Bee Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Hi there, I’m looking at some local anvils for my husband who is just getting started with forging. I literally know nothing but I’m looking locally for a good beginner anvil. Is this a good one? Mostly concerned about the quality of it as I have no idea what I’m looking at. Any help is appreciated! It looks to be about 130 pounds from the picture in the scale and is marked Williams Foster 1832. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 I’m no expert on William foster anvils but I do have one and comparing the two it looks like that one is missing the heel and the hardy hole it might have broke off long ago and been ground back clean agin but I don’t know if it’s made that way either. But I’m sure someone else on here with more experience can give you better information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Looks like it may be missing some of the heel and the pritchel hole though at that time if may or may not have had a pritchel hole. The projection on the side indicates that it was a coachmaker's anvil as it was for forging clips to go around the wooden pieces of a coach. It looks like a good starter anvil; *if* the face has not been ground down or softened in a fire. We usually test this by dropping a large ball bearing on the face from 10" and seeing how far it bounces back; anything over 7" is good and 8+ inches is GREAT. Note that the face needs to be clean for this to work so a wire brush comes in handy. Tapping it with a ballpeen hammer can give you some idea of bounce too and that anvil should have a ring when tapped. (No ring indicated a hidden flaw.) The big decider is the price; we usually talk about price per pound with US$2 considered CHEAP and US$6+ expensive for a used anvil and outrageous if it has been damaged by fire, grinder or milling machine! Note the date doesn't increase the price as anvils "wear like iron" and so an anvil is not considered to get a age bonus until they get back into the 1700's. I have an 1828 William foster I still use at times. It was severely abused and very cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 If the price is OK I'd go for it. A beginner isn't going to be doing anything that demands a larger anvil and, assuming it has good rebound, it would be a good starter. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 If you can get it for around $250-$300 and it passes the ring test, I would snap it up. Of course that would also depend upon where in the world you are located. Anvil prices vary greatly depend on location. This may help you in choosing an anvil. BTW... Welcome to IFI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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