Anvils?

[shooter93]

I was given an old anvil by a customer who just had it sitting around for decoration. It was outside for quite a while. I don't know the size but it is about ALL the WEIGHT I care to carry off the truck. It isn't in real bad shape but I was wondering if anvils can be re-ground on areas like the face, table, horn etc. and if so who would you take it to who could do it? Thanks

[Tatume]

Anvils can be refaced. The one-man machine shop near me does it, but I'm not familiar with the details.

[country gent]

Anvils can be refaced to like new. Ive seen it done with a heavy medium cut file and draw filing the flat surfaces. Machine cutting one can be a bear after all the years if pounding and resulting work hardening. Dads anvil ( 150 lb) brought $800.00 still strapped down to the tree trunk His had been resurfaced once that we knew of.

[Valley-Shooter]

If you can identify the maker and if it is a big heavy one, it can be worth a lot money.
There are a lot of amuater blacksmiths, knifesmiths, and sword makers out there.

[starbits]

Don't resurface it!! All you are doing is grinding years of use off of it. An anvil has to be in really really bad shape before it can't be used by a blacksmith any more.

[abunaitoo]

I have a big one under a table.
I think it's 75# or 100#.
I would think if you resurface it, it would take off the hardened surface.
But I could be wrong.
I've always wanted to make a stand for it.
Something with wheels, so I can move it around.
Also have a vise almost the same size.........sitting under the same table.

[Petrol & Powder]

I agree with starbits, unless it is unusable; leave it as it is. And they are often worth more than you would assume.

[bob208]

we just take a 4 1/2 inch hand grinder with a sanding pad and take down the high spots on the face and horn. around here anvils are hard to come by. you are bidding against the Amish and Mennonites .

I do have a lead and deal going on a 300 lb. anvil.

never eat on cold steel on a cold anvil face. good way to crack the top plate.

[blackthorn]

If I remember correctly, resurfacing an anvil involves replating the surface with weld and regrinding. In 1988 the saw/plywood mill/plant I worked at closed. Our blacksmith shop had a huge old anvil and some tooling that no one seemed to want so I offered them $75 for it. I got it!! My oldest son likes to do some smithing so I got it with him in mind. He came down to the mill with his pickup (weighed the empty truck first) and we used a forklift to load the anvil, complete with base-block. He had the truck/anvil reweighed on the way home. The anvil weighed just under 500 pounds. Happy kid!!!

[Tatume]

Good deal! (with envy).

[Hardcast416taylor]

I watch an auction site when anvils come up for bidding. I`ve noticed that even the light (?) ones of 50 lbs. or so bring in the several hundred dollars. I have several pieces of railroad track that I have made into anvils complete with a horn. One is mounted to an oak tree stump and the other 2 are bolted to a heavy bench or mobile so I can take it to a job. My advice is to leave the anvil surface alone, or resell it as is.Robert

[Gewehr-Guy]

I would probably not do any surface grinding on the steel face, although I have seen some with areas of weld to build up the edges of the top face, where someone had chipped the corner off. While in high school I would occassionally work in Joe DeLaRonde's shop, and his anvil had some edges built up with weld, but I wouldn't try it unless absolutely necessary. The horn is generally just soft iron, and can really get abused, so I have ground on them a bit. One anvil I bought had the tip of the horn hammered flat the size of a quarter, someone must have stumbled and rammed it into their leg, then "fixed it" with a sledge!

[Jeff Michel]

I've resurfaced quite a few anvils for the local farriers over the years. You need a flat table to do accurate work, e.g. flattening a shoe. resurfacing does them no harm if the anvil itself has a hardened table. I've seen plenty of iron anvils with soft tables and they aren't much good for real work. I have one that holds my barn door in place. Unless you have thee the patience of Job, your not going to surface grind it anyway. Carbide tooling is the way to go if you have a big enough vertical mill. My BP clone can't handle the weight. I use a 24" Rockford hydraulic shaper and little teeny cuts and it still tough to clean them up. Last one I did was a 180# Hay Button, I refused him up till he offered even up in trade a 1894S Marlin in .357. It goes without saying, some anvils can be pretty pricey to replace and the only alternative is to recondition. I'd say clean it up with a wire brush, the maker's mark and the weight will likely be on the side. a "Hundred pound" anvil weights 112 pounds. They are handy to have around, you'll probably use it more than you would first think.

[shooter93]

Mixed views......smiles. I may post a couple pics of the face. I'm guessing in the 80-100 lb range and I have no doubt I will be using it some time. I don't think it is in really bad shape but I'd like to know if it is good to go or worth resurfacing. I have no intentions of selling it. Thanks for the choices so far.

[abunaitoo]

I have a small rail road track I use as a small anvil.
Works really well.

[10x]

One of the last jobs I watched my grandfather do was resurface his anvil. He forge welded a new surface on the top after draw filing it flat,
My uncle traded that anvil off for a car that did not run a few months later. My father and grandfather never forgave my uncle.
A good anvil will bounce a hammer back up when you strike it square on.

[abunaitoo]

Just saw a #100 anvil for sale on craig's list here.
Looks like an old one.
Also looks like he just painted it.
He's asking $80.
No need for one, as I have on already.

[JSH]

I was chasing a mill at an online auction. They had a England or English brand anvil I think was 125 pound. It sold for around $550-650 with buyer premium. Buddy told me that was close to new price.

[bob208]

I would by them foe that all day long. clean them up and take them over the mountain and sell them to the Amish .