Yet another Anvil ID

Can't even make a WAG but the period and shape look somewhat like a Mousehole from around 1820 to 1830 (especially as there is no pritchel hole). Can you see any junction lines where the horn, heel or feet were welded on the anvil?

I've seen an early advertisement for Mouseholes where they had the hardy hole toward the horn end (Soho and Enginesmith style) but the table looks different than yours.

dennis in nca

There appears to be a seam in the face itself. The body looks kinda like it was patted out of clay, no distinct seams. Hmmm... I'll have to look again at the horn. It's in Maine, I'm in Massachusetts, I see it a few times a year.

GD! that's a solid chunk of steel.

Anvils are really expensive in Oz (old an new), I'll qualify that... decent anvils are really expensive in Oz.

We get heaps of cheapie 20 pounders, but nothing decent under AUD $1500 :-(

Looks effective though.

Regards Charles

Carl wrote:

There is one on eBay "about 350 pounds" with a 'buy it now' price of $450, its in Tassie though, but its a nice place for a holiday. Just search on anvil.

Dain

Don't feel too bad, there. The situation is pretty much the same in the northern hemisphere.

This maybe should be a new thread: I just ran across an archived discussion on refacing anvils with welding rod. The discussion mentioned specific types of rod to put a new steel layer on the face of an old anvil. The layer comes out Rc 40-50, apparently. Seems that might be a good treatment for a cheap Chinese cast iron doorstop.

It's hard to see in the photos but if the seam cuts across the face it may be an indicator the anvil was built in the times before larger pieces of hardened steel were available.

An odd thing, though, is there appear to be no handeling holes visible on this anvil which would usually indicate it was cast rather than forged which would rule out not only Mousehole but many other early anvils as well. In Richard Postman's book, Anvils in America, he says Fisher, Vulcan, Badger, Southern Crescent, Samson or American Star were the only cast anvils produced with a steel faceplate.

I'd suggest you might inspect the anvil for other indications of it's construction. Is it cast iron? Cast steel? Is the top really a seperate material than the base? Are there any holes visible on the anvil body or base? Is the horn "sharp" on it's underside?

This looks like a very interesting piece. You might consider contacting Mr. Postman to see what he might say.

dennis in nca

Try this Charles:

dennis in nca

Well that didn't work :-( Charles

Try this:

Let us know how you do.

dennis in nca

OK, more pictures and a couple of observations. Same URL.