Old-school anvil I saw at a farm museum in Ohio changed my mind about buying new

Visited the historical village in Wellington, Ohio last month and they had a 200-pound Peter Wright from the 1850s that still rang like a bell, so now I'm hunting for an antique one on Facebook instead of spending $1,200 on a new cast steel model anyone else go the old route?

3 comments

3 Comments

hill.margaret22d ago

Oh come on, you're romanticizing a hunk of 170-year-old wrought iron that probably has hidden cracks. I actually went the antique route on a Fisher years ago and ended up with a face that had been ground down so unevenly by some farmer in the 1920s that my hammer bounced off at weird angles. Plus that "ringing like a bell" thing is just the striking surface being loose from the body, which means it'll eventually delaminate on you. New cast steel anvils from someone like TFS or NC Tool are machined flat and have actual rebound ratings you can verify with a ball bearing test. I'd rather spend $1,200 on something that's guaranteed to work than chase a fairy tale on Facebook marketplace only to realize I'm buying a glorified boat anchor with a romantic backstory.

emerym3622d ago

You gotta be careful with old anvils for sure @hill.margaret, I've seen plenty of junk ones myself. But I picked up a beat-up Trenton from a guy's barn for 75 bucks and spent a weekend with a flap disc and a straightedge leveling the face. It's not perfect but it's dead flat where I need it and the wrought iron body gives a different feel than cast steel. The rebound is fine with a 1 inch ball bearing, I checked it. I'd take that over a smooth new anvil any day because the base is solid and I've got no fear of it cracking. But you're right that buying sight unseen is a gamble. I'd only go old if you can lay hands on it first.

the_wesley21d ago

Well, Margaret, did you ever have an experience that just flat out changed your mind on something you thought you knew? I used to be pretty hardcore about finding old anvils with a story, but you and @emerym36 both make solid points about the risks and the work involved in getting one usable. Honestly, hearing about your Fisher debacle and how you can actually test a new one with a ball bearing has me leaning toward saving up for a modern cast steel anvil.