cgeweniger Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Hello all im new to the forum so any help is very appreciated. I am hoping to purchase this soderfors 125lb anvil but I am a little skeptical about the hardy holes. I have added pictures of the anvil, it looks like 4 holes may have been added at some point. Is this something to be very concerned about? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Are those other holes round like pritchel holes or square like hardy holes? Round holes don't weaken as much as square ones do. I'd say they were retrofitted for a particular task and look for evidence of drilling on the underside. I would definitely expect a cut in price for them. However the major work area---the "sweet spot" isn't near them. What is the price and WHERE is it/you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 It seems like a beautiful anvil as the sides are still rounded and possibly the original green paint. I have only seen pictures as I am planning to go see it this weekend and make my decision from there as it is a few hours from me. As for the holes the look to be square shape in the pictures. The asking price is $1000 which seems far off if it has been modified, I am located in the midwest. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 You can purchase a brand new cast steel anvil of the same weight, and possibly have it shipped to you, for less than $1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 125# anvil for US$1000; US$8 a pound seems quite high for a modified anvil even if a top brand like soderfors. You might think of buying something the Acciaio cast steel anvil to use while hunting one at a better price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Okay I will go check it out and see if I can bargain with the seller. I appreciate your help very much. I understand I could potentially buy a similar anvil brand new for around $1000 but there is something about me that is always attracted to vintage swedish steel. I will let you know if I end up purchasing the anvil. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I love my Soderfors, they are certainly high quality anvils. I also only paid about $3.50/lb for it. While $8/lb isn't unheard of nowadays, if the guy isn't willing to come down quite a ways then I would say hold out for a better deal. Don't forget to do a ring and rebound test before you buy! If someone was willing to try to cut holes in the face of it, it's not completely out of the question that they also hit it with a torch or did some other activity that might effect the temper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Well I do appreciate the help guys. The owner wasn't willing to hold it for me and sold FCFS. I guess maybe I should be more discreet of the whereabouts of my findings. I have learned a lesson here. Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a better chance of hooking up with members living within visiting distance. You know like the member who has an anvil the wife is tired of tripping over? Hmmmm? Bummer you missed out on it. I have a 125lb. Soderfors about 4 years older than the one pictured. Soderfors made whatever casting the customer was willing to pay for, so it's possible the hardies were original. Drilling and broaching out an after market hole of any kind in a Soderfors anvil is difficult and expensive. They are the devil's dream for hard tough steel. Were I bargaining I would've made a big deal about the extra hardy hole, spent time comparing SELLING (NOT asking) prices of anvils and made a shockingly low counter offer maybe around $500. WHILE telling him/er how generous I was being, offering $4/lb for a modified anvil. Then again, I've been called names and cursed at for my counter offers, if they don't chase me off I count that as a good counter offer. That's me though. Keep your eyes open, the Mid west is generally good smithing tool hunting grounds. Iforge members are quick to tip other members when a deal appears. IF they know a person is near by. (hint hint) Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Along with the extra holes, it looks like the heel was cut back, thinning it and sharpening the radius to the main body of the anvil. The heel has been seriously compromised and the price should reflect that, other wise I’d walk away. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 Okay the only bitterness in me is that I will not find a Soderfors for a long time. I have lost out on many other items and I know we have all been there before. I was going to make an offer of 500-600 depending on the way the suspect holes looked. I had not looked at the heel closely and I appreciate your observation Goods. I have only worked on a large hay budden as my learning anvil so im sure anything of good quality will suffice for now. Im getting excited as I have a big enough garage now to try and set up my own small shop. I will slowly begin to acquire my own tools as my skills/funds improve. Thanks again all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 We tell people on a regular basis that good deals on anvils tend to have a half life of hours; if you have to post it and wait for a reply most likely it will be gone---why we try to teach what you look for so you can make in instant decision. Also looking online is almost always the worst way to go about it! See the TPAAAT for ways to find anvils that are not on the open market being sold by people trying to make the most money possible off them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLiner Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I have a 125 lb soderfors, I love it. But I would of passed on this one for the price. And the extra holes. To me the first pic clearly shows a torch cut right under the back extra hole. The heel has also been modit and the strength has been compromised by the extra holes and the thinned heel. It looks like the anvil was modified to permanently hold some sort of tooling that has since been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shed Forge Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 47 minutes ago, cgeweniger said: I will slowly begin to acquire my own tools as my skills/funds improve. Welcome aboard and I hope you stick around; speaking as a beginner myself, I can say this place has been a huge help in many ways. I'm out here in the 'burbs too, whereyat? I've been very fortunate to receive a lot of steel gifts from generous friends and family over the last couple years and am always happy to pay it forward; if you need some loaners, want to make a trade, or want to dig through the hoard for a few freebies, let me know! Send me a PM and I'm sure we can work something out. -Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 6 hours ago, cgeweniger said: I guess maybe I should be more discreet of the whereabouts of my findings. I have learned a lesson here. If you are thinking any members here beat ya to it, I can bet dollars to doughnuts, at that price and modifications no one here would have considered it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 As Thomas said, "Good deals on anvils tend to have a half life of hours. You saw the anvil was available, as did everyone else, and someone else moved a little faster than you did. It happens. They made more than one Soderfors anvil, so other Soderfors anvils are out there, and will most likely come up for sale at some point. Double your efforts on TPAAAT. Spend some time looking at the Hoffman and Holland anvils to see if they will meet your needs. They are available NOW, and you can be using them within days. Other new anvils are available. The cost difference between new and used anvils, spread out over the life of the anvil, is small. It is your money to invest as you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I can NOT believe I didn't see the damage done to the heel. Don't stop looking but take the suggestions for where and how to look made above. Online you see "Vintage, antique, rare and such as descriptors for blacksmithing tools trying to puff the price as much as possible. I don't pay extra for rust. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 One of the reasons I suggest people NOT search online for anvils is that if you can find it everyone on the net can find it. Exp. Finding one talking with people IN PERSON after church can result in deals that are not so time dependent! Folks not on the net are less likely to have seen outrageous prices on very special anvils and think: If a 200# anvil signed by Henry Ford, Samuel Yellen and Thomas Edison, *with* solid Provenance; sells for US$20 a pound my 80# vulcan with no face and a broken heel must be worth $10 a pound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartW Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Thomas made a nice tutorial about how to obtain anvils; that's a good suggestion. As for not finding another soderfors; don't discount the possibility just yet. All you need is patience and make sure everybody around you knows you're looking for anvils. Once I got my first skoda anvil (extremely hard tool steel one-piece cast ) for a crate of beer, I thought i'd never get an opportunity like that every again. People commented that it was the deal of a lifetime. One year later; I have it's excact twin anvil. Three years after that; I have another high-end cast steel anvil in mint condition; and last month I was given a Ridiculously large 1908 anvil in wrought iron with a thick faceplate. This means I have 4 anvils in excellent working condition; which all together costed me 2,5 crates (24x33cl) of beer, and about one tank of fuel for the car. I honestly don't deserve this much anvil goodness, but people keep calling me to evacuate anvils which are bothering them If that can happen to me, it can happen to you too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I have noticed with other folks that after the first anvil they seem to attract others. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 22, 2021 Author Share Posted March 22, 2021 There are a few estate sales I have marked on my calendar as well as some large flea markets I hope to find somebody to bargain with. I understand the hunt via online outlets is not the best way to search for a good deal as most are trying to maximize their profits. If it is a good deal as many have said in this thread they have a short half life. I did make a trade once for a very clean truck bed camper, the cost was a case of millers finest. So I will continue to keep the word out that I'm looking, you never know what somebody has laying around, or what their wife is bugging them to get rid of Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgeweniger Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 Hey guys Im back at it and going to check this anvil out tonight. Its a little larger than what I had planned to start with but I guess thats not a bad thing. The guy says its a Trenton and weighs 280-300lbs. The only concern of mine is I cannot find any images of a Trenton with two tables. Also one of the tables on this anvil has obviously had taken a serious miss hit. The asking price is $750 so Im tempted to buy it based on size and value, im just not sure it is indeed a Trenton anvil. Any advice would be greatly appreciated like always. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shed Forge Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I would take the advice previously mentioned: ring and rebound test, etc. If it's not close to you, ask the seller to send better pictures and proof that it is a Trenton and has good rebound before driving out to see it. I am not in the market for an anvil right now as I have 2, along with other heavy steel objects that will help me move hot steel, but I do not see this listed within 100 miles of you and me on FB marketplace or craigslist (the extent of my search). There is however a 200# Hay Budden for sale in Skokie on CL, just outside the price range you mentioned earlier. Might be able to talk the seller down a bit. Basing my comparison on pictures alone, the HB already looks like a better choice. And at 200# it would be a bit easier to pick up and bring home. I know very little about anvils in general, but I am suspicious of the second step/chipping block/table too. Could be that a new plate was welded to the top; I would want to know how and WHY they did it. And of course, if it is truly a hard plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 I'd bet that the "second table" is actually where a piece of the hardened face broke loose. I would not pay top dollar for that anvil, but if the remaining steel face has good rebound and there are no buzzing sounds to indicate delamination when tapping on the face it could still have a lot of use left in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shed Forge Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Good point. Seems more likely that a chunk broke off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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