It never ends.Īs for the parts you got for the hardy hole (the square hole), I warn you, don't leave the sharp wedge in the hole when you walk away from the anvil. A helper with a 4-lb sledge for some heavy hammering doesn't hurt either. The chain is what most of the smiths I know have used for ring, since the magnets will eventually lose their magnetism due to vibration. I have an old ~120-150lb Fisher which I can drop a steel ball on from 16' and catch without moving my hand. A 'live' anvil will bounce the ball up to as much as 90% of it's drop height. You can take a large steel ball (I use a 1') and drop it from ~12-18' above the anvil. I had to have my shoulder rebuild a few years ago (it has a lot of years on it) and I can no longer use my blacksmith shop for anything but small projects but I still enjoy playing with all this old stuff.Īs an alternative to testing an anvil face with a direct hammer strike (which, as mentioned, is considered bad for the anvil and can damage it): One day as your shoulders get older you may want a power hammer. Then you will need swage blocks, large and small conical manderels. If you get hooked on this you will be spending your free time looking for all the tools that fit in that square hole on the top of the anvil plus hammers, tongs, etc,etc. Learn how to use it correctly! Like most tools there is a correct and a wrong way to use it. Make a good heavy stand for it and try to keep the vibration down by wrapping a length of chain around the bottom. If your anvil is in as good of shape as it looks in the pictures it would sell for about $800 out here on the west coast and could go for $1000! They are not making many of these any more! ( you can still buy a new european double horn ) Google 'Blacksmith' and you will find several blacksmith groups that you can join or just get more information. The edges on most anvils you find are badly damaged due to being struck with a hammer or?. PLEASE do not grind on it! The top and edges can be repaired if damaged by using the correct hard facing but this is quite envolved if done correctly Try not to strike the anvil directly with your hammer. Your anvil is a late model (1929) and looks to be cast steel. Mudflap, That is a real find! I collected these some time ago and would have been lucky to find an anvil of that size in that shape.

Anvil identification marks