Anvil ID x 2

[G-ManBart]

I'm going to take a look at two anvils tomorrow, and thought I'd see what others think about potential makers for them are. I have my thoughts, but don't want to let that cloud what others see.

The seller says he doesn't really know anything about anvils, and just wire brushed, then painted them to keep them from rusting. I'm guessing they were inherited, or something along those lines. The first one is supposed to be between 150 and 200lbs and the other is clearly much lighter...probably under 20lbs.

Fire away with your thoughts on who might have made them. I've missed out on about four or five decent anvils in a row lately, so I'm hoping my luck has turned around

 

[Roberts210]

30 seconds of education on anvil quality:

 

[drivesitfar]

GMAN: the bigger one looks maybe like a Trenton, but not for certain. when anvils are painted bring a steel ball to bounce off them maybe 10 inches above the face and see if it bounces back up 10 inches. anything over 8 inches is a great anvil in my book. also bring a bright flashlight so you can see if there are any hidden defects under the paint.

as far as the little one it looks more like a remodeled piece of RR track, but it might be a real anvil.

good luck

 

[crguy]

The small one might be made by Enderes.

 

[leg17]

The second one sure looks like cast iron.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

That larger anvil does have some identifiable features. The way the horn angles straight up from the body to meet at a sharp point straight out from the face and the basic square sides and base shape which transition into undefined feet. (pile of shingles block view to be sure). There were several makers with some anvils that had similar features including Vulcan and American Star and it was a fairly popular pattern way back. The English had a few brands that look similar to me also...I think a better look is in order for a positive ID. Ed.

 

[Cruzan80]

Just remember not to count on the ring to identify a good anvil. Several makers made them with different pieces, welded at the factory, for a low-noise effect. Bounce-back is always the best test.

Sent from my VIVO IV using Tapatalk

 

[bluebolt]

I think the top one is a wrought iron forged anvil going by the hole halfway between the base and the top. That hole and one on the opposite end was used to turn the anvil with levers while forging from what I understand. The picture does not give enough other information.

The bottom anvil is almost certainly an Albert Lea Minnesota anvil, Likely an Enderes but it may be earlier before Enders bought the company and I think the name for that is Edwards. These anvils are small and relatively CHEAP on Ebay so don't over pay! I have a feeling that is the 9 pound anvil which only brings about $50-60 bucks.

 

[drivesitfar]

Cruzan: speaking of no ring if an anvil was in a fire which some were it could lose it's temper so definite lack of a bounce or ring.

ORC: i was going to say Vulcan maybe too, but i bet there are many anvils with that fairly common shape. if it's the weight GMan mentioned and if it checks out that would be a good size anvil for almost any shop especially if it's the only one.

BB: great post!

GMan: take a bright light, steel ball (3/4 or inch one) and maybe a brass wire or nylon brush so maybe you can see a name or cracks or repairs.

good luck

 

[G-ManBart]

Update....it came home with me, or at least what's left of it did! It has a seam at the waist as well as for the top plate, but I haven't been able to find any markings on it yet. I spent 10 minutes removing paint, and there might be a few letters in one spot, and what looks like maybe a star shape logo, but they may be nothing....will have to try the trick with flour after I get it all cleaned up.

I put it on the scale and it weighs 151lbs, has a very quiet ring when struck, but shockingly good rebound. I did the 10" drop test with a 1" ball bearing, and it was coming back up at least 8" and maybe 9". I shot a quick video showing how I barely have to move my hand to catch it.

I paid well under $1/lb and figured someone might want it as a starter for knife making where you don't need a full table, or maybe a farrier who mostly uses the horn. If not, I'll keep it around for when I need to thump something and not worry about damaging it. I'd really like to figure out who made it since it has such good rebound. Here are some pics and the short video:

 

[drivesitfar]

GMan: nice haul today at that sale with the Wilton and the big anvil. i'm concerned about the busted out side, but the rebound was definitely a plus. pretty interesting how the estate sale pics didn't show the damage on the one side and you'd have to look close for the damage on the tail.

i've seen a few of edges welded to get them square, but get some other opinions before doing so if you want to do some repairs. i'm guessing the side and rear were damaged from hitting cold steel on it or it could have been dropped.

interesting old anvil and even damaged it still could be useful. was the small ASO or anvil still there when you arrived or already gone?

thanks for taking the time to take pictures and post these.

 

[G-ManBart]

GMan: nice haul today at that sale with the Wilton and the big anvil. i'm concerned about the busted out side, but the rebound was definitely a plus. pretty interesting how the estate sale pics didn't show the damage on the one side and you'd have to look close for the damage on the tail.

i've seen a few of edges welded to get them square, but get some other opinions before doing so if you want to do some repairs. i'm guessing the side and rear were damaged from hitting cold steel on it or it could have been dropped.

interesting old anvil and even damaged it still could be useful. was the small ASO or anvil still there when you arrived or already gone?

thanks for taking the time to take pictures and post these.

Hey Drives,

Actually the anvil was separate from the Wilton. The guy with the anvil decided to keep the little one on his bench....makes sense to me! It was one of those things where he saw my WTB ad looking for an anvil, and after calling me, just sent one pic of each anvil so I don't think he was being sneaky. The funny thing is, I gave him a price after talking about all the damage and he was nice enough to go lower by $25!

I'm curious to see if anybody thinks there's a way to save more of it, but it's still better than having it go to the scrap yard, which was where it was headed before the seller got it from his cousin

 

[bluebolt]

I am 99% sure that is an American Star Anvil going by the feet and the round hole in the waist. Check out this old add. https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/31293/JPEG/read/#page/1/mode/2up

 

[G-ManBart]

I am 99% sure that is an American Star Anvil going by the feet and the round hole in the waist. Check out this old add. https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/31293/JPEG/read/#page/1/mode/2up

I did a search on American Star, and it sure looks like one. I guess I need to see if there's a hollow cavity in the base I missed (there was a bit of a depression).

When I did that search I also found a number of Fishers that were of the same shape, with the same feet/base.

I'm not sure how AS made their anvils exactly, but it does look like mine has a seam at the waist....didn't think it sounded like that would be the case when AS made them.

 

[G-ManBart]

I hit the base with a wire brush really well tonight, and there's no hole/opening that it would need to be an American Star. There is definitely a seam at the waist which would also make it almost impossible to be an AS.