A 100# anvil with "England" and "JB" cast on it will be auctioned locally at an estate auction house tomorrow. My online "research" indicates the JB stands for John Brooks and that it made before WW-II. I think it is in "good" condition. I assume an anvil worth shipping from England is probably a decent anvil...
I'll report the selling price tomorrow (for the sake of anyone who is interested)! Any hints on what a fair bid would be? I'd enjoy getting it for less than a fair bid! : )
Bill
If it is in good condition, $5.00 to $7.00 a pound.
basilisk
By good, I meant in between fair and very good. So to me your price sounds pretty steep--but I'm off to go find out. Thanks,
Bill
no argument from me, it is steep, but consider that there hasn't been a proper anvil made in the US for over 50 years and never will be again.
Depending on who shows up at the sale you may get it for next to nothing, all the better.
basilisk
Here's some anvil info from my other half who studies blacksmithing...
"...
At least that might give you a cost comparison.
`Casper
I have a farrier's anvil I bought new in 1972 that has always done exactly what it was intended for. What would make it more proper?
Not arguing, just wondering ...
A good anvil will have a cast semi steel base and a slab of high carbon tool steel forge welded to the top.
That combination will provide good rebound and make for a long life anvil that will survive even heavy work.
Rebound is essential to keep from wearing the smith out.
A cheap cast anvil will cover most of what people need to do these days but someone making forged knives or handmade wrought iron work in volume would need better equipment.
basilisk
A "Good" anvil will have been forged from a solid billet of iron or steel
- virtually unbreakable (A plate of tool steel may, however, be welded on the top). Others are cast and have a greater propensity to fracture.
The ones linked to by Casper are cast, however, knowing Vaughans, they are of decent quality. How long Vaughans will last is debatable. Hope works used to be huge but the last time I was across there their operation had shrunk down to one bay, still pretty big, but were down to only two or three employees.
Avoid chinese cast anvils like the plague, they are rubbish, usually known in the UK as "Aero anvils" after the chocolate bar. They have voids and bubbles due to included air or gas. The test is to get your big sledge hammer and bring it down hard on the bick - wear PPE and watch out for flying pieces of cast iron.
basilisk, thank you for providing an anvil link--I bookmarked it.
The two 100# anvils, one marked "JB" and one marked "Brooks" went for $190 and $175 (that's about double what I wanted to spend based upon my current actual anvil needs).
I did pick up a Stanley Bailey #7 (jointer plane)for $40, and a "double lifetime-supply" of Stanley plane irons and some other parts for $35. I intend that the blades should be ir'n enough to help me practice sharpening and to use in wooden planes I may build some day. Given that the auctions lasts 3-4 hours, one feels the need to buy something to recoup some of the value of the time invested!
The 2nd half of this action is next week (and I suspect they'll have a couple more anvils like brethren of the ones they had today...). And more boxes and boxes of Stanley "5 1/4" planes..all remnants of the (long?) defunct Indianapolis high school woodworking program. There were no large power tools/machinery. My understanding is that the school district was just "cleaning house".
Bill
If such an anvil were not painted, would this division be visible (if so, it may be a helpful way for those of us who are novices to discriminate between anvils)?
Bill
Ever drop it on a coyote?
Drew Lawson wrote the following:
???? A farrier's anvil is used to make horseshoes. I don't get the connection.
he means will e coyote
You never watched the Road Runner?
I didn't, I believe that was Casper.
basilisk
Bill
Silly joke. As others have noted, the character Wile E. Coyote attempted to catch the Road Runner with Rube Goldberg setups, implimented with the help of Acme Equipment(TM).
Many attempts involved mis-engineered methods of dropping an anvil from a cliff to smash the bird. Of course, these ended up smashing him.
(This used to be childhood entertainment.)
Ahhh..., you must be cartoon challenged. Or perhaps that particular cartoon is dated now. Do a search on roadrunner cartoon. Anvils are featured prominently in these cartoons.
Wile E. Coyote.
Never shot into the air, either?
-- It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctively native American criminal class except Congress. -- Mark Twain
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