Subject: Anvil Repair

From: [email-masked] (Michael G. Cooper)
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1996 15:16:48 -0700 (MST)

Darn, wouldn't you know it?  Right after I cleaned out my email files I got
a request from a non-networked smith for anvil repair info.  Would anyone
have archived the last few posts on that subject?

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 17:29:59 -0400

Hope this is what you were looking for.  The top sections are some other info
I've gathered on anvils.

Take Care,

Joe U.

IDENTIFYING ANVILS

Give this a try.  Take a sheet of plain white paper, no lines, and ahard
pencil.  Hold the pencil by the side to bring the maximum amount oflead in
contact with the paper.  Place the paper over the area you want to read and
lightly brush the lead over the area.  This should bring out the writing
(along with the worst of the dings)

DETERMINING ANVIL WEIGHT

Older anvils are marked with a three digit number. Anvils were weighed
according to the British system of measurement.  The first digit indicated
the number of whole hundredweights, the second indicated the number of
quarter hundredweights and the last number indicated the number of pounds
remaining.  A hundredweight (abbreviated cwt.) is actually 112 pounds.  A
quarter cwt. is twenty eight pounds.

To calculate the weight of the anvil in pounds:  mutilply the first number by
112, multiply the second by 28, and add the two results to the third number.
 A 1-2-6 anvil is 174 lbs ((1*112)+(2*28)+6=174). 

MOUSE HOLE ANVILS

Mouse Hole was an early trademark of the Armitage foundry in England, which
went out of business before 1850.  They bear a trademark short, stubby horn.
 Mouse Hole was the first commercial anvil producer, beginning in or near
1650.  Most of these anvils were in the 100 to 150 pound range, with most
around 120-125 lbs.

It was common to radius much of the edge, leaving a spot on the far side of
the anvil as you use it, near the step, as a hard, sharp edge.  The heel was
also left sharp.

Following is a rough guide to Mouse Hole anvil age from Jim Wallace at the
National Ornamental Metal Museum.

If the anvil does not have a step, has an even smaller horn than the small
one on other Mouse Hole anvils, and is attached directly under the end of the
face; then the anvil would have been made in the 1750-1775 time frame.  It
may or may not have a steel face.

If it has a step, and is made by Armatage, marked as an Armatage Mouse Hole,
then the face is hard steel.  

If there is no pritchell hole, it was made before about 1790-1795.

If it has a PUNCHED pritchell hole, it is in the 1795-1850 manufacture range.
 Some of the older Mouse Hole anvils had pritchell holes drilled in them, to
bring them up to a more "modern" configuration.  The punched hardy and
pritchell holes leave a slight bulge on the bottom, as they seem to have been
through punched from the top, with no counter punching from below.

Some of the Mouse Holes had no horn.  This indicates it is older, from the
early 1750 period, but is not conclusive.

If there is a steel face, judicious grinding or filing on the side of the
anvil may reveal a weld line, and different colors of metal, between the
steel face and the wrought iron body.  These anvils were hand forged with a
drop hammer, and some still show a faint line where the horn was welded on,
and/or where multiple pieces of iron were welded together to make the body.

With an Armatage Mouse Hole, and other anvils of the period, the hardy hole
is usually small.  The hardy on older anvils was hand punched, and a smaller
hole went easier.  The holes on a 118 pounder and a 138 pounder are about
five-eighths of an inch..

I bought my FIRST (yahoo!) anvil today at a farm auction for $100.  I also
got a
good 4 inch leg vise for $27.  The anvil looks like it is pretty old.  It is
marked "Peter Wright Patent" and the weight is marked in hundredweight   1  1
18.  There is one section of the face about an inch wide and 4 inches long
that
looks like it has chipped off.  I can weld it and regrind it, but I am not
exactly sure what type of filler to use.   Are these anvils made of cast
iron?
or cast steel?  There is a marking on it that says "solid wrought." 

 Other than this one area the anvil seems to be in good shape.  I am so
excited
about this that I can hardly stand myself.  Now I have to get myself in gear
and
get some type of a forge working (in a hurry)  

Thanks,
	Jack

>         Jack
Congratulations!  I have a couple of Peter Wright anvils myself and can
vouch for their quality.  You didn't say how deep the chip in your
anvil's face is so there may be a couple of directions you can go on
repairs. If you look carefully at your anvil you will be able to see the
dividing line between the hard steel face and the iron body.  If the
chip isn't too deep you may be able to grind the rest of the face down
flush.  I have one PW that's had the face ground to about 1/4" thick and
it's still good and lively.  If the chip is too deep to regrind try
looking at the FAQ at alt.crafts.metalworking, the last time I was there
they had a rather lengthy dissertation on the subject.  In the meantime
don't let the damage keep you from using the heck out of your anvil. In
their weaker moments most blacksmiths will admit to instances where they
worked around defects in their equipment for years because they were too
"busy" to make repairs;^)

Jack,
  Finding a 156 Pound Peter Wright in any kind of shape is worth more
than a Yahoo!  Ask your welding rod distributor for a Stoody Book, and
do a little research.  We have mended 40 or so anvils with a high impact
rod they make, but I can't remember the number.  We preheated each in a
little igloo of firebrick with a weed burner till we couldn't stand to
touch them with gloves, say 200 to 250 degrees.  Then skip welded all 
sorts of problems, enlarged hardy holes, bad chips, rounded edges, blunted
horns, cracks 
(ground down to the bottom) and one anvil that had been attacked with a
cutting torch!  
All were then ground to shape with
body grinders and polished with 120 grit on 4 1/2 inch angle grinders.
The results were very good, none of the beasts lost their temper to the
point of being too soft, it was a workshop last winter where we got together
and fixed 
all kinds of stuff.
  Anyway, just owning a Peter Wright is cause for celebration, specially one
you can 
use! Specially Larry's comment about working around the defect.  Even,
sometimes, that
"defect" can come in pretty handy!
  Bob

Rob Gunter recamended using "Airco 2110 build up rod" to build up clear to
the wrought iron base or "Airco 1105 hard surface" to do the face. Rob says
the 1105 is limited to 3 passes & both need to be preheated to 400 degrees
then post heated & slow cooled. I noticed on mine that the 1105 rod stress
releifed itself by cracking but have had no chipping or break out problems
just the micro fine cracks.
       good luck

Well, if you have a big file and a lot of time.....Seriously, I wouldn't
be too concerned if the anvil has a fairly smooth depression in the face
from years of being worked on the same spot.  One of my favorite Peter
Wrights has such a spot and I hardly notice it.  If, on the other hand,
the face has the kind of small dents and nicks that come from being used
for cold work and getting smacked with tools it will have to be smoothed
before you can do any decent work on the anvil.  If this is the case, I
sympathize and can only suggest finding a machine shop to mill off the
dings.  Don't forget to grind or file about a 1/8" radius along the
edges so the face won't be vulnerable to chipping.  While you're
spending that time and/or money just think about how much luckier you
are than me, I used my tools to teach a couple of classes this summer
and now I have five anvils to fix :(

My friend and I repaired my Columbian anvil eight months ago.  We used a 
special welding rod known in the trade as 'Missile Rod' which required a
400 degree pre-heat  (accomplished via a rose bud torch and temp stick).
After much grinding to dress up the edges it was ready to use.  I have not
had any problem with the welds since that time and probably will keep the
anvil for a long time.
- Matt

I heard from a blacksmithing class the Stoody "build-up" rod was the thing
to use. It runs just like 7018, but from what I remember has a higher
manganese level. This makes the welds work hardenable, the more you use it
the harder it gets (up to a point). Use a good preheat and inter pass temp
follows by a slow cool. It worked great for my Peter Wright, when
repairing a crack from the hardy hole to a rear corner... :)

Try 11018 rod, pre heat with weed burner to 500? degrees
use 11018 rod, peen the weld, let it cool down very slow,
Find a blanchard grinding service in you town, and have 
them grind the surface down flat, bring it home, round 
the edges to your preference, polish the horn, clean out 
the hardie hole, wire brush the rest of the anvil and 
spray it with Future floor wax.

Mike Wolfe

---

From: [email-masked] (Katana ---/-----------)
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 14:04:06 GMT

There's a rod I got ahold of that is called "Blue Max". I think it's a
Crown rod. It is made for welding cast iron to steel (e.g., welding cast
decorative pieces to steel stiles in architectural fences). It's the best
rod I've found for this purpose - high nickle contect and a breeze to use.
The downside is they cost about $1.00 each. I'd bevel the top edges to join
the steel sub assembly to the anvil top VERY deep, and fill, grind, fill,
grind, etc. Let the whole assembly cool in really STILL air. Hotter than
250 would be good, also. 
> 
>What I am planing on doing is to make a steel base out of some heavy 
>steel peices, welding them together,  and then to the anvil top. I will 
>use 7018 electrodes, a bevel joint for maximum penetration, and a good 
>preheat in the 250 deg.F range.  
> 
>Does anyone have any other suggestions? 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>Hrolthgar -   [email-masked] 
>Steve Herrick 
> 
-- 
               Bill Wyant 
   Bladesmith / Art Blacksmith 
Avalon Ironworks, Ft. Wayne, IN 
    [email-masked]