That $60 anvil I found at a farm auction still haunts me

Picked up what I thought was a steal a few years back, a beat up anvil for $60 at a farm auction. Got it home and realized the face was chipped so bad it was useless for any real forging work. Tried to grind it flat but ended up wasting a weekend and grinding through the hardened steel. Should have just saved up for a proper one from the start. Anyone here ever get burned buying old tools from auctions?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_murray2626d ago

That 58 pound Fisher anvil I grabbed for $40 at a yard sale looked perfect from 10 feet away. Got it home and realized the whole top was delaminated, the forge weld had completely failed somewhere along the line. Made a decent doorstop, I guess, but not much else. Did you ever check if that chip went all the way through to the wrought iron body underneath, or was it just the hardened plate that was messed up?

the_kevin26d ago

Same thing happened with a Peter Wright I picked up last year.