Anvil price?

[czechsonofagun]

I have a chance to buy an anvil, it is old, 125 pounds, in good shape - i.e. face is straight and does not look abused. The first suggested price was $300, is it a fair price you think? I did not ring it with a hammer yet, but I expect it to be good - definitely US or Europe made.

Centaur Forge - to compare - lists same size new anvil for close to $500.

Opinions, please?

 

[BobRip]

I have a chance to buy an anvil, it is old, 125 pounds, in good shape - i.e. face is straight and does not look abused. The first suggested price was $300, is it a fair price you think? I did not ring it with a hammer yet, but I expect it to be good - definitely US or Europe made.

Centaur Forge - to compare - lists same size new anvil for close to $500.

Opinions, please?

I bought a real old (face serviceable, but not great) 138 pound anvil for $175 last year. It was about 100 years old. $300 does not sound too bad for one in really good shape. Oh, mine came with a decent stand, that I filled in sand. They thing is not going anywhere.

 

[magicheater]

Guess inflation has upped the buck a pound rule of thumb.

 

[NSBound]

Rule of thumb around here is $1 a lb. I sold a 125-lb one last summer for $125. You'll pay a bit of a premium for bigger ones - $400 for a 300-pounder.All this with generally good condition.

 

[Cami]

If I'm buying one I suggest paying by weight because it's just a lump of steel....If I'm selling one I explain that it's not a simple lump of steel so much as a sophisticated tool that would take a great deal of work to reproduce.

 

[czechsonofagun]

In the heap is a bunch of used/abused anvils, but i don't want to deal with resurfacing. I will try to negotiate it bit lower, there is no rush but since I will be putting money in it it just makes sense to get piece I will be happy with it.

I hinted on it as a Bday present

 

[Royboy]

I worked as a farrier for many years and worked on many different anvils. The only thing I would add about the price of th anvil is to find out of it is a forged steel anvil rather than a 'cast' anvil before paying $300 for it. If it gives a good 'ring' when you tap it (never actually directly hit it hard with a hammer... just hit what you are working on!) and the face is in good condition then that seems a fair price to me. If it gives a more dull sound when tapped it may be cast rather than forged and should sell for less than a forged anvil. The face of the forged anvils resists chipping and can be refaced if needed down the road. In my experience the cast anvils chip easier and don't take refacing as well.
This is obvioulsy going to be a shop anvil, right? For a farrier a smaller anvil is actually worth more because you can't lug that big boy around and take it in and out of your truck. hehe
Roy

 

[JB4310]

When I was a kid starting out building tool and equipment collection, I wanted an anvil so bad. I sure didn't have 300 to buy one and no one gives them away.

I had to carry one about 200 yards on a midnight rescue mission out of a barn that was to be bulldozed (the next day) for a housing development.
The property was corporate owned and already picked through of anything worth saving by everyone else so no guilt involved, just a sore back, as I weighed about 155 pounds (age 18) and the anvil weighed more than me.

Definitely not in perfect condition, face and corners are worn, probably why no one else want it, but it serves my needs.

I've found that it's not always best to have the anvil on a firm base when striking something heavy. What ever your hitting will sometimes bounce to much. Seems like putting it on soft ground allows the anvil to take up the energy and allow for more effective hammering ??

Here's a pic of mine used as an extra counter weight for when I moved my JD's BH with lighter Ford, in and out of a storage tent that the JD wont fit due to ROPS mounted canopy.

IMO, unless your a black smith, alot of things can substitute for an anvil, I think a monster vise is more useful for metal fabbing, nothing to substitute for a heavy vise on a stable platform.

JB.

 

[galen1115]

I worked for a railroad for 25 years and spent time in the blacksmith shop and was a layout man for a while. The old Missouri Pacific had a good shop and tools. We had all the anvil tools that you put in the square hole on them. In the hands of a skilled craftsman and a hot fire, you can make metal do just about anything. We would make shop anvils for the employee's on slow days. We called it a government job. We would take a piece of rail and form it into and very good home anvil. Rail is very good steel. Ah! those were the days. And yes, I have one.

 

[IH3444]

JB4310, that is one sweet anvil. I love it on the front of your tractor. Nice touch!