dan26theman Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 (edited) Hello I am new to this community. I am excited about this blacksmith journey for my 8 year old son and I. Today I pulled the trigger and bought my first anvil. It is a Hay Budden and weighs about 103 lbs. I paid $300. Was this a good price? The sides are mostly rounded. Will this be a problem in the future? It does have good bounce and ring. The serial number is 158624. Does anyone know what year it is? Thank you in advance for any help you can give me. Sincerely, A Beginner Edited November 18, 2022 by Mod30 Resize photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Welcome Dan. Looks like a nice useable anvil at what would be a good price around here. If you are a true beginner, I wouldnt do anything at all to it until you have used it for awhile. Study this site and have fun. A washtub forge and my ten year old is what got me started 5 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Welcome from the Ozark mountains. AIA date range puts it at 1908 and the going price of used anvils keep going up so I think $300 US is in the range of about average for it. The rounded edges are fairly common, we have a 108 pound Hay Budden with some edge rounding and it hasn't created any problems for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 If they ring and rebound are good, I’d say you got a good deal. The only things I would do to that anvil is wire wheel the face, horn and maybe 2” down the sides. Of course, if the mushrooming on the edge is as bad as it looks, I’d probably grind that back and leave it rounded. (But that’s just me…) Welcome aboard, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I agree with Goods. In particular, I would remove the mushrooming because it is a safety hazard. You don't know how much metal is holding any of the mushroomed portion on and a piece could break off and become a projectile unexpectedly. Other than that, it is pretty much good to go. As it spalls off it could take part of the face with it. It is better to remove it in a controlled manner. $3/pound is a reasonable price these days. Some new anvils run up to $5-6/pound. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Welcome aboard Dan and Son, glad to have you. I'm in the safety camp and would grind the mushrooming off and otherwise leave her as is. The mushroomed edges are just too dangerous, a missed blow could easily send a high velocity piece of jagged steel into flesh. Consider where the face of the anvil is when you're standing at it and imagine what having a jagged little bullet hit what's right T H E R E . I don't allow mushroomed tools to be used in my shop at all, I'll retire them if they're too far gone to dress. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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