portable holes. If you mount it on a round plate base stand it'll be easy to tip on edge and roll around or out of the way. I'd spend the money on the Cavalry anvil, that's a size range where another 42 lbs. will make a considerable difference. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 Thanks, Frosty you just gave me an idea to weld a piece of square tubing to the side of my anvil for a hardy hole. Yes, I talked to my parents and they said that I should save for the cavalry too. So hopefully I can get that soon. drms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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