new junk

[Camp Run Farm]

The advice about not repairing the anvil is probably the best advice.  I started getting interested in blacksmithing a year ago, I have purchased and sold a number of anvils.  Depending on the manufacturer even ones that show considerable wear can be valuable.  The internet has some good information on identifying them.  Reading the anvil auctions on Ebay can be informative and give you some information.  There seems to be an idea that $1 a pound is what an anvil should sell for, some are only worth scrap and others can go to $4 a pound or even more.  There are a lot of anvil collectors.  Through my buying and selling anvils I ended up with a great 200# Hay Budden, with a serial number and it's own cast iron base.

Ed

[Doc]

You still got that Hay Budden? You wanna sell it?

Can you find another? I am looking for an anvil in the 200+ range in good shape (not swaybacked).

The advice of not repairing it comes from not only the value as is, but there may be a reasont he smith that owned it had it the way it was. Rounded deck edges are good for notching when you don't want to make sharp edges, and radiused edges are for just what they woudl appear to be.

There is no part of an anvil that cant be used if you look at it right. If I bought I new one (upwards of 1500 for what I want), I woudl immediately have to start hitting it with an angle grinder to get the deck laid out the way I want it. If I were to pick up an oldie I would live with the way the deck was when I got it...period. 4 bucks per pound is easy if you have the right anvil and the condition is such that the buyer likes it.

Doc

[Dan_Shade]

keep an eye on ebay, Doc, some nice anvils go across on there.

[Doc]

I buy nothing blacksmith off ebay. I like to see/touch/use what I am buying before I buy it. Anvils are a personal thing for me, and going to hammerins make it possible for me to meet up with what we refer to as "anvil hunters". The events make it possible to find fire, iron, and a good anvil at a decent price close together, and using is liek a test drive per se.

I usually carry a 1/4" ball bearing with me too for rebound checking. Ebay has become a glut of junk amongst the good, and I don't like to pay shipping both ways to get my money back.

Doc

[Dan_Shade]

tell me some more about the "hammerins"

sounds like fun, I wonder if there are any within drivng distance of where I'm at.  Good anvils are hard to come by.  This one's far from a "good" one.

[Doc]

Hammer-ins are a blast. Go to anvilfire.com, or look up the blacksmiths association for your area (American Blacksmiths Society has a list for the country and beyond). There are meetings with guys in your area that you never knew existed. There are regional events, and national events. Always fun, good people, food...gotta have food, and the chance to learn something from someone who has been doing it forever.

If you get lucky they may even have an anvil shoot. Nothing like watching a 75 or slightly larger anvil go flying into the sky about 75 feet up!

There are artist blacksmiths, bladesmiths, farriers (I am sure we haev a few of those here, or someone here had a family member who was one), and the list goes on. Did you know that vice grips were invented by a blacksmith? He was trying to create a better set of tongs for forge work.....

that anvil you have may be more than you realize. Take some good pics and post them. I would like a look. the smaller ones are prized for demonstrations since they are easily moved.

Doc

[etat]

A few years ago I went to a blacksmith gathering at the Blacksmith Museum in Memphis.  They have a complete extensive historical blacksmith shop there and  full time blacksmiths who both work there and give demonstrations. The wrought iron gates there had emblems on it that was made by blacksmiths from all over.  Most of what they do full time is historical type repairs and restorations.  I spent quite a bit of time inside the shop and watching them work and talking to them.  I was amazed that they'd even let me in there.  Heck, they even let me help a little bit. Everything was heated off  of coal fired forges.  The couple of days I was there there were blacksmiths there from everywhere.  They had a BUNCH of anvils up in there, some of em great big ones, and every type of blacksmith tool probably ever made.  They also had some great big  power hammers for flattening a piece of steel out quick.  It was amazing to watch what they could do with a piece of steel, and how quick they could do it.  They also had a auction including some knives made out of home made damascus (layered) steel.  Everything sold for a LOT more than I could afford or wanted to pay. They didn't have a anvil shoot but they did have a demonstration where they melted some cast iron and poured it into molds.  There was also a demonstration where a guy made a bowl out of 1/4 inch steel plate.  You had to wear ear plugs when he was working on it, it was loud.  It takes a REALLY REALLY REALLY hot fire to melt cast iron and you could feel the heat from the crucible even standing way back from it. 

[Shotgun]

All this talk about anvils inspired me to look at the one that I have.  It belonged to my father and I use it from time to time, but guess I'll be finding out more about it now. It really seems to have a nice ring. It weights about 100 pounds and has the following lettering on the side:

PETER WRIGHT
PATENT
ENGLAND
0      3     24
ROUGH
H

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it.

Here's a pic of the inscription:

Learning lots.  Thanks for your help.

Norm

[etat]

Totally worthless but I'd be glad to pay you scrap iron prices for it, if you'll throw in the hardie.

[Dan_Shade]

I'm envious, shotgun  that anvil looks like a very nice peice

here are a few more of mine:







All I can make out is:

M & R
?M?AGE
MOUSE

these are of the broken part of the vise:







I'm hoping I can get a new threaded piece made up for the vise, it's way too nice to have to trash it.

There are more pictures in my archive, Doc, if you want high res ones of that name plate, let me know, but who knows what that'll buy us!

[etat]

Trying to relearn more of what I had forgotten.

The Mousehole Forge in Sheffield, England was the first company that made anvils as an industry. Prior to The Mousehole Forge, anvils were made by local smiths, but not as an industry.

Peter Wright worked for Mousehole Forge and left to start his own anvil making business at Dudley, England. The Mousehole anvils were welded together from several pieces. Peter Wright conceived of making anvils in two parts and obtained a patent for the process in about 1850.


Peter Wright started forging anvils somewhere around 1850, after working for the Mouse Hole Forge in Dudley. The anvils were made up of 3 parts (before this anvils consisted of 6 parts: two legs, body, horn, tail and steel plate (usually consisted of three or more pieces)). "The bottom part is formed by piling up scrap iron and welding it into a solid mass. While still hot it is placed in a die and blocked to shape. The whole of the upper part, including the horn and tail, are forged in one piece from scrap iron, the greater part of the shaping being done at the same heat at which the scrap is welded. Next the steel face is welded on, the hardie and pritched hole punched, the tail or heal squared and the horn finished to shape. The two pieces, base and upper parts are welded at the waist. This is done by jumping. The two pieces are heated in an open fire; when the welding temperature has been reached the two are placed in alignment under a steam hammer & a few blows join them together. The steam hammer is then used as a vise to hold the anvil while the edges of the weld are hammered in. The anvil is then thrown on the floor where it can easily be turned in any position or direction and finished, as far as forging goes, with hand tools. For a long time the steel faces, were welded on in sections of about 6 inches in length. Sometime after the turn of the century, the whole face was welded on in one piece, borrowed from an American blacksmith.

[Dan_Shade]

I missed a pic that shows the damage on this one:



It still rings, but I can't tell if the cap is broke or it's been welded in there, that chunk gone from the top makes me think the whole thing was chipped off, who knows. 

Thanks for the info guys, it's good stuff!  I knew a little about anvils, but i'm learning more and more

[etat]

If that anvil is as old as I think it is then the base is wrought iron.  Folks over at anvilfire can probably date it for you. Wrought iron from that era was hand made by making steel plume and folding it over and over while working out the carbon and tightening up the steel.  Modern steel came much much later after the turn of the century.  I'm 'thinking' in the 1920's or so. There is a LOT of carbon in wrought iron, that's why the old wrought iron gates and iron ware lasted so long, it's resistant to rust because of the high carbon content. Wrought iron definitely does not take very well to electric welding.  Just remember to not be beating on cold steel on that anvil and it  should be ok.

EDIT" A little bit about wrought iron.

http://www.realwroughtiron.com/wiac.asp

[Shotgun]

Thanks for the replies Charles and Dan. Appreciated all your info Charles. This is a whole new area for me.  Have been looking and have learned quite a bit.  Have in inquiry in over at anvilfire.com and am waiting to see if I get a reply. This anvil really is in good shape, and the deck is really good. Since I have the hardy as well, that adds to the pleasure of owning it. Thanks again for inspiring me guys.

Norm


smiley_blue_bounce

[mometal77]

Blacksmithing around here is very expensive like 300 for 10 hrs.  I do know there is a great school in chicago anyone know of the name? Saw it on tv once looked awesome.
bob
deming,wa

[iain]

you mean that one in Carbondale?



  iain

[iain]

a bit of reading on irony bangy stuff

http://www.topforge.co.uk/Guide%20S.htm
http://www.topforge.co.uk/Glossary.htm


iain

[mometal77]

iain
great links thanks a bunch here is another u guys might like
http://www.pacific-recycling.com/steelsize.html
dont know if it belongs here though.
bob

[iain]

Thanks for the link,but me thinks that it is just a tad spotterish for my passing tasts  ;)

good lists though, when are you lot going to join the real world, with your measurementing?



           iain