This old Anvil....save it or trash it?

DonL

DonL

Well-Known Member
I had an opportunity to buy this old Anvil yesterday sight unseen as it was headed for an auction. My buddies buddy's uncle who turned out to be our old shop teacher in high school (now there's a rabbit trail to follow :) ) was taking a load of stuff off to a consignment auction that one of the auction houses holds every month. My buddy asked if they had any anvils laying around and he said as a matter of fact, he did. He called his uncle Wed. night and his uncle said he'd take $100 for it and drop it off, but I had to decide by Thurs. (yesterday) because he was taking it off.

So since my buddy already owed me $60, I jumped on it. Went down last night and picked it up and was somewhat disappointed. They had said that the anvil was in "good" shape and when I saw the face, my heart sank. The thing probably weighs in around 125 to 150lbs. The only markings I can see is a "14" on one side and on the other, I can make out a "LEY" at the top, as if it was the manufacturers name.

So, what do ya'll think? Could a machine shop true up the face and square up the edges? Is it even worth saving? Most anvils in our area bring $2 to $4 per pound even in questionable condition.

Any ideas on the maker?

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Don't be dismayed.... That anvil can be rebuilt by any good machinist. I have seen a new top plate put on one and it rang as sweet as a brand new one. If the top is worthy, maybe a good pass or two on a surface grinder could fix it.... Good luck.


Bobby
 
I'm no expert on old anvils but that one doesn't look like it has a plate welded to the body so I'm thinking that it's solid cast or forged steel. The face doesn't look that bad. No more than a little work with a hand held belt sander to spruce up the face a little. Don't worry about the edges. There looks like there's enough of a straight edge on the cutting plate of the horn if you need one. I would say that that is a real good score for $100.

Doug
 
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If I were you, I would keep it. The price of anvils is high and that one doesnt look too bad. If it were me, I would take it to my buddy and have him machine it for me.
 
According to the numbers on it is 126 pounds, if it was I, I would get it even though she is pretty beat it is still serviceable. Old Cast anvils you do not see the the stone weight chiseled in and Cast only gives you the first 2 numbers with all the cast anvils I have seen like my Vulcan 300 pound is only marked 3 0 and the numbers and name protrude from the anvil not stamped in. This appears to be a standard Wrought Iron body, I can not make out the name but if you can you can look them up.
 
It may be a Bradley or Valley anvil.
The only two manufacturers that I could find with those letters. Bradley is English and Valley is Swedish(?). I doesn't look much worse than my Peter Wright, use the booboos to your advantage.

Rudy
 
Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses. I was hoping it could be saved. I haven't started forging yet, but I've been looking for a starter anvil for some time. Now I guess I'll have to start building a bigger forge...I don't think my little paint can forge will last much longer :)
 
Yea, ain't nothing wrong with that anvil. The wear on the edges is to be expected and the dinks in the top won't hurt you one bit. The best thing you could do is to work some hot iron on it and learn about the anvil and how you work. Might find that you don't need to do anything to it.

If you do decide to "fix" the anvil, don't grind the top down! Most top plates are only around .250" thick to start with and you have no idea how much has been filed/sanded/worn away. That means you could grind right through it and into the soft main body. That's not good.

Best bet if repairs are needed is to add a new top plate, or a few passes with hard-facing rod, to build up the face.

That anvil is a great size for knife making and light blacksmithery. Enjoy it, learn on it, and keep your eyes open for a larger or "better" anvil when you decide on what you need.
 
I have an anvil that was in the same condition though it is a 75 lb anvil and after some heavy duty sanding it is now my primary anvil
 
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