Anvil

[tommy the cat]

Got offered a John powell (birm) anvil for £100 as I've been toying with the idea of a bit of metal bashing... I'm not sure of the weight buy it's a hefty 60+ kilos I'm guessing...
Thoughts peeps and apart from it having a good straight edge and a nice ring anything else to look for?
Dave

 

[SteveW]

As long as the face has a bit of a ring and some bounce, its a good sign that the face is ok. Look for damage to the edges you need at least one bit that rounded and one bit square. You can fix lots of defects with a bit of grinding. Lay a straight edge on tge face to see of the anvil is flat, no sway, its not the end of the world if it is. Just remember that even an ugly anvil is better than no anvil, baring the face delaminating, loss of temper on the face or a nasty crack you can usually work around most problems.

 

[tommy the cat]

Great advice Steve. ... £100???
I've seen them go alot more...

 

[SteveW]

Anvils can fetch daft prices, ive seen them go for £50 for a pristine one at a sale, to people asking £250+ for a tatty old thing without a straight edge to its name. If it's what you want and can afford, then it's a good deal. Unfortunately blacksmith tools seem to have become collectable in the last ten years or so and collectors tend to have more brass than me when it comes to bidding