anvil?

Re: anvil?

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>Last I knew anvil where going for at least $1 per pound, but it may be more now. Any sign of a makers mark on it?

Looks good to me, no breaks, top looks to be in pretty decent shape, the "steps" look to be in good order, etc, etc. Coarse, Todd H. would be the one to know afterall he is a knowledgeable and practicing Blacksmith.

Todd O.

Re: anvil?

Todd Hughes

>Hard to tell to much from the photo but I would rate it as a good to Very Good condition anvil. Not perfect but top looks flat and edges ain't to bad. Horn has been dulled which you see a good bit.Don't know if you can make out the name or if it is even marked but sort of looks like a Hay budden to me,[guessing]. In any case appears to be a well made anvil made in the late 1800s into the 1900's. Don't know the weight which canb affect the price of course but if it goes 125 lb. I thnk anything under $150 would be a very good deal, and under $175 not to bad. Even $200 wouldn't be an on the moon price.I don't sell anvils anymore because I think they are one of the best investments in the old tool world and I think they will really keep rising in price. Since you can stack them up they are easy to store and as they say..."don't eat much"....Todd

Re: anvil?

Tom Cooney

>Hi Ernie,

Looks aside one of the major performance checks for an anvil is bounce. The bounce of the hammer off the anvil that is. When struck a good anvil will produce a clear tone with no hollow or thudding over tones and the hammer will bounce back upwards. On a dud anvil quite a bit of the force of the blow is absorbed and the hammer blow feels flat - and your arm will feel flat too after a short while. The historical society where I donate time as a blacksmith has two anvils. The older thrashed looking anvil from the early 19th century has excellent bounce and is a joy to work. The newer mid 19th century anvil looks better but is impossible to work with.

Hope this helps.

Re: anvil?

Ernie Miller Topeka

>The auction is 60 miles away and I won't have a chance to look at it in person and will be bidding on line there are no bids yet and doubt it will bring $25. there are alot of strange things up this week and will probably bring home more than I should.

Less than $50?Buy it!!

Bob Hackett

>I`ll send you the cash and you can feel free to use it as a footstool till I pass thru on my way out to Utah.

MB

Nice one

David Barnett

>Todd H. may be right with his guess. It's a little lower in profile than my Trenton and more graceful aft. You won't go wrong buying any anvil in good condition. You'll find plenty of uses. I finally broke down and smoothed and polished the top and horn for cold forging, mostly to flatten ingots for my rolling mill. So shiny now it hurts my eyes. I might have to rust blue it or something.

HIJACK: Will an anvil be damaged

Bob Hutchins in central Texas

>if left in the weather? The next door neighbor where I used to live had an anvil welded to some pipe and suck in the ground. He also had a pipe vise done the same way. They were painted but remained out in all weather.

I'm goin' back to Canton this weekend and I've seen anvils there and would like to have one but have no room to keep one inside.

TIA

BobH

Re: HIJACK: Will an anvil be damaged

Bob Hackett

>Any anvil is made of material that will rust.

Better anvils(the kind real blacksmiths use) are made of iron with a(usually hard) steel face.If you allow that steel face to corrode to the point that it breaks thru or separates then the anvil is shot.

One other thing to think about,any marks,pits,dings,etc on either the face of your hammer or the anvil will be imprinted again and again into your work every time you hit it.If you`re doing rough work then it may not be a big thing.If you take pride in your work then it will drive you nuts.

How long can you plane with that nicked iron before you can`t stand it anymore?

There is always a place for something as useful as an anvil inside the shop.If you keep it where you can see it then you`ll be surprised how much you use it.Once you start using it you`ll clean it and keep it clean and ding free,as it should be.

Better to store the TS,jointer or that rack of routers outside and keep the anvil under cover where it belongs.

Glad I could put things in proper perspective for you.Don`t you feel better now?

Mainely,Bob

Re: HIJACK: Will an anvil be damaged

Bob Hutchins in central Texas

>Thanks, Bob!

I always thought that weather would damage one. Guess I'll have to wait cause there just ain't ANY room in my 6x8 'shop'.

BobH