Getting old, selling my 500lb. (actually 502lb) anvil. Wire brushing it to remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface the top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer. Advise and links to appropriate sites appreciated.
remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface the top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer.
Personally..Id go with Joe...clean it up and sell it as is. You wont make much...if any ..additional money for painting etc.
Anvil prices go from about $1.5-3.00 a pound..depending on your area and the availability of anvils therein.
This might give you some idea...from 2008
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Posted 15 April 2008 - 03:19 PM All of these can be seen in my gallery, These are the prices I sold them for to folks all around the country, just to give you an idea of what something is truely worth.
100# Hay Budden..............$400
201# Peter Wright............ .550
250# Fisher.......................500
150# Vise.........................125
85# USA ..........................145
129# Mousehole................185
100# Vulcan.....................225
120# Leg Vice...................175
100# Crosley Fisher............200
122# Peter Wright..............400
463# Hay Budden............. 2500
147# Three Holes Cast.......100
30# Vulcan.......................213
25# Vulcan.......................234
155# Recessed Fisher.........325
300# Fisher......................600
9# Enderes........................81
104# Mousehole................402
20# Fisher........................150
138# Unmarked Old English.....275
100# Fisher w/ Base.............665
135# Trenton Farrier............336
95# Mankel.........................480
95# Peter Wright.................200
135# Centaur Forge.............730
175# fisher.........................325
86# Hornless......................1350
150# Trenton Farrier.............510
101# Peter Wright................305
330# English + 100# Soderfors......935
95# Vise + 100# Village + 2 Tongs + Hardy.........487
131# Peter Wright.................304
154# Soderfors + Hardies......533.99
88# Trenton Top.................140
500# Fisher.........................2200
143# Hay Budden..................689
139# Peter Wright..................325
300# Columbian....................850
160# Peter Wright................350
120# Mousehole...................306
50# Vulcan + Hardy..............100
As you may notice..the bigger anvils often tend to go more towards $4+ a pound.
I got my (rough) 300lb Hay Budden for free..but Ive seen its brothers go for $1000+
Id suggest starting at $4.50 a pound and dropping down a buck in a few months if it doesnt sell. Craigslist may be a good place to post it. I dont recall where you live..shrug so I may be low, on the money or high.
Who made your anvil? That makes a big difference as well as condition.
Hay Budden seems to get pretty fair money..the Swedish anvils..serious money etc
Gunner
The methodology of the left has always been:
Lie
Repeat the lie as many times as possible
Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
A little OT, but the subject of painted anvils reminded me...
A few years ago, someone gave me one of those cheap 55 lb Harbor Freight cast iron 'anvils'. It was newish looking, and painted a cheap shiny metallic grey color (including the 'horn').
Don't recall ever using it, but one day something banged up against it's side, and a chunk about a quarter the size of a golf ball plopped out!
Closer inspection revealed it to be bondo! A little screwdriver prodding uncovered other areas filled in a similar fashion. Underneath, that had to be the nastiest casting ever... they'd even bondoed & painted over a think layer of rust/scale/crud.
All ebay sellers who get top prices for used anvils, do the same thing. Wire brush with angle grinder mounted brush to clean condition, then oil, then photograph.
Were I buying (I wish!) I'd want one to use. Paint is just there to make it look good to interior decorators and raise the price. A nicely surfaced top -- that would probably raise the price that I'd be willing to pay.
Just brush it off so that you can see the condition. Price depends on condition. Look for any markings that would identify the brand. Usually on one side. Try to get clear photos showing the condition of the top. Angled lighting helps to show the surface condition. The potential buyer of any anvil that size will want to know if there are any cracks, and will want to test the amount of "rebound" at several points.
The only thing I'd think about doing relates to the face. You asked if the "top" should be surfaced. Why? What is wrong with the face? How badly chipped are the edges? Has someone already repaired the edges or the face?
Also, If you are going to sell it, look closely for any markings and make sure the potential buyers know what it says.
to remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface th e top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer.
Thanks for all the good advice. Ended up lightly wire brushing the entire anvil and then coating it with oil.
The following is a Craigslist link showing the anvil. There are absolutely no identifying marks thereon. Somebody that looked at it years ago said i t might be a "railroad" anvil. Whatever that means. Please tell me if my add is way off base and other advice.
remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface the top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer.
anvil and then coating it with oil.
identifying marks thereon. Somebody that looked at it years ago said it might be a "railroad" anvil. Whatever that means. Please tell me if my add is way off base and other advice.
remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface the top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer.
anvil and then coating it with oil.
identifying marks thereon. Somebody that looked at it years ago said it might be a "railroad" anvil. Whatever that means. Please tell me if my add is way off base and other advice.
I thought the anvils going for $600 were waaaay too much. Have you seen any other anvils selling for over a grand? Good luck. The good news is that you have plenty of wiggle room.
I don't do much anvil work (on my little piece of RR track) but if I did, I wouldn't want a pair of dowels in the way and I'd want a flat surface. That thing has seen a century and then some of hard life with no resurfacing. Someone took a 9" grinder to that top, didn't they? Ouch! I think I'd prefer a more tapered horn, too. That curve is pretty specific.
There, that's all the negative feedback you can expect to see and we got it out of the way in one post.
Best of luck selling it, Ivan. May you find a collector who's rolling in money and sell it for the asking price the very first day it's up!
Yow! Cool. That's a "bridge anvil", used, AFAIK, in heavy forge shops to work on U-shaped pieces. There's a pic of another one here:
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Also visible but less clear in:
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There's also one that doesn't resemble the English pattern at the bottom of this page:
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I just picked up a spare anvil for myself today. No legible name but might possibly be a Peter Wright, 2 0 15, in great condition except that the table is a bit chopped up. Since I gave my back-up anvil to my son I've been without a spare. Now I'm all set.
it to remove dirt and rust. Then what? Should I paint the sides? Surface the top? Or, is it best to leave this work to the potential buyer.
re anvil and then coating it with oil.
ely no identifying marks thereon. Somebody that looked at it years ago sai d it might be a "railroad" anvil. Whatever that means. Please tell me if my add is way off base and other advice.
Thanks for the reply Larry. I'm not sure the surface has been ground. It looks uniformly beat up. I suppose new user will want to hard face it with some welding rod?
looks uniformly beat up. I suppose new user will want to hard face it with some welding rod?
I was referring to the circular grind mark on the bottom right of the picture where you're showing the top of the anvil. Looks about 1/4" deep. What I meant was that it would have to be worked on to be used, and that will very likely reduce the sale price.
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