Anvil Help Please

J. Hoffman

J. Hoffman

Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
1,798
Up until this point I have just been doing stock removal, but after going to a hammer-in I've decided that sometime in the future I want to start forging. I happened upon this deal on CL and I don't know if it's a good deal. If it is a steal of deal, I'll get it now and hold it until I can start to forge, but if it's just an ok deal I'll pass on it. It's a Peter Wright 129# with all the tools, asking $325 for everything.
anvil3.jpganvil2.jpganvil1.jpgtools.jpg
 
$2.50 a pound is pretty good. Can't see the table and edges of the anvil. If they aren't beat up too bad I'd consider that a GOOD deal, especially with the tongs. I'm usually tight on funds so I hope to find deals closer to $1 a pound, but they are unlikely. Heck finding any anvils for sale are few and far between.

Drop a ball bearing on it and make sure it has good rebound. I hear sometimes anvils can have gone through a fire and lost their usefulness. It's unlikely, but you don't want a dead anvil without rebound. Can you post better pix?

If you want to buy that, you better hurry. They don't usually sit around long. I once phoned a CL anvil seller within an hour of the ad's posting and the anvil was already sold.
 
^^^ yup, you can also take your hammer and let it fall on to the anvil it should bounce like a rubber ball don't put any force behind it your Likely to get a hammer to the face :0) just relax your arm.
 
It's not a bad price, but its not a great price either. It usually depends where you are, and how common anvils in your area happen to be, and how many people buy them for unintended purposes like decoration.

I'd offer $2 per pound assuming the face is very flat. Little dents and dings don't matter, but too much dip in the face makes flattening and straightening blade sized objects difficult. From what little I can see of the pics, the working edge looks to be mostly intact, and the chips not too deep. Assuming it face is flat, it should clean up nicely with a flap disc.
 
javand said:
It's not a bad price, but its not a great price either. It usually depends where you are, and how common anvils in your area happen to be, and how many people buy them for unintended purposes like decoration.

I'd offer $2 per pound assuming the face is very flat. Little dents and dings don't matter, but too much dip in the face makes flattening and straightening blade sized objects difficult. From what little I can see of the pics, the working edge looks to be mostly intact, and the chips not too deep. Assuming it face is flat, it should clean up nicely with a flap disc.
Click to expand...
Yup, +1
 
Good advice so far. I have bought 4 anvils in the last year. Sold one last week that was 119# for $250 that was a good price for me. I usually figure anything under $2.00 a pound is good and over $2.00 is a premium and I wouldn't pay that unless it was a really clean anvil.

The tongs are likely only worth $5-$10 ea. Can't see them well. Often the tongs I see aren't useful for bladesmithing at all.

I'd offer $2.00 a pound in person with cash in hand. I talked 3-4 people down on the 4 anvils I've bought.

Rebound is the most important thing to check. Then it's the condition of the face. I don't recommend taking anything other than a wire wheel to the anvil until you've used it for awhile. Grinding an anvil face is like grinding a blade. You can take it off, but you can't put it back on.
 
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