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Wright Anvil??

twertsy

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I am hunting on CL this morning and found a 240 lb. anvil, purportedly made by "Peter Wright out of England." Being a newb to tool collecting, any advice on this one?
 

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OP
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twertsy

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$850 with a whole bunch of blacksmith tools. About every variation of tong you can think of, but older and some rust.
 

drivesitfar

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Twertsy: of course you know that more than just GJ members see your post and can check Craigslist in VA to see what you are seeing. that aside let me give you my 2 cents.

the back of that Peter Wright looks thicker than any I've seen or owned. while i'll be the first one to want to buy an old anvil and especially over 200 pounds i might want more information on that one. it looks like it might have had some face added on to the top so i'd want to know if it still had a rebound.

did you know that if an anvil has been in a fire that they can lose their rebound and basically be about the same as a big piece of RR track?

take a steel ball to bounce off the top to check the rebound and sound if you do get to see it in person.

here's a few pictures of a few of the Peter Wrights I've owned so maybe you can see their design. they are all 100 to 177 pounds so not quite as heavy as the one you are looking at so google to see if you can find a few in the 250 to 350 range that i think look the same as mine.

good luck,
D
 

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whyNick?

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What is the benefit of rebound when using an anvil? I have several anvil-shaped objects but no anvils, at least not yet...
 
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Davefr

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What is the benefit of rebound when using an anvil? I have several anvil-shaped objects but no anvils, at least not yet...

Good rebound means more energy goes into the object being beaten and less energy get's "absorbed" into the body of the anvil.

Also, real anvils shouldn't be used for beating cold objects. Only objects that have been heated (ie soft).
 

drivesitfar

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Nick: i'm not a blacksmith (yet) so i can't give you the technical jargen, but i'll try to answer your question. an anvil was and are made to only be used for heated up steel (or metals) to pound into a shape for a desired project and a few other reasons. hopefully a blacksmith or someone with the knowledge of the anvil's use will see this thread and your question to add their comments. or you or i or someone will google that question and find the answers.

the anvil shaped objects or a good chunk of RR track are used for cold steel pounding and more for shaping instead of changing the thickness of the metal.

good question and my knowledge of anvils has been for buying and selling to this point and i know an anvil that doesn't have any rebound isn't worth much more than a chunk of steel except for the "cool" look factor that might get a few more dollars.

another thing i learned and want to pass on as often as possible is that if you hit cold steel on an anvil you can chip off the edges and that's why so many of the old anvils have rough edges.
 

1982fxr

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Phoenix
Twertsy: of course you know that more than just GJ members see your post and can check Craigslist in VA to see what you are seeing. that aside let me give you my 2 cents.

the back of that Peter Wright looks thicker than any I've seen or owned. while i'll be the first one to want to buy an old anvil and especially over 200 pounds i might want more information on that one. it looks like it might have had some face added on to the top so i'd want to know if it still had a rebound.

did you know that if an anvil has been in a fire that they can lose their rebound and basically be about the same as a big piece of RR track?

take a steel ball to bounce off the top to check the rebound and sound if you do get to see it in person.

here's a few pictures of a few of the Peter Wrights I've owned so maybe you can see their design. they are all 100 to 177 pounds so not quite as heavy as the one you are looking at so google to see if you can find a few in the 250 to 350 range that i think look the same as mine.

good luck,
D

1st thing i noticed too. Looks odd even if a plate was added.
 

CNGsaves

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So to use an analogy . . .
. . . .
. . . . . Chipped up anvil = = = == Arc of Shame for a Drill Press !! :D
 

Ed ke6bnl

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Agua Dulce, Calif.
I have peter wright anvil only about 90 lbs. picked up for $30 has some chips on the surface. but it says Peter Wright and a date stamped on the side. can I weld up the corner chips and grind smooth??
can see it in the right side no close up

also picked up a hand operated forge blower and a post vice.
 

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Cypherian

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Black Frog

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The OP's anvil does have the flats on the feet which are common on Peter Wright anvils. Any markings on the side? The heel area looks very suspect though. My first gut reaction is that at some point in the anvil's live the heel was broken off and someone fabricated and attached replacement heel area. That's maybe why the back end looks just like a rectangular chunk of metal rather than the tapered (forged) heel on PW anvils.

It may have been a very well done repair, you won't know until you check the area with a ball bearing to look at the rebound amounts.

I have peter wright anvil only about 90 lbs. picked up for $30 has some chips on the surface. but it says Peter Wright and a date stamped on the side. can I weld up the corner chips and grind smooth??
No welding anvil faces unless you really know what you're doing with the proper rod and proper preheating of the anvil. Just taking a common welder to the edges is going to ruin the face hardness of the area around the weld.
 
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