So I went over to see my grandfather for his 91st bday, and the topic of casting/blacksmithing came up.  Up till now I only cast and melt metal, but the convo went something like:

 

poppop: yes I see you're getting better at casting

me: yeah haha I'm pretty addicted to the fire and furnace now

poppop: do you have an anvil

me:  Uh no they're pretty expensive and hard to find

poppop: well I have one if you want it it's 150 pounds

me: wat. 

 

I'm GUESSING it's a Mankel based on the fact the only writing/stamp I can make out says "Man-"something, but if anyone else has any idea I'd appreciate it

 

I've been using my furnace as a makeshift forge until I get a real one.  I love this xxxx, I'm already addicted.  I'm ambidextrous, mainly left handed but mostly ambidextrous, so I switch hands when one gets tired.  Both are numb after I went to Harbor Freight and picked up some pein hammers and a 2 lb flat hammer.  

"Manufactured" most likely, not Mankel (I think they only make forges, but could be wrong).  

A great score indeed. Hope you have read about not doing any grinding, milling or welding on the hardened steel face. A wire wheel on an angle grinder will clean it up nicely without any damage and may reveal more markings. Look on the front feet under the horn for markings like a serial number or weight. A picture of the underside of the base may give a hint to the manufacture. Have you done a ring & rebound test? It looks a lot like a Hay Budden to me. If I'm not mistaken they have Manufactured with Brooklyn NY under that.

Oh absolutely, I gave it a brush off with the wire brush but I am absolutely not touching it with anything else for now, the top is polishing nicely because I have an old gun barrel I've been pounding on all day (DANG this is a hard metal) but no, I will do some testing too!

I'll go along with Irondragon about the Hay Budden possibility. They will have a hourglass shaped depression the bottom, and serial number on the front of the foot under the horn.If you can find that, we can tell you when she was born. "Score"indeed! Congrats on being able to use a tool with family history. What did your GF use it for?

I'm called 'Poppop too, and would love to pass something like that down to my GS or GDs.

Steve

I'll pile on the HB guess; top notch brand of anvils.   It's been interesting how many of my students have turned up anvils in their family once they started asking about them!

3 hours ago, Stash said:

I'll go along with Irondragon about the Hay Budden possibility. They will have a hourglass shaped depression the bottom, and serial number on the front of the foot under the horn.If you can find that, we can tell you when she was born. "Score"indeed! Congrats on being able to use a tool with family history. What did your GF use it for?

I'm called 'Poppop too, and would love to pass something like that down to my GS or GDs.

Steve

Steve, there is indeed an hourglass shaped depression on the bottom and a number, "8 2" stamped underneath the horn!

 

Wow, good call!  So I guess this is actually a Hay-Budden, then?  Poppop was a cabinetmaker by trade, but he was also a handyman and that kind of guy who could do or make almost anything.  I asked him what he did with it and he said something like "banging on metal", lol

"Banging on metal" is basically what I do too. There should be a few more numbers for the serial number- I forget- maybe 6 total +/-. It took a few years before I figured mine out. I wire brushed but couldn't see anything. Then later (much later) I shifted the anvil a bit for a better angle, and the sun caught it at an oblique angle, and there it was. Mine was born in 1906. Dusting it with chalk or flour sometimes helps, or use a flashlight from different angles. There are certain construction details that can help narrow things down to a general range of dates. I will have to look it up.

Steve

Hay Budden it is. Nice one too.

Best part is remembering where it came from. Congrats.

George