I found an anvil

[sherlocktk]

So I was in my father in laws barn and I found this anvil sitting in the corner. I pulled it out and here is what I found a Peter wright anvil with 1 1 24 markings which means its 164 lbs and it feels like it. I don't know anything about an anvil other than they are cool. Trying to figure out how to mount it so it looks good outside but is still useable. Was thinking a tree stump routed 1/2 inch down so it can't slide off. Will mostly be used for beating stuck items

 

[uniballer]

Dude, you ****! Very nice, oil it so it doesnt rust. Use it, it is a tool!

 

[jmm]

I have absolutely NO practical use for an anvil, but I'm incredibly envious. If I could get lucky, I'd find all kinds of applications for one (I hope the tool gods hear me).

 

[3xpendable]

Damn! That thing is cool

 

[sherlocktk]

Here is a better picture of the markings. From what I have read its between 1860 and 1910 sometime kind of neat to have something more than 100 years old still working. My father in law was just happy to have me lift it out of the way

 

[CAOS]

So I was in my father in laws barn and I found this anvil sitting in the corner. I pulled it out and here is what I found a Peter wright anvil with 1 1 24 markings which means its 168 lbs and it feels like it. I don't know anything about an old other than they are cool. Trying to figure out how to mount it so it looks good outside but is still useable. Was thinking a tree stump routed 1/2 inch down so it can't slide off. Will mostly be used for beating stuck items

Please only use that beautiful hunk of metal for beating things that are hot! Such a shame to ruin an anvil by beating on it with cold material!

 

[Zelatore]

My father in law was just happy to have me lift it out of the way

At 168 lbs, the thing weighs damn near as much as I do. I should think he'd be glad to have somebody lift it for him!

 

[zkling]

Congrats you have a very nice anvil their. Peter wrights are good anvils.

Mounting it on a stump is a good plan. I would not route it out as you plan though. Just put it on a proper height (hammer arm should be at 90°) stump. Use straps and nails to secure it. Then possibly wrap a chain around the base to deaden wringing.

As CAOS mentioned, anvils are designed to be used with a softer medium between the hammer and anvil surface. Such as a hot piece of metal to be worked. It can be used for light cold forming, but not heavy wailing. You can always spot a cold worked anvil when there are a lot of hammer dings in the top face.

If you have ever wanted to get into bladesmithing or blacksmithing now is the time.

 

[BD1]

WOW !!!!!!!!!!! Those edges look pretty awesome. Awesome. Did you remove
it for him for free ?? Such a nice son in law. Nice to help him out.

 

[Scout Driver]

Wow!!! That's a nice anvil!

Scott

 

[mofo62]

.

Awesome 1000% .congratuilations sherlocktk !!!


V!

 

[sherlocktk]

Well it's still as his house but he said I could have it if I ever wanted it. Ill make note of the beating on it with cold items as to not destroy it. I guess I can use old railroad for that. Me and the family go out there regularly so I still have options to play

 

[MPOWERD]

What would you use an anvil for today?

 

[Bearcat57]

What would you use an anvil for today?

People in the Horse shoeing trade use them all the time !!

 

[nine4gmc]

That thing is 5 lbs heavier than me, good score

 

[Mohawk Dave]

(snip)

As CAOS mentioned, anvils are designed to be used with a softer medium between the hammer and anvil surface. Such as a hot piece of metal to be worked. It can be used for light cold forming, but not heavy wailing. You can always spot a cold worked anvil when there are a lot of hammer dings in the top face.

Nice Come Up OP!

But zkling and CAOS, I have a serious ? As you are not to use an anvil to beat and wail on with cold parts, what is the proper tool to use? Just a big chunk of scrap steel from the scrap yard?

 

[firecracker]

Nice bit of detective work ! Sherlock name coming in handy tk I found one years ago very rusty and the pointy bits missing

 

[Swan]

Anvils also work well for coyote problems.

 

[zkling]

Nice Come Up OP!

But zkling and CAOS, I have a serious ? As you are not to use an anvil to beat and wail on with cold parts, what is the proper tool to use? Just a big chunk of scrap steel from the scrap yard?

Correct. True anvils are designed to provide a forming surface for the work piece. When steel is hot it is much more ductile (workable) than when it is cold. So the hot steel will be cushioning the impacts between the hammer and the anvil face. If you ever see an anvil with a bunch of small smiley faces in it. It is caused by someone hitting the anvil face with a hammer.

They can be used for light cold working, like light taps. I use mine all the time for cold working blades after heat treat. However I am barely swinging the hammer. You don't want to go and give it full blows. For one the vibration in your work piece when cold will really bother your arm.

I have to ask, what kind of cold parts do you want to wail on, and why? I personally thing the best surface to "wail" on parts is some solid wood, or maybe a softer hunk of steel. That way it minimizes damage to the parts and your ears.

 

[IngyHere]

As CAOS mentioned, anvils are designed to be used with a softer medium between the hammer and anvil surface. Such as a hot piece of metal to be worked. It can be used for light cold forming, but not heavy wailing. You can always spot a cold worked anvil when there are a lot of hammer dings in the top face.

I don't know too much about anvils, but when I got mine I bought an old Fisher because they have a hardened tool steel face bonded on top of the cast iron.

I should also say that I have an 18" chunk of giant I-beam cast by Bethlehem Steel in the early 20th century that I use for most heavy work.

And, what kind of heavy work would that be? Pounding rusted-in seals from upper A-arms on old cars, pounding out bearings, etc.

Peter Wright are among the best ones. I believe it is British made. Congrats. It seems a shame, though to use it for machine work. I'd probably sell it on Ebay for the hundreds of dollars it is worth and get something newer or possibly with a hardened surface.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

(snip)

I have to ask, what kind of cold parts do you want to wail on, and why? I personally thing the best surface to "wail" on parts is some solid wood, or maybe a softer hunk of steel. That way it minimizes damage to the parts and your ears.

(snip)

I should also say that I have an 18" chunk of giant I-beam cast by Bethlehem Steel in the early 20th century that I use for most heavy work.

And, what kind of heavy work would that be? Pounding rusted-in seals from upper A-arms on old cars, pounding out bearings, etc.

As far as wailing on stuff, just things around the ranch and property. Everything from old tractor parts to fences to old car parts. I like the idea of a big chunk of giant I-Beam. I have a perfect place for that set up outside the shop.

I'm still on the look out for a good anvil, but I will be on the look out for a chunk of beam as well. Thanks guys!

 

[BLJ]

did you weigh the anvil to coem up with the 168#'s? the way i undersand it is tha the old english anvlis were measured in hundred weights. the first number being hundreds, the second number being tens, the last number being singles. in pounds. reading the side of your anvil would put it at 134#'s. the first 1 meanign 100#, the second being 1x10# equalling 10# more, and the 24 equalling 24#. 100+10+24= 134#.

i have an old peter wright with 1 0 8 on the side. equal to 108#'s.

this is what i came up with from an internet search. i have never weighed my anvil so i could be wrong, just maybe something to look into. nice anvil

 

[Cryptic1911]

the number calculations vary online from site to site.. some use the short hundredweight - 100lbs, and some use the long hundredweight-112lbs

 

[RatchetMan]

That's a heck of a find. An anvil like that would go for $3/lb in my neck of the woods. For some reason, there are lots of people collecting anvils now so that has driven the prices way up.

 

[srmofo]

Thats thing looks mint, nice find. One of these days Ill find one at a decent price

 

[BreeStephany]

I mounted my anvil to a 12"x16" solid maple beam that I cut to length so the face of the anvil was at the same height at my arm extended 90 degrees from my body. A hardwood stump could work for this purpose as long as the wood is dry, otherwise you will likely get very large cracks in the block from it drying around the anvil and it will likely not dry with a truly flat top or bottom, which will cause your anvil to wobble slightly when it is getting struck.

To mount the anvil, I simply routed out the base pattern of the anvil roughly 3/4" deep and then used an ever so slightly angled thin inlay as a shim between the cutout and the actual base of the anvil. If I remember correctly, I cut the pattern an 1/8" wider than the base all the way around and then made a shim strip that was just under an 1/8" at the bottom and just over an 1/8" at the top.

So far I have never had any issues with it and it seems to work well for my occasional metal work, though I have had others complain that it is too heavy to move it about in the work shop due to the overall size of the block.

 

[ZRX61]

did you weigh the anvil to coem up with the 168#'s? the way i undersand it is tha the old english anvlis were measured in hundred weights. the first number being hundreds, the second number being tens, the last number being singles. in pounds. reading the side of your anvil would put it at 134#'s. the first 1 meanign 100#, the second being 1x10# equalling 10# more, and the 24 equalling 24#. 100+10+24= 134#.

i have an old peter wright with 1 0 8 on the side. equal to 108#'s.

this is what i came up with from an internet search. i have never weighed my anvil so i could be wrong, just maybe something to look into. nice anvil

The way I was told (back in the UK) is that the first 1 = 1cwt (112lb), the 2nd 1 = 1/2 cwt (56lb) & the last numbers are lbs (24lb).. so that's 192lb.

 

[BLJ]

The way I was told (back in the UK) is that the first 1 = 1cwt (112lb), the 2nd 1 = 1/2 cwt (56lb) & the last numbers are lbs (24lb).. so that's 192lb.

i just put mine on the bath room scales and it came out to 118.6#. this being said, your weights are closer than mine. my anvil says 108 on the side. 1=112, 0=0, 8=8. close to 120# on cheap scales. thanks fro clarifying.

 

[Cryptic1911]

Here's a calculator to do it right http://www.anvilfire.com/article.php?bodyName=/FAQs/anvil_calc.htm

 

[sherlocktk]

What I read was:

Hundredweight =112 lbs.
Second position is 1/4 of hundredweight.
Third position is straight Lbs.

This matches with the above calculator, and is 4 lbs less than my original estimate of 168. I somehow screwed up the math.

My un-scientific by lifting a bunch of 90 lb concrete bags says this seems to weight less than 2 bags (180) lbs but not much. Next time I am out there Ill see if i can find a scale I can use for this purpose.

 

[Dave455]

Anvils are seriously useful. I was given one a few years back and use it all the time now. Almost any hammering job is better done on the anvil than the bench, even if it's just bashing over some rivets or somesuch! Got an 18 inch slice of tree trunk from a sawmill and mounted it on that! Used a few blacksmiths nails to hold it in position, but probably needn't have bothered!

 

[BLJ]

Here's a calculator to do it right http://www.anvilfire.com/article.php?bodyName=/FAQs/anvil_calc.htm

i'll break the bad news to my wife about the bathroom scales then.

 

[Coleman]

I'm so sad I didn't find it. Awesome pick!

 

[hippie2cams]

I got an anvil yesterday finally! I have been looking for quite sometime. I have traveled some miles looking and not finding the ONE. Well I got IT. right in my neighborhood,I was talking to my neighbor across the street and just happen to mention that I was looking for an anvil, and he told me about another neighbor that had one that belonged to his Dad. Well I went by to see if he might possibly sell it and lo and behold he said yes and I said YES to a 100$ price. I am not sure what the brand is because I'm just starting on the clean-up But It looks like it say hay budden on one side and I looked up under the horn on the base and serial # was A17532 . On the lower half on the side where the name is there is a .260 I don't know what this is but it is very prominent. Do I have what I think I do.

 

[Larch]

That is Awesome!!!! You totally ****!! I have been looking for an anvil for years. Even ones that are beat to ****, with divots out of them are running three hundred bucks! My search continues. Like others have said, keep it oiled and have fun using it. Or just looking at it, it is a beauty!