Vancer, welcome aboard. Please fill out your header, let us know where you are in the great big world. Then go to the "Read This First" thread and read it if you have not already. 

In short, no. Rebound is not all you are looking for. You need mass to support your work. It being hollow there is no mass. Same as why we suggest turning a piece of rail track on end. It may work for small stuff but i would not work much more than 1/4" material. 

It may work as a dishing tool or maybe an anvil bridge though. Looks like it has some possibilities so i would keep it in the shop till i figured a use for it. 

And back to what i first said about your header, if we know where you are at some one close may know or even themselves have an anvil for sale, a hunk of rail track or a large piece of scrap they would be willing to part with for a 12 pack or a rack of ribs. 

Is hollow a no go, really? 
im thinking about the bridge anvils from the industrial age: the force transfers to the legs, much like this would.

 

not trying to be contradictory, im just wondering if we are understanding Mass properly in this application.

Hi Vancer, I'm trying to figure out what the material is. It looks like concrete to me. 

I wouldnt recommend hammering hot steel on concrete as it would have a high likelihood of spalling or chipping and shooting chunks off of it, possibly causing injury. There are harder rock that could work but you would be much better off with a chunk of steel. Even a sledgehammer head mounted on end. Take a look through the improvised anvil thread for more ideas. 

Good Morning,

Welcome Vancer, If you fill out your Avatar a little bit, you may be close to someone who could help you.

To answer your question, Yes it can/could be an Anvil, for something light. Not for heavy hammering though, no support mass under the face. When you have nothing, anything CAN BE an Anvil. I have a heavy Pipe Flange that I use, to Demonstrate just that. If you are Forging Fork Tines, you will want an Anvil just like your Square Tube, except with the concrete(?) removed. LOL

Neil

5 hours ago, Ridgeway Forge Studio said:

bridge anvils

I would also like to know if anyone has the knowledge to explain how bridge anvils functioned for heavy forging on railways and in oil fields if hollow anvils aren't practical. 

It is cast iron and if you look at the top you can see were the hard top  was welded.

It will work, perhaps not very long if cast- but if it gets you started and isn’t a treasured family heirloom, go for it. Cast iron isn’t very impact resistant normally, but maybe you have ductile iron.

It can work for now at least!

Good Morning Vancer,

Square Tubing has a weld down the center of one side.

I doubt very much it is 'Cast Iron', Cast Iron has been poured from a molten Soup, into a Mold. You would see a seam from the joint of the two levels of the Mold. Cast Iron is Brittle, It will break with/from hammering.

Neil

The bridges anvils i have seen are quite heavy, several hundred pounds. The middle of the face ~3" thick and upward. Also right behind the horn is a section of the face that is over the leg. So my guess would be that heavy work is done at that spot right over the leg while the middle is still thick enough to do light to moderate work. 

That piece in the pick looks like it is no more than 3/4" thick, it is not circular hollow, but square hollow, and anywhere over the "leg" has a huge radius. 

I do also believe that if that is what ya got, its what ya got and if it gets started hammering metal by all means use it. But like i said if the OP is near me i have a couple pieces of 4140 that is 2 1/2" x 6" x 3' that if he can lift one into his truck i may part with. Getting tired of moving them around my shop. That would make a much better anvil, i used one for such. Set it on a BMW transmission case and that long straight run was great for certain things.