I need help to identify maker or any information I can of a recent anvil I have purchased.

[tubeblue]

Hello. I am new to smithing and have recently purchased what appears to be a very old anvil. I have posted photos of the anvil and am hoping more knowledgeable people can help with information about where the anvil was made, if it is worth repairing and or any information that someone may have of this anvil. It is a small anvil at 80 lbs. and looks as though it was refaced at one time as the Pritchard hole can be seen underneath but not on the face. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Mod30
Resize photos

[ThomasPowers]

The pritchel hole, (looks punched), generally puts it as later than 1830; so not a "very old anvil" just an old anvil. Country of location is often a big help; (If you were looking at used cars in Russia, a Lada would be a better guess than a Ford and vice versa if you were in the USA.)

It's definitely been used a lot for tasks beyond it's size, hence the swale and face plate damage.

I'd guess: English first half of 19th century.  There were over 200 known English anvil makers in the 19th century; often making anvils that look similar; so without any stamping on the sides there is no way to exactly identify it---even if it was identical with another anvil that has readable stamps there is no guarantee that it was made by the same maker and not by someone who learned under them and then went out and started their own anvil making business in competition!

It will make a decent starting anvil. Depending on what you want to make; keep looking for another one cheap in better shape as  having an anvil seems to decoy others to show up around it.

[tubeblue]

Hi, Thank you for your reply. So maybe a 19th century. Do you feel it had been refaced sometime because the pritchel hole is covered?

[ThomasPowers]

Can't tell without looking at it to see how the pritchel was blocked.  Refacing was a service offered by some anvil manufacturers in the 19th century; bit I would have expected them to clear the pritchel just as they did the hardy hole.  I'd check for signs of two layers of face in the delamination area.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I would guess that sometime in the distant past a new face was welded on, due to the piece that is missing and the relatively thin plate.

[tubeblue]

So I think (probably my first mistake) I will weld to the face to build it up and grind it flat . Then use it for my future knife making projects :>)

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

If you don't know how to weld an anvil, you will do more harm than good. This is the only correct way to repair an anvil by welding.

Robb Gunther and Karl Schuler's Anvil Repair Process - Anvils, Swage Blocks, and Mandrels - I Forge Iron

[FlatLiner]

I would just use it as is. But keep my eyes open for a better one at a good deal. But that's just me.

[ThomasPowers]

Check to see how far the delamination goes by tapping and listening.