Dug this out of my barn, Any help to find out its age. 

Thanks

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 20206 yr by Mod30
Resize large pgotos.

Some history on were the anvil came from. Grate Grandfather 

That is fantastic! Family heritage is always intriguing.

Any evidence of what looks like a serial number?

I'm a complete newb here so what end or were would I need to clean to find this. 

Usually on the front of the foot underneath the horn. I don't remember if the German Trenton's had them though. I can check "Anvils in America" tonight.

I have cleaned the base with a wire brush and the only markings I can find are pictured, as you can tell it was well used. My son and i would like the start forging small knifes with it hopefully.  

Remember, while it's ok to wire brush the face of an anvil; any grinding or milling on it is considered extreme abuse!  Pounding hot steel on it will polish the face after the loose rust if brushed off.

Thank you, no grinding or filing will be done. The rust is all very light, surface only. looking forward to the 3rd and 4th generation to pound on it. 

So did some more clean-up with a wire brush. did not find any new markings, but it does have a nice black look now.

I did a lot of research on the web could not find any information or pics of the Germany stamping on the front?  Any ideas?

Also have not found anything leading to it's age. late 1800's to early 1900's ??

Is your local public library able to ILL a copy of "Anvils in America" by Richard Postman?  If so you will find it contains pretty much all the known info on Trentons currently available.

 

I'll check at our local library.  and thanks again for all in help you have been providing. 

Should I try to address the top edges as the have a bit of roll? If so how? All I plan on using it for is knife making.

Try using it as-is for a while, see what gets in your way. Super crisp edges can be problematic.

That's a good looking piece to be sure.

Sharp edges will definitely be a problem for knifemaking as they create cold shuts in the material as it's forged.  If you need a sharper edge for a specific task it's easy to make a tool for the hardy hole that has the edge needed. (In fact with a bit of care you can make a tool that has 4 different edge geometries and can be placed in the hardy hole so that the one needed is to hand.)

I have a 139 year old book that states that anyone thinking they should have sharp edges on their anvil just doesn't understand how blacksmithing works.  PLEASE  DON'T mess with your anvil's face until you understand how blacksmithing works! 

Thank You both advice taken.

First sorry for all the questions.  So after hours of reading I would like to be sure it will be safe to use this Anvil. here are some close up pics of the damage to the face sides. If i need to address this so I don't get chips flying off please let me know, and yes I fully under stand what every stated about filing/grinding on the face. if its not safe to use I will go to plan B get one safe to use. I also found a few old 2lb. hammers in the barn that cleaned up well.

 

 

Edited February 8, 20206 yr by Mod30
Resize large photos.

Just work around the chips for now; the chances of creating new ones are pretty slim. 

Nice pair of hammers. Those will serve you well.

Personally, I feel that if a piece looks likely to spall off if hit, it needs to go. Your bottom anvil pic, dead center, looks questionable- does it show cracking around the piece in question? 

The pieces that aren't actively cracking, just sitting there pitted, are unlikely to do you harm. They may be a bit unsightly, but can be worked around. An edge hardy can get you some crisp edges to use. 

The big takeaway from the no-grind advise is that when you grind it, you remove useful life, especially from a hard-plate style. If you grind the finite amount of hard steel, you can't easily get it back- and unless the proper method is used, it will never be the same if you try! 

The flip side of that is that if a part is completely useless or dangerous, the only real purpose in it staying is for nostalgia sake. Spalling pieces come to mind. 

 

My PW that I use has edges that aren't exactly crisp. I only ground on one part of one edge, to clean up a bit of mushrooming. Outside of that maybe 1.5" long section, I am leaving it alone till I have some real time on it. 

 

The short story- if it is cracking/spalling, remove it or stop using it. If not, leave it alone and use it. 

Advice taken, maybe a few months before I start doing anything. My son and I are getting set up for a 2 day starter blacksmiths class in N.Ga. Still need to find or make a small forge and get some safety gear together.

One issue that's see fairly often is when folks have tried to repair an anvil edge without knowing how to do it right:  So they welded on the edge, often with a soft Ni rod without preheating the anvil and get mushrooming edges AND cracking in the HAZ that ends up in making things worse.