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Can this ANVIL be saved?


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I got this anvil recently and was wondering if it can be made useful again. It appears that someone really abused it badly. I would also like any information about what make it is and weight if possible. I have posted pictures of all the markings I could find. The edges on the top are just obliterated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kevin

6204.attach

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kbebout, that anvil has definetely been abused, but it can be repaired, just takes a bit of time and some grinding to finish. If I was doing it, it would take about 8 to 10 hours to do a proper job.

It is an armandhammer anvil, not sure what the 17 1/2 means. I have repaired worse, so it is doable. just expensive if you have someone else do it .

if you are a competent welder, you can do it yourself with instructions.

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Could be miles off the bat here because I can't tell just how big that anvil is physically. Anyway, the 17 1/2 could be Stones, which is an English stystem of weight still in use here today. A 'Stone' equals 14 pounds, so potentially that anvil could weigh 245lbs. From the look of the photos I wouldn't bet money on that though, just a thought

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I have seen better and worse. It is repairable and worth the time to do so. You already have it in your possesion so that money has already been spent. The next decision depending on your skills and intestinal fortitude is wether to repair it yourself or have it repaired. There are several anvil repair threads on this forum and a blueprint or two on the IForgeIron site. Either way good luck.

JWB

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It is NOT an "Arm and Hammer" anvil! It is a Vulcan anvil.

They both use the same sort of trademark but the Vulcan is a cast iron anvil with a steel face and the arm and hammer projects from the surface. The Arm and Hammer anvil has a wrought iron body with a steel face and the arm and hammer is punched into the surface.

Unfortunately the Arm and Hammer is a much nicer anvil than the Vulcan. Vulcans tend to have messed up faces as they were often purchased for schools and the faces tend to be a tad soft. If you plan to try welding on it besure you follow the pre & post heat instructions.

The numbers do not refer to stones as this was an american brand.

Put it on a bathroom scale and weigh it!

I'd suggest cleaning the face with a sanding disk---don't try for mirror smooth you just need a fairly small smooth bit over the mass of the anvil to work on and work with it a while and then decide if the risk/pay-off is great enough to go with welding on it.

Note this should be a fairly quiet anvil and so good if you have neighbors!

I can look up the details in Anvils in America if you wish. My copy is at home though.

Thomas

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Also, I just used a glass bead sandblaster to clean up the bad cracks and chipped areas. I used a grinder to grind away the cracks at the edges. I will be trying to weld it this weekend if I can get the hardfaceing wire for the welder.

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not sure hard faceingf is the way to go. But I am not sure. Seems I was reading about how hardfacing rod will work harden and get brittle and then you have new repairs to make. BUt one of the real welding folks can step in and correct me if so.

Ralph

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Perhaps I am in the minority, the voice of dissent, but I would NOT weld that anvil. I have worked on many an anvil, and none of the repaired ones faired well in the long term. Welds tend to come out or off or just wear unevenly. Attempting to heat treat an anvil face to properly harden it is hit and miss for the most part.

I am a full time blacksmith and metal sculptor and I have 6 or so workable anvils, including my first anvil with its broken heel and dinged surface. I did and still do a lot of work on an abused anvil. Sure I have almost new looking surfaces on a couple of my anvils, but you very rarely need a big perfectly flat surface, unless perhaps your sole work is knives.

If you think about it for a minute , you only need a smooth spot on the top that is the size of a hammers face , or perhaps several. You will never need to have the entire face perfectly flat. Just smooth in a few spots. Except for the spot where you hit it with the hammer, the rest of the anvil face will not leave a mark on your metal. You "should" be able to hit those spots with your hammer easily enough. If not then well...thats another rant.

BTW I have a 200lb Fisher Anvil with the cast body and welded steel face , much like the Vulcan. I love it. Its quiet, almost as lively as one of the Peter Wrights I have.

If you are repairing it strictly for cosmetic reasons, don't. If for structural then you need less repair than you think.

Oh and don't use a disc grinder or sander on the face, only on the horn. A Belt sander is the tool for the face.

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I have to agree I wouldn't 'fix' it, I regret ever welding on my HayBudden, the rebound has never been as good and the face dings more easily... Put a radius on all the chips on the edge and try to blend them into several radius's along the length of the face, they are quite handy to have. Sharp edges are for the most part over rated;-) especially for someone who is just starting out. They are just a source of stress risers, and cold shuts;-)

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Personaly I am not sure I would weld on an anvil. As a man who knows welding better than most I will tell you that I would NEVER use wire welding (gmaw)to repair structure, particularly if it will see repeated heat cycle stressing or impact. Secondly HARDFACING is for wear, not toughness. Would you use a file to pound with? IF you must, must, simply must, then use a stick and 7018, or if you are willing to pay the extra use a high mangenese and or nickle rod. Mang and Nickle make steel tough. TIG (GTAW) would do even better, small heat effected zone, better penetration, less oxidation, better control and HUGE selection of rod alloys. Even so there is always the "uneven wear" issue down the road a bit. Then too there is the pre weld and post weld heat treat which is a bear without good equipment.

Personaly I would do what I could with a belt sander, look at it and say, "man I hope I look that good at that age" LOL

Mr. Weygers tells us how to heat treat an anvil in his book "Complete Modern Blacksmith".

I have also had someone tell me that refaceing by welding on a 1/2 to 3/4 inch plate is a good option. Seems like a better idea but hmmmmmm.........

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KBEBOUT--If I was going to fix this anvil, I would find a good piece of steel and cap it. It has had the dickens beat out of it. and been ground on quite a bit. To really fix it. I don't see anyway except to cap it.

My two cents worth.

Chuck

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  • 2 years later...

I just bought a vulcan anvil with the trademark on it. It is very large, 1 foot high and 25 1/2 inches long at the top, and has the no 80 on the right side. Way too heavy for me to pick up and put on a scale. It the 80 a model no that might tell the weight?

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  • 4 months later...
  • 7 months later...

Gents,
This is my first post and just wanted to say hello and say I just got an 102 pound A & H that has had a rough life too.
This one thread had the all the answers I needed except a source for hard facing wire for the repair.
Great site!
Greycat
Tennessee

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