[Harry Marinakis]

Would you pay $2.50 per pound for this 312-pound Hay-Budden anvil?

[Craig Johnson]

It all comes down to condition when looking at used anvils. I would look it over very closely and note these things.

Is the face saddled (wore down or rounded)?
Is it nicked or gouged?
Have the edges been welded? (Many older anvils have had the edges welded where they have worn down or been chipped.)
Is the horn clean or all dented up?

From your pic the anvil does not look to bad, tough to tell if there is a cut in the edge or its just a mark on the anvil.

Also ask how are you going to use it and what is your experience level. It is a big anvil and you do not want to move it about. If you have a shop this fits in and you are going to set it up and use it a lot that's great. If you want to move it around some it is going to be more work then a decent 150.

Hope that helps you decide. Anvils are a bit of a problem for smiths. Its hard to pass one up but I know a lot of folks who have a couple and don't really use them so its est to get what you want.

Craig

[Peter O Zwart]

Where you are seems to have quite an impact on anvil prices as well. Where I live in Canada you have to pay 2.50-3.00 to get any anvil, but I am pretty sure there are some places State side where you can get them for around $1 per pound.
Other than that I can only agree with Craig, I have a 180 pound anvil that I have to carry outside every time I forge and I wouldn't like to carry any thing bigger regularly, and it seems plenty big enough for what I do, but I'm just a hobbyist.

[Mark T]

Hi Harry,

I agree with everything Craig has said, and have two quick additions:

First, as well as checking if the face is rounded, you might also want to check the edges: it's good to have crisp edges (but not sharp) for some jobs. Having said that, this is probably less of an issue on such a large anvil, where the real benefit is in its mass ... most folks I know who have an anvil of that size will also have a smaller one with more defined edges for finer work, if needs be.

Second, the larger anvils are usually more rare, and sometimes command higher prices by weight. As Peter said, this can vary depending on where you are - sometimes, they can be cheaper by the pound as the total price is high. Either way, given that they'll be priced higher means you might have more room for negotiation.

Personally, if there was a 312 pounder near me and for a good price, I'd grab it ... but then, I have some smaller ones for when I want to go to hammer-ins, friends' places, and so on.

Good luck with the purchase - and let us know if you nab it!

[Harry Marinakis]

I found a really nice 200 pound English Peter Wright anvil nearby - looks to be in better condition, and cheaper - will have a look at it on Sunday and bounce a hammer off it.