Anvil question

W

WHS III

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Aug 30, 2013
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I just bought a Southern Cresent 60 lb. anvil made about 1920. The top is mostly flat but has what looks like chisel marks covering a good portion of it. My question is, should I take the angle grinder to it to try and take the marks out? Or, should I use it as is? Is it possible to weld a 1/4 inch plate of steel to the top for a new surface? If so, what type of steel is best to use? Here are a couple pictures of the anvil. Any input on this subject would be appreciated.

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I'm no expert, but I have heard good things about using hard facing rod to resurface an anvil. Grinding may remove too much of the hardened section, and welding a hardened plate to the top will ruin the hardening. Heat treating something with the mass of an anvil is difficult without industrial equipment.
 
Those chisel marks are a real shame.

The proper thing to do would have been to use the chisel on that shoulder or make a plate that fits into the hardy hole and use that plate for the chisel.


Fixing it now ?
maybe not worth it.
It's $50 for five pounds of hardface rod, and that may not do it.

If it was a 500 pound anvil, maybe you could spend time and $ to better it.

It's possible to hardface weld it and then grind it down, but hard facing rod is expensive and you can probably get a better anvil for that price.





The hard top plate looks pretty thick.
I'd be empted to mill or grind that top down.
Maybe you won't get every mark out, but you could improve it.
 
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Maybe just fill the marks with the hardface rod? Better than nothing but the surrounding areas will be softened.
 
I would have the face milled by a friend with a big mill, or a machine shop. You only need to shave .100" total off to make the face much better. This will leave it dead flat and should take out 90% of the marks. It appears that there is a good .500" of steel still on the top, so you won't harm anything by shaving off a tenth of an inch on such a small anvil. Have them make one pass along each side with a side mill to trim the edges crisp while it is on the mill. Don't worry about the cutting shelf or the bick ( horn). They can be left as is.
 
First-----------

Kick back and relax.

Second-------

Take a flap disk to the faceplate. Use smooth even strokes to cover the entire face. Overlap those strokes.

Third---------

Forge on it.

------------

That anvil is in fine shape, though the chisel marks are unfortunate. But, they aren't going to bother 90% of the forging that you do on it. Remember, you only use the part of the anvil that's directly under your hammer, so if you have chisel marks around the hardy and pritchell, what do they hurt?

Furthermore, the scale from forging is an abrasive and will work quickly to smooth those bumps.

I'll bet that she doesn't look nearly as bad after you hit it with a 120-grit flap disc or belt sander.

Hardfacing is an option, but it's an expensive option. You'll need to pre-heat the anvil and slowly cool it down. Lots of electricity being burned to do all that, too.
 
I'll make a trip to HD tomorrow and get a flap disk for the angle grinder. Now I need a forge............ ( Chille Forge Tobasco )

I have discovered Peddinghaus anvils............oooooohhhhaaaaaaaaaa............

Heeeeeeelp !
 
I've flattened anvils with an angle grinder and hand held belt sander. It takes time and
some $ in abrasives, and getting it flat is iffy......
I'd suggest taking it to a shop that grinds heads,
It'll cost a bit, but will be flat..!
 
If you mill it, you have to be sure to mill the base first and then flip it over to mill the face. This insures that the face is parallel to the base. Otherwise, you could very easily cut through the face.

That anvil doesn't look to have more than .25" of plate left on top. The line on the side is a casting line, not the actual top plate. If you look at the corner of the anvil, you can see a faint separation line between the two types of metal. Tread lightly.

Remember, you don't need a dead-flat, blemish-free anvil face. A flap disk won't bite deep enough to damage the anvil unless you park it in one spot, but it will knock off the crud and take off a hair. I'd forge on it as-is and let the scale work as my abrasive while I'm moving metal.
 
WHS III said:
I'll make a trip to HD tomorrow and get a flap disk for the angle grinder. Now I need a forge............ ( Chille Forge Tobasco )

I have discovered Peddinghaus anvils............oooooohhhhaaaaaaaaaa............

Heeeeeeelp !
Click to expand...

While you're looking, Nimba anvils are nice too.
 
Here it is after some work on the top with a flap wheel. It is flater now and I got out some of the smaller dings. All of the edges are rounded, not a square edge anywhere. The top is a very thin plate, I don't think there is enough material to have it milled flat. Well.... at least it is shiney now. I believe this is an ASO. This is what happens when you don't do reseach before spending your money ;)
I'm going to try and use it as is and see what happens. Thanks guys for the advise.

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Nothing wrong with that anvil, hoss! She's looking good all shined up like that.

Sharp corners are not something that you really need, and they can be quite a hindrance. If you do need a sharp edge for a particular motion, it's small potatoes to make a block that offers you a range of known radii.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/34514-an-anvil-block/

ASO? Naw! Southern Crescent is good stuff, and as long as you have good rebound, you'll be working iron. 60lb is kind of light, but if you fasten it heavy stump she'll work well. The key is removing all the wobble so the anvil doesn't dance under the hammer's blow.
 
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