American Dunn & Murcott - Damage help

[DLavallee22]

Hey guys, happy Thursday! So I’m new to this forum. Mostly a vise guy but have always been looking out for an anvil and finally stumbled across one. Was covered in dirt and rust but could tell there was a makers mark. Looked well taken care of as the face and horn are in great shape (step isn’t the best). I got it home and went to town with a wire wheel. It’s an American Dunn & Murcott made in Brooklyn NY and seems to be a pretty rare anvil! It has 130 stamped into it making it 130# and made sometime between 1899-1911. 

The more rust and dirt I took off, the more damage I seemed to find unfortunately... it has cracks all over the place! The top of the anvil is in great shape compared to the rest which I found kind of weird. Tested rebound with a ball pein which seemed to be pretty good and has a nice ring up to the hardy hole. Beyond the hardy hole, the heel has terrible rebound and has a different sound which I can’t imagine is good. Here are some pictures of what I’m talking about. I’m hoping it’s not too serious? Wanted to hear some thoughts on it and if its too far gone. I was able to snag this anvil for only $150 so I’m not too crushed but it definitely is a bummer

 

**I’m having trouble uploading pictures. Is there a trick to it that I’m missing? Or am I too new and need a certain number of posts first?

[ThomasPowers]

You need to lower the size of the pictures.

[DLavallee22]

Thank you Thomas for the help! I figured it out. I tried to show all the cracks everywhere as they are on the body, waist, and base. But the face of the anvil is in great shape

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard D, glad to have you. 

I'm not familiar with your anvil and am not one of the guys who are particularly knowledgeable so my opinion is a WAG. 

There's nothing unusual about the rebound falling off as you test out the heal or horn, the closer to the end the less. 

It appears to be cast steel, the little bit of visible wear is indicative of a hard anvil, cast iron would show real damage. 

The cracks may not really be cracks. A couple look like casting flaws almost as if they emptied the ladle and they had to refill it or change to another. That's not a great sign. 

There are a bunch of other things that look like cracks that really make me wonder. I sure wish you hadn't painted or did whatever to put that shiny black finish on it, I can't get a decent look at what counts. If they ARE cracks they could be caused by poor heat treatment, by poor I mean done badly, screwed up at the foundry. I can't imagine it being hit hard enough to cause that kind of cracking, especially without showing signs of the hit(s).  The indications I see of an interrupted pour fit with the lack of knowledge or quality control that would lead to quench cracks.

Have you used it?

Frosty The Lucky. 

[DLavallee22]

18 minutes ago, Frosty said:

It appears to be cast steel, the little bit of visible wear is indicative of a hard anvil, cast iron would show real damage. 

There are a bunch of other things that look like cracks that really make me wonder. I sure wish you hadn't painted or did whatever to put that shiny black finish on it, I can't get a decent look at what counts.

Thanks Frosty. So from my research, this anvil is wrought iron with a tool steel top welded on. The American Wrought Iron Co was founded by a former Hay Budden employee who left and started his own company down the street from Hay Budden. They were only in business from 1899-1911 so it’s not a well known anvil maker.

I figured I should have snapped pictures before putting the fluid film on it to protect it. It’s not hard to take off so give me a few days and once I have nicer weather I’ll remove it to get pictures that show everything a lot better! Thanks

[John McPherson]

Not cracks; incomplete forge welds in wrought iron. Does not detract from the function or use of the anvil. That face is in about 95% of new condition, you have a winner! (This is my jealous face that you are not seeing.)

They are common enough on old anvils, and usually show up when the anvil has been in an acid environment like wood mulch or leaf mold, or stripped in an electrolysis tank.

Everybody wants a shiny smooth anvil, but an electrolysis bath or acid etch will bring out a lot of character in any wrought object.

Heavy wire brushes on big grinders tend to smear details and small crevices, layers of paint fill them up.

[ThomasPowers]

Not to mention of course that the older the anvil the more forge welds it usually has as things like the feet, heel, horn and the face were all welded to the "body" of the anvil---and on some old ones you can tell where the body was forge welded up from chunks of wrought iron---often the bottom will show the seams of those.

[Frosty]

Well DARN, that'll teach me. I focused too much on the cracks and failed to see the forge marks. The guys were good on a power hammer, that's a darned clean forging. 

Frosty The Lucky. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I agree with everyone about the marks are not damage and should not need repairing, which usually does more harm than good. Interesting history about it because when I saw the picture my mind said Hay Budden. You have a fine anvil and it needs to be put back to work.

[ThomasPowers]

Why identifying English anvils can be so hard!  Many people learned anvil making in the  Peter Wright or Mousehole factories and so when they set up their own factory---guess what their anvils look like!