Hello, I just got an Anvil it looks pretty old and has seen a good amount of use, as it doesn't have very much in the way of markings. With what's legible me and a friend can only assume it says William. The LIAM is still visible there along with what looks like 1833 underneath it, on the other side looks like a 7 but it's very hard to tell. Any help is appreciated and as it does have some wear if anyone has tips or advice on how to repair it or if I should use as is that'd be wonderful too

I'm also having trouble uploading pictures, is there some way to fix that so I can help with pictures?

You have to resize the pictures to 50% so they will upload. Without pictures it will be a guessing game to Id it. There are several threads on repairing anvils. Most folks who try do more harm than good.

Nicholas, without pics, there's not much anyone can do to help answer your questions.

We've been having a problem on IFI with picture posting.  The problem is (typically) they are too large.  Download a program called Infranview and you can easily "half-size" them and then simply drag the half-sized pic to your post...........or you can choose files from your post.

 

Oops!  IFC and I posted at the same time.

Alright, give me a little bit to resize the pics and I'll post them. That's also the reason I want to ask before I even attempt to do any repairs myself, who better to Answer than someone more experienced right?

If it says "William" on it, it is most likely a William Foster anvil.

There we go, fixed all the images if more are needed just let me know

The face certainly does not need to be repaired! It is in quite nice shape. The missing feet will likely not affect it's usefulness.

And yes, it does look like a William Foster anvil. They are wrought iron anvils, with a high carbon steel face welded on top. The hardened face is usually only 3/8"-1/2" thick, hence why grinding or milling the face is almost always a bad idea.

I agree, that is in fine shape for it's age and heritage, perfectly usable as is. Have you done a ring & rebound (ball bearing) test? That will show if it has any de-lamination of the hardened steel face. Sharp edges are a detriment to work, by causing cold shuts. All I would do is wire brush the rust and apply a coat of BLO (boiled linseed oil) to it and put it back to work. What is the weight? Here is a thread about the William Foster anvils (there are many more).

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/41467-william-foster/

 

Alright That's Awesome! This is why I always ask questions first, I did test it some with a steel ball before I bought it. Has a nice solid ring to it and a good rebound too. The low spot on the face was all I was concerned about fixing if that was even necessary

Edited April 25, 20206 yr by Nicholas

The low spot is called sway, and is common with older wrought iron anvils. It is not generally a problem, and can sometimes be beneficial.

That makes sense, Thanks for the correction of the term I used, I'm not too good with them just yet and Also thank you all for the info and help I'm not going to do any grinding on the edges of the Anvil and leave them as is. As for the Weight I don't really know for sure I have a cheap 55 pound Anvil as well and this one feels around double It's weight so if I had to guess Maybe 90 to 100 or so, I did research on the numbers on some Anvils but with this one as you can see it's very faded except for I think a 1 and possibly a 7

Edited April 25, 20206 yr by Nicholas

Looks like the markings are 1, 0, 7. These are hundredweight markings and equate to 119lbs.

Oh! it took me forever to see the 0 till after you said that. I thought those were all just dings but now I definitely see the 0 thanks!

Edited April 27, 20206 yr by Nicholas

Just the date on it with that configuration would identify it as being a William Foster as they date stamped their anvils and were working around that time, I have an 1828 one though in MUCH worse condition; got it hopefully to try refacing it in the traditional manner.