williamhesse Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 I have been hammering away on a piece of RR track for a couple of months and making some headway with learning. My home made forge is working out well but the track is a bit of a pain to work on. I have been keeping my eye out for an anvil and this one popped up. I'm an absolute beginner here. I've done a lot of searching and reading but I could use help on this anvil. I just don't have a good feeling about it. I know the steel ball test is more or less the final word on these things but it is a good distance away and I would like not to waste a trip if it is an outright loser. My first thought on it was Indian but the seller said it says "Japan" on the side away from the camera. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 It would probably be better than the RR track. Depending upon price I would consider the trip. There were a lot of anvils imported from Japan in the 70s most were servicable. I probably wouldn't pay more than $1.75-2.00 U.S. for it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Ask for a picture from above. Something looks weird with the face. It may be nothing, I'm on a tiny smart phone so I can't be sure. IDF&C above means 1.75-2.00 per pound. At least I think that is what he means. If you can get it for 2 bucks I'll give you ten for it. ;-) just kidding. Pnut I think it's just a chip on the front edge I thought the whole face was gone. It's not a problem If it's just a chip. That would make it a bargaining chip I guess If you haggle over the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 With "unknow" anvils the result of the Ball Bearing Test is the determining factor for me. 70%+ with what I am willing to pay going up with every 5% increment!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamhesse Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 Thanks for the help guys! I ended up going over there and looking at it in person. It was older than it looked in the picture, had a nice ring all over the face and the rebound was 65 to 70%. The seller came down to $200 so I went ahead and bought it. I'm sure looking forward to "warming it up".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 19 hours ago, pnut said: IDF&C above means 1.75-2.00 per pound. Exactly sorry about omitting the per pound. (head slap). I'd say ya did good at $1.81 a pound. I have an MP Farriers anvil imported from Japan in the 70s and it's been a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) I'm also using a piece of rail. The one I got was coincidentally the right height as is. A rail does have some advantages. Lots of curves and you can grind a fuller or Bick on one side of the flange and a hot cut on the other or bending forks. Keep your rail anvil handy. It's good for some jobs. There's a nice curve between the web and cap/head and web and flange. Glad to hear you got an anvil at a fair price. Use it in good health. Pnut Edited June 5, 2019 by pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 NEVER underestimate the utility of a rail anvil. If anything the steel is too high carbon and potentially easily chipped. The London Pattern is a fairly recent shape and shape is all it is. Horn and heal are special shapes, not really necessary. As my skills improved I found less and less use for the horn and the horn on my Soderfors is beautiful, a long smooth taper ending in a pencil eraser dia. point. Other than drawing out punched or slit rings I use the face. I turn scrolls rings, hooks, etc. on the face. Other than holding a bottom tool or punching through the pritchel hole I don't use the heal. Heck I have my post vise close so I rarely put a bottom tool in the hardy hole. 90% of what I do is in a 4" band across the the sweet spot. Were I to put more radius on the edges in my work zone, the ONLY thing I'd use the rest of the face for is in the step as a quick swage to start a socket. Not because I have to but it's quicker and easier. Soon as I come across about 32" of rail I'll be turning it into a demo anvil, Ala Charles' Stevens' rail anvil. Since I stopped bringing my shop forge more people have wanted to take a slash at blacksmithing, demonstrating what an anvil REALLY is will encourage even more. I have an old axle I'm going to mount vertically for the demo scene. My main advice is, "Do NOT limit yourself by needing THE tool. The ONLY limit on you in this craft is what you set for yourself." Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamhesse Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 I was doing good on my piece of rail. Learning as I go. I had feelers out for an anvil but no great search going on. What I found myself missing was the hardie hole. I was in the process of figuring out how I was going to get one on my rail. There were a good number of shapes that I wanted to try out and my vise isn't up to a heck of a lot of pounding. When this anvil popped up pretty much out of nowhere I just couldn't pass it up. -Bill- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 There's no good reason for your hardy hole to be attached to the anvil. Portable holes are becoming more popular all the time, simply a piece of sq. tubing mounted on end usually tailered to fit the bottom tool shanks and reinforce them to take a beating. Other guys weld a piece of plate on legs with a hardy hole, etc. Making it so it's the right height to match your anvil gives you a helper either to hold long work on the anvil or lets your anvil hold long work on a bottom tool. Portable holes RULE! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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