Jonas A Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 I am looking at a john powell 134# anvil from birmingham england and I cannot find any information about them. Help?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 What kind of information are you looking for? Have you checked "Anvils in America" yet? Did you search using your browsers search function like: Powell Anvil site:iforgeiron.com I posted the following several years back: I have a Powell anvil---at least Mr Postman said it was. All I could read was POWE and I was hoping it was a Powers... Mine is missing the heel but has a great hard face and a decent horn. Run the ball bearing and the ring test on it and make your call against that data! Mine is traditionally forged with a face forged welded to it and a wrought iron body. I love mine and use it for a heavy work anvil especially for my students as there is less they can do to damage it since the heel is already gone. Its around 125# as it currently stands and I paid US$40 for it at a fleamarket due to the "damage". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Welcome aboard Jonas. Have you read this yet? It will help you get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST Tips like editing your profile to show your location. We have members from over 150 countries world wide and you never know if someone is close to you to visit /lend a hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonas A Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 Hello and thanks for your reply. I was mostly just looking for opinions of them. I cannot do a bearing test because it is through ebay. I did all kinds of searches. The only thing i came up with is a reference in a response to someones elses post here on the I forge site. In the photos of it I believe I can see the forge weld line of the hard face on the body, but it is not super clear and I am asking the seller as well. Your comment that yours has decent rebound is what I was looking for. The one I am looking at clearly says 'warrented, solid wrot, some kind of deep 'P' mark, john powell, birmingham, england' - each on its own line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Mine has one of the hardest faces of all my anvils, the heel is broken off along face plate weld. (the face was made from several pieces welded side by side) and the horn shows a lot of use; but the face is still dead flat and hard and beautiful making me think it saw the same use/abuse and just shrugged it off. Of course back when they were made there was a LOT more variability as everything was done by hand and eye. Perhaps I got one at the top of the quality curve. I know I'd sell off one of my other complete anvils before I'd sell it off. (I like to put new students on it as they are unlikely to be able to do it damage worse than it already has.) I'll do a rebound test on it this weekend but won't post results till Monday. Now frankly I wouldn't buy an anvil without a rebound test. I've seen several top brand anvils that have been annealed in structure fires being sold as being in "great shape". You are basically buying a used car from a picture without checking the engine and transmission out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonas A Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 Hello, thanks again. I did purchase it and it turns out to have great rebound. It is beauty really. Needs a little TLC but I am happy. Here are some photos. 134lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Much better shape than mine! And a good chunk of wood under it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonas A Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 I would enjoy seeing a photo of yours if you found the time to take one, I like that you see treasure in a broken anvil. I am super curious about John Powell being there is no information making itself immediately available and I am going to do some genealogy research and see if anything comes up. How did your post man know that your anvil was a JP, is what I wonder? The block is a chunk of old old growth redwood. It was quarter sawn from a tree that must have been 12 ft or more in diameter judging by the curve of the rings in the end grain. It held up the corner of my wood guys mill since he was a kid. The grain is super tight for being a soft wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Richard Postman is one of the greatest living authorities on anvils and author of "Anvils in America" currently the best source of info on anvils that I know of. He saw the Pow on my anvil and knew that Powell was an english anvil maker. I my get a chance to take a picture of some of my collection of damaged anvils this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 21 hours ago, Jonas A said: Needs a little TLC The only TLC that anvil needs, to my way of thinking, is hot metal being hammered on it. That's what makes great anvils happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonas A Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 HAHA! Yes. The only TLC it got was the top wire wheeled to remove old duct tape and then a nice coat of homemade boiled lindseed oil. Hot iron was then applied. (: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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