comabereni Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Hello, first time post. Can anyone help identify this anvil for me? It weighs 100 pounds, has the number “56” in the heel, and appears to have a hardened steel face. Any help would be appreciated. Found it on a farm near Pocatello, Idaho. The 70’ish year old seller said his grandfather used it and that it has been in his family for what would be generations. Thanks in advance— Paul in South Jordan, Utah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 My guess is a Badger or II&B, cast iron body and steel face---DON'T GRIND or MILL on the THIN FACE! A lot like the Vulcan anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comabereni Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 Thanks, there is an anvil on eBay that appears to be the same. Seller says it may be a Badger, but isn’t certain. I’m going to clean it up, but won’t mill the face. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 WOW that orange one is way overpriced; I generally consider that type of anvil should go for much less than a forged or cast steel anvil! It was the gap in the foot under the hardy hole, combined with the swell under the hardy hole that may me think of Badger or II&B. The shallow drop from face to cutting plate is also seen in Vulcans as is the pudgy horn. The first picture seems to show a bit of casting porosity just under the cutting plate plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comabereni Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 Yes, that orange one is seriously overpriced. Mine was $160 and the kind farmer drove it down from Idaho to Salt Lake City. I cleaned it up some. I’m going to radius the corners where chipped and dress the horn a bit and probably call it good. There are railroad rail ASO’s that cost $160, so I think I did okay. Thanks for the help and the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Should get you on down the road; you might chuck a dollar in the "anvil kitty" every time you sell something and when you hit on the next good deal; be able to upgrade. Note that the top of the horn is also a thin steel plate. Dressing it might not be a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLiner Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Ya, people on KSL think that everything they sell used is made of gold and ask new prices for used items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comabereni Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 Flatliner: KSL brings out the worst in people. Or maybe it just reflects the community? IDK. People commit then no-show/ no-reply ALL the time, or show up after committing and then start dickering, and the list goes on. I recently drove an hour from South Jordan to Santaquin at 6:30AM to buy a TIG welder and the seller backed out of the sale _after_ I arrived and texted to ask if they were ready for me. Just, wow... And someone is going to be mad at me, but here’s how it turned out. I was careful to remove minimal steel with a flap disk, but couldn’t see embossing all of my work with flaws from the anvil. I figured it’s better than letting it finish rusting. I hardly touched the face at all. If the horn delaminates, I’ll probably cut it off and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I'd worry more about the horn falling off as the steel is the tough part. I didn't see anything on the face that needed cleaning, of course I only have close to 4 decades of smithing experience; but it's your anvil you can do what you want with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comabereni Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 My thinking on dressing the heavily scarred horn was that the horn on this particular anvil is heavy and has more girth than many designs, almost more of a taper than an appendage off the body. It was a gamble and I’m sure I traded some strength for aesthetics. Hopefully not too much, and I promise to report back after the anvil sees some use. Thank you, I do value advice and feedback from experienced craftsmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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