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Help identifying my anvil


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Was the pritchel hole intentionally plugged? Or was it produced that way? What are the ball bearing test results?

It is a puzzler: fairly small, Birmingham pattern IIRC, handling holes and the base looks to have some age to it.

With no markings or provenance it may not be ascribable to a specific maker. Save  that it's an English pattern.

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Most English anvils made after 1830 have a round hole closer to the back end of the anvil's face than the square hardy hole.  This round hole is called a pritchel hole and is used as a bolster for punching---as well as other uses smiths think up.

I can see the remains? of a pritchel hole back and to the left in the picture right above this post.  In  earlier pictures;  second from the top and 5th from the top---(upside down ) I see evidence of a pritchel but it is blocked and I want to know if it was cast that way or a plug was beaten in.

The large round hole in the bottom may be the best clue as to a maker as it was a patented feature.

Less than 50 % it is either cast iron or annealed in a fire or the face is coated/patinated such that you don't get a clean test.  Does the anvil go TING or thwap when tapped with a hammer?

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My first impression from the photos is that it is cast iron.  The bottom almost "looks" forged,  maybe a bit too much.  But the sides look very porous.  Face almost looks like you can see the grain.   The plugged pritchel hole looks like the same material as the anvil.  Maybe the plug is a casting flaw if the anvil was cast iron.  The rear foot and underside of the heel both look to have casting line remaining.   Looks like a cast iron anvil beat to look forged.

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Looks to me someone tried to drill the pritchel hole. It looks like someone tried using a punch to try to spin it back out. As for if it is cast it has handling holes so that is a pretty good indicator of it being forged. As for casting lines it is possible for it to be forged in a closed die which leaves flashing that could look like casting lines.

 

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5 hours ago, BLDSMTH said:

I should have mentioned it looks like the drill bit got broken off and someone tried using a chisel to spin it out 

Sort of looks like that to me too.

BTW Welcome to IFI... have you read this yet? https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/

 

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