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I Forge Iron

Father in law-Ex military needs help learning value of anvil.


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As you may imagine the  price of anvils differs quite a lot over the 100+ countries participating here on the World Wide Web. Shoot even here in the USA the price may differ by a couple of dollars a pound based on location.  Where is it at?

It is not a standard brand. It looks to be cast. No pritchel hole, no hardy hole.  Cast steel, it may still be a good anvil, cast iron and it's not!

Does it have a clear loud ring if tapped with a hammer?

If possible can you take a ball bearing ball (around 1/2" to an inch in diameter) and drop it next to a ruler and calculate the rebound height. Here in America we usually drop it from the 10" mark so that the bounce automatically reads as a percentage.  (Why dropping and not throwing is important!) If it's 70% then it's an OK anvil, 80% a good anvil 85%+ a great *using* anvil no matter who made it!

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Whether fabricated or manufactured if it has a good rebound and ring (some good anvils are quieter than others) it is still a good, usable anvil and probably worth $2-5/pound.  The fact that it does not have a hardie (square) or pritchel (round) holes will detract from its value.  Also, since the top of the horn is flat means that it is not as functional as a fully round horn.  If the buyer is an experienced smith he or she would probably offer in the lower end of the range because of the mentioned drawbacks while a newcomer may be willing to offer more.

Unfortunately, if it has poor rebound and ring it is more of an "anvil shaped object" and is more suitable as an anchor or door stop.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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