Thread: Alls Well that Anv-ells?

So, picked up a decent anvil today. It was only a 40 minute drive, so I went and looked, and was really pleased by the rebound and "ping" so I decided to make the buy. At 300 I felt it was a little high, but not outrageously so.

Top plate is fairly flat and smooth, but it does show some "rough around the edges"

Tell me oh forge masters... is there anything I can, or should, do to the edges?

Is it like a mushroom top on a chisel where I want to grind it down a little to make sure there is no chipping on impact?

I would have liked to find an anvil with crisp clean edges, but they dont seem to exist for under 500 dollars (and my budget does not extend that high)

Thats a great find.Find a machine shop with a surface grinder,in short order that puppy would be prestine.

1) Not a shop within 100 miles of here I would trust to properly gauge up the base (since its unlikely is perfectly square from the table face)

2) It would take a WHOLE LOT of grinding to get those corners square through a top down surface grinding!

Have had two re-ground,anvils are not precision instruments.

You won't want perfectly square corners. I've seen a lot of anvils with slightly different radii on each side to accommodate the smith's choice for inside corners. Tools are meant to be modified. You might be able to clean some of that up with an angle grinder and a square and careful work. It's certainly not dead yet.

That Peter Wright is well worth 300 bucks.

Thanks guys! Like I said, the top is actually in good shape. Its mostly just some surface rust from disuse. No deep dents or bellying. My main concern was the slight chipping taking place along the side edges. I'm sure you have all seen some of the boat anchors people try to unload. I'm glad I have learned at least enough to know what NOT to buy. cracked tables, anvils that go "thunk" etc.
Now all I need is somebody with a stronger back than mine to carry it out of the van! One step closer to forging!

Your wise to be concerned about the chipping edges,Beware.
One of my best friends was killed when a wedge he was using to split logs (mushroomed edges) came apart and severed his subclavian artery.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Your wise to be concerned about the chipping edges,Beware.
One of my best friends was killed when a wedge he was using to split logs (mushroomed edges) came apart and severed his subclavian artery.

That... is horrible. I'm sorry to hear such things. I was more worried about my eyes! Mortal injuries something most people would associate with power tools.

It was horrible,he was 34 yrs old.Since that happenend I am very carefull with my chisles and even small punches.

Having missed my eye by scant fractions, I have been vigilant with keeping up with the maintenance of my tools. Its sad that it takes such scares to remind us that there is danger in so many innocuous things we do.
Mike Blue, is there anything I should be looking for that would signal a worry spot on the damaged edges? I dont have an angle grinder, but I guess I will have to get one so I can at least clean her up for a better view.