Subject: Anvil question

From: "Patrick J. Retton" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 21:33:49 -0500 (EST)

After three months of searching for an anvil I was finally able to find
someone who would part with their's.  I have everything else needed to 
begin blacksmithing, but just starting out I didn't want to pay $420 for
a new 120 lbs anvil.  The anvil that I found weighs around 200 lbs, appears 
to be forged iron with a welded 5/8 inch steel face.  The face has some rough
spots from use and the last owner used it to spotweld on leaving pieces of
steel stuck on the face.  My question is, how do I smooth the face up?  I
used a grinding wheel to clean off the spotwelded places.  Or being a
beginner should I just work with what I got and then worry about the face
down the road?  I would like to eventually learn how to make knives.  Thanks
in advance.

Pat
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Maeve McMahon)
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 96 22:33:35 EST

> Pat...I started blacksmithing about four years ago and also started with
a used anvil. You did the right thing by grinding the rough spots. You
my want to finish with a fine grit sanding disc for the grinder. Forget
filing...you will just wreck the file! I do not know anything about knife
making but I do know that for my work the rough surface does not
interfere. The only real drag about second hand anvils are the edges.
Concerning these all you really can do is clean them up the best you can.

Cheers Michael Kinghorn