Anvil Repair... Ideas?

[Brad54]

I was at an antique shop today, and they had a busted anvil there... One of them they had was labeled as 108 pounds, and this one is much bigger, so I'm guessing it's a 150-180 pounder.

The last 3 inches of the horn is broken off and missing.
The right front foot/corner is also broken off, and still with it.
Both breaks look OLD. They've got the same patina as the anvil's surfaces, and there are no sharp edges or textures in the breaks.
The work surface and hardy-hole area isn't abused too badly... it's actually in pretty decent shape.

The price is only $50, which is why I'm thinking about it.
The 108 pounder is is EXCELLENT shape... it looks almost brand new, actually... but it's $350. They have another big one, military issue, that's got some wear to it, but it's priced at $450. That one is the same size as this busted one.

So I'm wondering what your thoughts are... I'm thinking it might be possible to build up the horn with welding rod, grind and shape it. I'm also thinking the corner could be ground, deeply V'd and welded back on.

One of the biggest problems I see is trying to pre-heat the anvil prior to welding: I've read they should be pre-heated to 350-400 degrees, and can be done with a propane weed burner or even a wood fire... I'd have to get the thing pre-heated outside my shop, and then transport it into my shop and to my welding table.

Or, I can run my heavy extension cord out to the fire pit, flip it over and weld it right there on the ground.

So what are your thoughts? The reality is I will probably never be able to afford an anvil that's in decent shape... or more likely won't come off my wallet for one!
But $50, and the experience of doing it is very, very tempting.

thoughts?

-Brad

 

[rsanter]

Can you use it as is?
Do you really need the sharper end of the horn?

Bob

 

[5lima30]

I would just dress any sharp edges where it broke with an angle grinder and call it good. JMHO.

 

[91bronc300]

For fifty bucks I would definitely buy it. I would leave the horn broken and would probably only try and fix the foot if the anvil isn't stable when you use it.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

I agree with all the above suggestions.

Not all anvils were cast with horns; there are plenty of uses for anvils without a horn. Don't try to repair the horn. You will eventually stumble across another anvil -- perhaps smaller -- that has the size and shape of the horn section that is missing. Instead, just clean up and smooth off the broken area so that it, too, becomes a working surface.

 

[RCStocker]

You can tell if it were broken and had a horn.
There are anvils everywhere you look. Messing with broken junk only makes you spend money on worthless ****. The horn is what you use for forming. It will make a good boat anchor. If you spend more you will always get your money back and the price of them has gone up through the years. Prices have come town but they are still good. Don't buy it or loose sleep over it. Find a nice one

 

[kiatech]

You don't even have the horn to weld on there right?

 

[Shipfittin]

You don't even have the horn to weld on there right?

I think what the OP is getting at is clad welding to create a horn. I would have to see it to really give an opinion on whether it's worth it or not.

 

[pop pop]

I've learned this rule working with old cars. You buy the nicest one you can. It is almost always cheaper in the long run. "Fixer uppers" always wind up costing more than the one you passed on because of the price.

 

[Brad54]

I think what the OP is getting at is clad welding to create a horn. I would have to see it to really give an opinion on whether it's worth it or not.

Yeah, for the horn, that's what I'm thinking. There's about 3 inches of it left, and probably 3-3.5 inches of the taper missing.

I've never priced welding rods... what's a couple boxes cost? $50? $100?

For $50, even if I did NOTHING, it'd almost be worth scrap price! Well, not really, but it'd bump up the weight of my next load.

What's the cost of a couple boxes of welding rod?

I think I'm going to do it, if for no other reason than it'll be a good learning experience. For $50, the cost of rods and a long Saturday, and then grinding, I think it'd be worth the effort. To find another that size, it's going to cost upwards of $350... I could spend a couple hundred bucks and find a better anvil, or I could spend less and play with tools and fire for a weekend.

I'll go up and shoot some pics of it tomorrow and post them up.

-Brad

 

[SGKent]

why not get a hold of someone who forges for a living and ask an opinion how to repair it right. Richard Furrer was on PBS Nova recently forging a Viking sword.

[email protected]
920-824-5755
Door County Forgeworks
3179 May Road
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

 

[Outlawmws]

It depends on what you intend using it for, but saying "its junk" when you haven't seen it and don't know the use the potential buyer will put it to is just plain ignorant ranting.


If most, if not all your anvil use is flat forming and edge work, then the horn has minimal value anyway. Some anvils were made without horns. So much for the missing horn issue.

If you do need a horn, its isn't that damn difficult to make a new one grind it and the anvil so you have a deep "V" nearly to the center, and then spend an hour welding after you get that horn area and replacement piece red hot. don't stop until you are done. it will be hot dirty work but is doable. Oh yeah, slow cool it...

The foot piece is an easy repair and was probably done by dropping it off a truck onto concrete. same process as above, but no need to grind to the core; maybe 3/8's to 1/2" deep.


For 50 bucks I'd buy that 150+pound anvil in a red hot minute. That being said, Don't be bashful about making an offer - Say $35, point out the missing horn section and see what they say.

 

[Brad54]

It depends on what you intend using it for, but saying "its junk" when you haven't seen it and don't know the use the potential buyer will put it to is just plain ignorant ranting.


If most, if not all your anvil use is flat forming and edge work, then the horn has minimal value anyway. Some anvils were made without horns. So much for the missing horn issue.

If you do need a horn, its isn't that damn difficult to make a new one grind it and the anvil so you have a deep "V" nearly to the center, and then spend an hour welding after you get that horn area and replacement piece red hot. don't stop until you are done. it will be hot dirty work but is doable. Oh yeah, slow cool it...

The foot piece is an easy repair and was probably done by dropping it off a truck onto concrete. same process as above, but no need to grind to the core; maybe 3/8's to 1/2" deep.


For 50 bucks I'd buy that 150+pound anvil in a red hot minute. That being said, Don't be bashful about making an offer - Say $35, point out the missing horn section and see what they say.

I do a little bit of metal forming and repair work in the shop... probably more than i give myself credit for, truthfully. I've got a hunk of rail road rail that I've used forever.. but it just doesn't have the mass I've wanted in the past, and it's not flat enough on the one hand, and it's not curved enough on the other.

I was going to start at $25 tomorrow morning and see what they say. After thinking about it today, I think it's worth $50... and the repair process you described is exactly what I was thinking. Build a wood and charcoal fire near the shop, heat it up to 450, flip it over and start welding.

I'll make a simple angle-iron jig to square up and hold that busted off foot.
The act of welding on it should help keep it up to temp. I'll probably do the foot repair first, then throw it in the coals again for a while (if the temp pen says it needs more heat) and then build up the horn. I'll make a simple wire frame to judge the shape of the horn so I have an idea of how much weld to put where. There's no sense in creating a cylinder and grinding it into a cone shape.

Once I'm done welding, I'll more than likely throw it back on the coals, cover it with fresh charcoal and let it slow-cool in the pit over night.

If it works, I'm a hero. If it doesn't, I've got a door stop and some valuable experience.

I'll use it simply for sheetmetal shaping and occaisionally hammering and bending flat stock--plate, strap, etc. It's not like I'll be blacksmithing on it daily.

-Brad

 

[Exceller8]

For $50 buy it and figure it out later. Such a great deal!

 

[EDGAR]

Below see a video on Youtube were an anvil missing a part of a horn was fixed. They don't show the actual fixing but it shows that it can be fixed.

 

[Bret888]

Buy it, there are lots of guys that would love to find a $50 anvil in that condition, to use. I think your plan for preheat, and long slow cooling is a good one. As these guys already said, the flat top plate is likely going to get 95% of the work, and if to need to do small curves, get a (or make) bick horn to put in the hardy hole.

Remember not to do heavy cold work on it. They are made for hot work, and cold beating is how top plates get cracked.

 

[Brad54]

Well, I bought it today. They knocked 10-percent off (which seems to be standard at antique malls), so it was $48 after tax.

I will be shocked if it's less than 150 pounds.

I haven't picked it up yet from the place yet... I'll need to schedule that with my son. It's freakin' heavy, and it's going to be... "unpleasant" to load the thing into his truck, and unload it here.

The foot/corner definitely needs to be repaired--it's unstable without it. Fortunately the broken corner was still with it. I'm looking forward to this learning process.

For $48 and the cost of welding rod, a couple bags of charcoal and a day, it should be time and effort well-spent, regardless of the outcome.

-Brad