Peddinghaus anvil - cleaning and testing

loneronin

Active Member
after a very long search a few days ago, precisely on April 16, 2020, I found this anvil on an online ad and purchased it without seeing it in person. I think the photos are very clear. it is a North German anvil of one-piece forged steel weighing 52kg (115lbs). this style includes a round horn and a square thong, a round hole and a square hole both above the base. this guarantees superior stability compared to holes placed on the tail and therefore outside the base of the anvil like in the London pattern. its measures are: total length from horn to thong 56cm (22inchs), width 11cm (4inchs), height 22cm (9inchs). it has no punchs but I believe it is a Peddinghaus due to the fact the square hole is beveled which is a characteristic of the anvils of that foundry and on the hardie cutter there is a clear "gear logo". nowadays Peddinghaus no longer makes anvils of that size but only 35kg (77lbs), 75kg (165lbs) and 125kg (276lbs). the one I purchased was certainly dirty and slightly rusty probably due to very limited use. the upper face is in fact in excellent condition, the edges do not show fractures or evident signs of hammering or other damages. in addition to the anvil there is a practically new cutting hardie tool, a round tool that I do not know how to use, a big hammer and a 60cm (24inchs) diameter by 65cm (26inchs) height wooden log with a couple of brachets to hang the tools. I think the previous owner does not know the value of this object in fact he put it on sale at a price of 200€ and with a minimum of bargaining I was able to bring him down to 125€ or 2.50€/kg when currently the official prices without any accessories or strain for the 35kg model is 765$ (22$/kg), for the 75kg one it is 1,425$ (19$/kg) and for the 125kg model it is 2,130$ (17$/kg). The previous owner told me that it belonged to his grandfather who use it for hobby, like I will. I cleaned it up well trying to preserve its oxide surface patina and I will have to secure it to the stump safely. I also tested it with a steel ball which I dropped by 1 meter. I got an average rebound of 91-92cm. I am very satisfied with my new toy and I am sure it will be a great pleasure to forge on an anvil of this level with horns and holes for accessories for someone like me used to forge on a simple block of iron!


WhatsApp Image 2020-04-16 at 12.05.19 bum_800x600.jpeg
 
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Great find. Good anvils are hard to come by and when they do come at a premium.
yes, as I wrote it was a few years I was looking for something like that, and I would have been satisfied also with a lower quality one.
 
Looks like you got a couple of hardies as well.
The cutter is a hardie and I know how to use it but the other one has a stem too small to keep it fixed in the hardie hole. and I don't know how to use it...
 
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The cutter is a hardie and I know how to use it but the other one has a stem too small to keep it fixed in the hardie hole. and I don't know how to use it...
Great anvil. Rigid and Peddinghaus are the same now. On your smaller hardy tool you can fix it in a post vise for use. I normally use all my hardy tools in a post vise. It may have originally been made to use as a stake type tool in a stump. That anvil will serve you well. The edges look good from the pictures so it may have been lightly used.
 
Great anvil. Rigid and Peddinghaus are the same now. On your smaller hardy tool you can fix it in a post vise for use. I normally use all my hardy tools in a post vise. It may have originally been made to use as a stake type tool in a stump. That anvil will serve you well. The edges look good from the pictures so it may have been lightly used.

yes, if I will understand how to use the little hardie I can clamp it in my post vise.
 
Without better pictures it looks like a forming stake, you could use it to dish out a piece, kind of like a a ball peen hammer, instead of laying the steel on an anvil and hitting it with a sledge, you would lay the steel on that hardy and hit it with a hammer.
 
Without better pictures it looks like a forming stake, you could use it to dish out a piece, kind of like a a ball peen hammer, instead of laying the steel on an anvil and hitting it with a sledge, you would lay the steel on that hardy and hit it with a hammer.

ok, I'll take better pictures and post them here
 
as promised I have a couple of pictures of the anvil and hardies
 

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Nice anvil
I have one and just love it, Mine is 75KG or 165 lbs. It just works well and it really moves steel.
 
The cutter is a hardie and I know how to use it but the other one has a stem too small to keep it fixed in the hardie hole. and I don't know how to use it...

I see that it's got a squared stem, but does it fit in the pritchel (round) hole?
 
I see that it's got a squared stem, but does it fit in the pritchel (round) hole?
well, fit... it is smaller than the pritchel hole so can be inserted there but it can turn and has some play all around. as suggested by
Chris the best option could be to use it in the post vise or make ad adaptor for the hardie hole
 
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