Wilkinson anvils?

[Eventlessbox]

Anyone have any advice on the quality of Wilkinson anvils?

[ThomasPowers]

Good English Brand; condition and thickness of the face are the controlling factors: should ring if not fastened down/caulked in place. What is the ball bearing test results?

[Eventlessbox]

Not sure as of yet. Is a three hour drive. Owner has had it for 30 years, when asked said rebound was good. I wanted to get an overall concept before I made the three hour drive. Price is in line with my areas market. And weight is 118# so within the range I was looking for(I use a 2.5# hammer) 

If not this one I have a lead on a 176# anvil. But it has no discernable markers marks.

[Chelonian]

I've had a truncated (heel broken off, stamped weight of 213Lbs) 185# Wilkinson anvil for about 5 months now, and it's a great anvil. For reference purposes, the face plate is 1/2 thick, and I don't think it's ever been milled or aggressively ground, since it still has the crowned face from the factory. I paid 125 USD for it ($0.66 per weighed pound). The largest ball bearing I have is 7/16", and that yielded a rebound of about 80%.

Hopefully some of that information is useful. Good luck!

[Eventlessbox]

Very helpful. Follow up question. How much of a difference would be noticed between a 118# and a 176# anvil assuming other factors are similar.

[Chelonian]

If you're wondering about the 58lb difference of mass beneath the hammer, I don't think there would be too much of a difference using a 2.5lb hammer, assuming you aren't doing a lot of heavy work. A local smith I know does all his work on a 70lb Fisher, and he makes a LOT of really nice stuff.

 

[ThomasPowers]

A lot depends on what you want to use it for: if you plan to do a lot of work with 1"+ square stock the heavier anvil will work better.  If you are working 1/2" and lower there will not be a lot of difference.  Note: the Older English style anvils they tend to be blockier with fat waists---and so good for heavier forging as the sweet spot is larger. OTOH if you want to do intricate lighter ornamental work;  the late 19th century early 20th century forged American anvils with long thin heels and horns are better.

Now I notice that when I'm doing a lot of forging; I am less tired after using a larger anvil than a smaller one, (and as I can trade off between 91#, 134#, 165#, 410# and 469# I have made the experiments.)

Then there is the price per pound; if one is a substantially lower pp#, I'd tend to go for it---all else equal but pp# and weight.

[Eventlessbox]

Pp# is almost identical. On just a visual/word of mouth basis the larger anvil seems to be in somewhat better condition. But thanks to extensive forum homework I know looks are a very small factor compared to actual condition.

I intend to do a lot of smaller ornamental items. Leaf hooks, pendants, hinges, gate latches. I think the blade world around where I am is supersaturated enough.

Thank you all for the feedback as that really helped me make a more informed choice. 

[ThomasPowers]

Lighter ones will be easier to move around and should do fine for the work you mention.  Blacksmiths tend to suffer terribly from anvil envy and often sink huge wads of cash in anvils way larger than they really need----not me though I got mine *cheap* (Under US$1 per # !)....now if I could only talk my friend into giving me his 750# West....

However if you can afford it and it has a better face and same pp#/bounce/ring the larger one is around the weight suggest for a professional shop anvil back in the books...Can you get a couple of pictures of it---especially the underside of the base?

[MC Hammer]

150 pounds is a good shop size, so a lot depends on what you want to do with it like others said.  I have 179 pound anvil on a huge stump and it was a pain to move in and out of my garage so the 118 pound anvil would be a lot easier to move around.  If it were me though, I'd want to invest in something closer to the 150 pound mark.