New (to me) Peter Wright Anvil. Any Suggestions?

[Alan L]

Originally Posted by Crex

Wasn't aware that you Tennessee boys considered Georgia arid.

Yeah, I forgot you were in Georgia for some reason... I do love my mountain in the back yard!

It finally dropped below 90 degrees Saturday, first time I fired up the forge in months!

[Crex]

I try to spend some of my time in Hanging Dog, but it's only been a few degrees cooler there lately (and I don't have ac the cabin).
My philosophy on forging in this heat: Heck you're already hot what's a few more degrees!?! Actually, I think my big Haye-Budden seems to thrive on the "pre-warmup". Strategically placed box fan and lots of fluids make it fairly tolerable.

Want to try thinking cooler, make plans to come down to Trackrock in Oct. (see avatar). Usally cooling down by then. The Trackrock Fall Hammer-in 2010 is the weekend of Oct. 2nd. Always welcome.

[rhrocker]

Great find Carl! I have a 500 pound Peter Wright that I located near my hometown. I had to do some work to it, like build-up a new face with my mig, and patch a couple of cuts made with a cutting torch (I think I did a story with pictures of the restoration a few years ago on the forums, but I don't have a clue if it's still on a forum somewhere). People can sure be rough on these things. I wouldn't mind it being my tombstone when the time comes, if I could ever figure out how to keep it from getting stolen. Guess I could tie a chain to it, and run it down to me, and hold it in my hand. Yep, that'd do it! In the meantime, I hope to get many more years of pure pleasure out of this gentle giant.

[Alan L]

This guy managed to take his to the grave, but it's a marble Mousehole instead of a PW...

[dbalfa]

That looks like a "classic" anvil and from the others postings, seems to have some value outside of just a hunk of steel. That being said, you may not want to entertain my suggestion to preserve the "antiquity value" - but you might so:

It looks to me that your anvil, like a lot of aged anvils being used by novice hammers to do farming stuff, has gotten abused along the edges of the face - chipped, rolled etc. This is common from folks that don't use them for their higher callings. One thing that can be done - I've had this done on an anvil before- is take it to a large machine shop and have it surfaced on a large mill. As long as the base is square, they can get you a good surface again, work out any dips and get you a good edge again. You and they would have to make a decision about how much face you have to give before you loose the horn step or make the heal too bouncy. I would think that if taking 1/8" or less off would get you there, that would not be detrimental to an anvil that size- but i'm not looking at it closely enough to make that decision....
A good edge is very useful and an absolutly flat surface is paramount- just a thought to consider.

[arjuna70]

Originally Posted by dbalfa

It looks to me that your anvil, like a lot of aged anvils being used by novice hammers to do farming stuff, has gotten abused along the edges of the face - chipped, rolled etc. This is common from folks that don't use them for their higher callings. One thing that can be done - I've had this done on an anvil before- is take it to a large machine shop and have it surfaced on a large mill. As long as the base is square, they can get you a good surface again, work out any dips and get you a good edge again. You and they would have to make a decision about how much face you have to give before you loose the horn step or make the heal too bouncy. I would think that if taking 1/8" or less off would get you there, that would not be detrimental to an anvil that size- but i'm not looking at it closely enough to make that decision....
A good edge is very useful and an absolutly flat surface is paramount- just a thought to consider.

Thanks for the advice. The surface is actually in pretty good condition. The edges are a little beat up in spots. I'll probably give it a whirl for a while and then consider resurfacing if I need to.

[Crex]

I have found that the rolled edge (chipped or damaged edge) if dressed properly makes a great edge single side fullering tool when you just need a bit of quick fullering on a piece. Just smooth it out with light work with a side grinder and sanding disc or with a file if you prefer. Pics you posted showed a pretty decent deck from what can be seen. A slight dip can be very useful when you get used to it being there. Learn your anvil well before you make any changes. A slight depression in the right place is excellent for removing the more subtle warps or deflections in a blade.
I'm sure you're going to fall in love with that old girl if you spend quality time with her. She won't require flowers and a movie to keep her happy!