Help identifying anvil

Yup! It's an anvil!

Sorry!

Had to!

:-)

Nice catch! Looks like a decent using anvil.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Hey Trevor,

Using is what I got it for. Already have all the doorstops I need. If I'm reading it right, it's 253 lbs and it only cost me $50. I probably won't be around long enough to use it up, but I plan on making it work for its keep.

Neal

Diogenes snipped-for-privacy@olympus.mt

That wouldn't make sense as a hundred weight translation. If it's in hundred weight, the middle figure would only go up to 3, since 4 would be another full hundred weight. 151 is probably the total pounds???? Frank Morrison

Got a scale? It may be 151 pounds. The US made anvils were often marked in pounds, while the English made ones used hundredweight/ quarter hundredweight/ pounds. Seems unlikely to me that anyone using the latter system would mark 5 quarter hundredweight, rather it would be marked

A helluva buy for $50. :-)

Cheers Trevor Jones

Boy, that's a relief! I almost thought I was a whole lot stronger than I really was. Makes sense that it wouldn't be designated a hundredweight and then 5/4 hundredweights. I tried the bearing bounce test last night. Dropped a 1" ball bearing from 24" and it rebounded 18" with a nice clear ring. I don't know if it's a *good* anvil or a *bad* anvil, but for my ornamental ironwork plans, it'll be perfect. If I had to rate it, I'd say that it's probably 90% of what it was when new. Once I get the face and horn a little more smoothed out and get it affixed to the block, I don't see it flinching much from working hot 3/8-3/4" rod and bar stock. I'd really like to know the origin though. Since there's no brand name and it's marked "U.S.", my best, uneducated guess would be that it might have been a gov't. contract? All the more recent gov't. contract stuff usually has the name of the manufacturer on it though.

Guess I'll just have to beat on it until it gives up all its nasty little secrets.

Neal

Somebody recognized it and it looks like I scored.

"According to Postman's Anvils in America, you have a Hay-Budden anvil made for S. D. Kimbark. Likely dates from around 1890-1900. Hay-Buddens are considered, by some, to have been the Cadillac of American Anvils. S.D. Kimbark, at one time, was one of the largest blacksmith supply houses. They were in Chicago."

Neal

Neal Pollack wrote:

Neal Pollack snipped-for-privacy@nealpollackgoldsmith.com

The supply house. Hay Budden was in Brooklyn, NY.

FM

Correct, but it was manufactured for a hardware store in Chicago.

Neal

Fdmorris> Neal Pollack snipped-for-privacy@nealpollackgoldsmith.com