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Finally Found That Antique Anvil I Been Huntin'

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The Appalachian

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Pretty fair shape for its age. Think I'll have a buddy stick it on the surface grinder and get it flat and true, but the search ended today with half a paycheck and a road trip up into West Virginia.

Screenshot_20221102-194829_Gallery.jpg
 
Pretty fair shape for its age. Think I'll have a buddy stick it on the surface grinder and get it flat and true, but the search ended today with half a paycheck and a road trip up into West Virginia.

View attachment 172518
Good for you.
I greatly look forward to seeing the work that comes off of this.
Happy for you.
 
Good for you.
I greatly look forward to seeing the work that comes off of this.
Happy for you.
Knives for sure. Tomahawk heads too. I'll see if I can hammer out a butt plate and trigger guard or two as well. Probably some ebay trinkets like coat hooks and such.

But first will be some hammer heads and some tongs and some hardy tools that I'll need to do that other stuff. I'd absolutely love to make things with tools that I made myself.
 
Seriously, all I have is a cast iron from Harbor Freight. It’s actually held up better for than I thought it would, but you work twice as hard to get half the results. You’d think that in such a rural area that I live in finding a good steel anvil wouldn’t be that difficult, but I’ve had no success. So again, enjoy that fine anvil.
 
Congratulations on your find. Got an anvil question. Do all anvils have a hollow base? Like for packing with black powder and shooting them in the air.
I honestly think they drill 'em for doing that. I've never seen one with a hollow base. It would defeat the purpose of it. The more solid mass you have in one your work/tools will bounce less, and your effort is minimized more. Having a hollow base would be counter productive in a big way.
 
From Wikipedia, for what that's worth......

It would seem the hardy hole would have to be centered to get a good vertical launch, which they aren't usually, and plugged on one end, which they usually aren't. But, it's Wikipedia and who knows.

Base to base only gets a few feet high because the force goes out to the sides as well.

"Typically, two anvils are used: one as a base (placed upside down), and another one (also known as the "flier") as the projectile (placed right-side up, atop the base).[2] An alternative method is to place the bottom anvil upright, and fill the hardy hole with black powder. A torus or washer, often made from a playing card, is placed over the hole, with a space for a fuse or powder trail. The top anvil is placed upside down, face to face with the bottom anvil.[3]

A technique for firing a single anvil uses a stone base. The space formed by the anvil's concave base is filled with black powder. Modern double-base powders have much higher energy densities, making them unsuitable. A fuse is made to project out, then lit, and the resulting deflagration sends the projectile anvil several feet into the air.

Anvils were traditionally fired on St. Clement's Day, honoring Pope Clement I, the patron saint of blacksmiths and metalworkers.[4]

Although its practice has lessened in recent years[citation needed], enthusiasts still participate in anvil launching events and competitions. On September 5, 2011, The Science Channel premiered Flying Anvils, a reality television series about anvil firing."
 
Pretty fair shape for its age. Think I'll have a buddy stick it on the surface grinder and get it flat and true, but the search ended today with half a paycheck and a road trip up into West Virginia.

View attachment 172518
That is so unmarred, I'd venture it's 20th century. Be SUPER carefull redressing the striking surfaces, especially if it's steel over iron. If that steel gets too thin, the impacts will affect the iron below, and may end the anvil for good.

Regardless, that is an EXCELLENT find!

LD
 
Pretty fair shape for its age. Think I'll have a buddy stick it on the surface grinder and get it flat and true, but the search ended today with half a paycheck and a road trip up into West Virginia.

View attachment 172518

careful with the surface grinder, you can grind down below the hardened top and ruin the anvil. I would use it as is, maybe some light wire brushing.

Remember you don’t need the whole top to be flat and true and blemish free as even your largest blades only sit on a few inches of top as you hammer them.

Nice find!
 
I honestly think they drill 'em for doing that. I've never seen one with a hollow base. It would defeat the purpose of it. The more solid mass you have in one your work/tools will bounce less, and your effort is minimized more. Having a hollow base would be counter productive in a big way.
Some of my uncles were "anvil firers". But I was a small boy back then and wasn't allowed up close.I do recall it was a smaller anvil and not as big as Dads. It was still huge to me though. I sure didn't have the strength to flip one over and check out it's base.
 
That is so unmarred, I'd venture it's 20th century. Be SUPER carefull redressing the striking surfaces, especially if it's steel over iron. If that steel gets too thin, the impacts will affect the iron below, and may end the anvil for good.

Regardless, that is an EXCELLENT find!

LD
It does have some work wear when you get up close. But yeah I'm going to clean it really good with a wire brush and then assess the situation. I may just leave it alone. There's a tiny bit of sway back on one side where you can tell it's been worked the most, but the more I ponder it the more I'm thinking that little bit of sway back will be useful for straightening some things. Like I said you really have to look to find that. I didn't see it when we first looked at it.

If we do surface it it will be only a few thousandths to reduce the rust pitting. The steel is about 3/4" thick as you can see the forge weld line down the side.

I found a site that will give me the age once I find all the markings on it. 1830 to 1943 is when these were made. If it's marked patent then it was made after 1852 or '53 as I recall. Not all by Peter Wright either, he passed away in 1907? I think? Another company bought the name and carried on until WW2.

There are other markings that can narrow the time frame down further, if i can read them.
 

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