Dax Hewitt Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 Around 30 some years ago my dad and myself cleared out a workshop for the landlord when the tenant did a runner owing the rent. They bought and sold caravans and for some reason they had this Anvil. As he couldn't move it without our forklift the landlord gave us it. My dad always said he would set up a forge when he retired but never did because he died 6 months before retirement so I set one up instead. It is 36 inch long from heal to the horn tip. 14 inch high and the face is 6 inch wide and weight 205kg. I can't see any obvious line so I'm thinking it's probably cast steel, it has an 80 to 85% rebound. The 2 pritchel holes are 3/4s and the Hardy hole is 1 and 5/8ths. There are 11/4 tapered Square holes under the horn and heal. One side has a number 3 on it, the other side a S with possibly a T in front of it but that might just be a casting mark and a number 6 close to the horn. It's in very good condition other than the odd chisel mark on the face and a few on the horn. The strangest thing is the surface finish on the face, it did 30 years as a garden ornament in my mums garden so it was very rusty, I set to with a wire wheel and emery paper (I don't know much but I read on here never grind the face) and the surface finish came up more like grey cast iron than steel and its covered in micro pitting like you get on cast iron. It is definitely hardeded though. I would love it if anyone can shed a bit of light on its history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Shears Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 Dax; the hole under the heel (most certainly with others under the horn and on the bottom) are for the porter bar(s) show that your anvil was forged, very high probability (99%+) the body is wrought iron with a tool steel face. I can see what appears to be the weld line in the first picture, with the steel face being a little less than 1/2 the heel thickness. The stamped weight marks also are considered a strong indicator of a forged anvil. The feet don't have the flat ledge that usually appear on Peter Wrights. The double pritchel holes are unusual, could either be a custom order, small pattern run or a modification by a previous owner. The angle of your first picture makes it awkward to see the profile, but I'm leaning towards the possibility of it being a Wilkinson. Compare with the profile shown in this tread and decide for yourself: Wilkinson Anvil's? - Anvil Reviews by brand - I Forge Iron The stamped letters 'IS' or 'LS' pretty much stump me. There were dozens of anvil manufacturers who came into and went out of business from the mid 1800's to the 1930's. I suggest you try shining a light across (or along) both sides at a shallow angle to see if there are faint traces of other stampings before trying any more aggressive methods (i.e. wire brush, wire wheels, mild acid). I'm certain there are still other tricks/techniques that may reveal more of the markings. Hopefully there are are those with more experience and knowledge then me who'll chime in. Cheers and good luck, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dax Hewitt Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 Thanks Don, it does look very similar. I still can't see a weld line, maybe I need to put my reading glasses on. I like the chalk trick on the one in the link, I will chalk the sides tomorrow too and see if it reveals anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 One thing to look for is the crossed "hot dogs" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dax Hewitt Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 Update time, this weekend I chalked my Anvil, I lit if from multiple directions and distances. I even put my receding glasses on and I couldn't find anything. There is a faint circle about 1.5 inch diameter with what could be some letters running round the top of it but it's so far gone I can't get it to show on the photo at all. The chalk rub definitely brought out the steel top, it's about 5/8ths thick. I'm the eng I gave up and lit the fire and bashed on it until the heat of the day (28c) got too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hehr Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Hi, Dax. That's a very good looking anvil! It looks to me that one pritchel is drilled and the other is driven... if that's correct she will be almost two centuries old. Have you tried wire brushing the markings on the sides? I took things even one step further by cleaning my anvil using electrolysis... which led to an 'almost' 100% positive identification! Almost because I'm still comparing foto's on the web with the markings on my own anvil.... There is loads of info on cleaning anvils out there but be gentle: to much 'cleaning' can do serious harm to the id-markings that withstood the test of time! Good luck and please share your findings with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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