[TheForge] Peter Wright anvil question

[GHS]

When I got my PW it was slightly sway backed. At the most it was less than 1/8
inch For most of it less than that.  I determined this by sighting under s
straight edge.

The procedure I followed to straighten it out was very simple. I sprayed on a
light coat of gray auto primer and then scraped the top with a straight edge.
The low area still had paint the high were shiny. I took an angle grinder with
30 or 40 grit sanding disks and went over the shiny areas in a sweeping
motion. After a minute or so I repeated the paint process. It took me about
two hours of chasing the shiny spots around the anvil, before all the paint
scraped off except right at the center of the sway back section, about 2
inches width.

The remaining section was down just a little bit more than the thickness of a
coat of spray paint. I decided that was close enough. I went over they whole
thing one more time with 80? grit just to polish it up. Job done.

I left the rounded edges alone except where there was a small chip. I rounded
out the edges of the chip and left it be.

For sharp edges I have the end of the face by the hardy hole and an entirely
separate chunk of steel one edge of which is cut back about 15 degrees. This
was a simple junkyard find.

Mike Graf

Ralph wrote:

> >
> >
> >I also scraped the rust off the little anvil I picked
> >up - it's a Peter Wright. Around the "3" (in 0 3 15)
> >theres two words printed in a circle - I can't read
> >the top word but the bottom is "WROUGHT".
>
> Top word is SOLID, Above that is going to be PETER WRIGHT with the word
> PATENT under that. ( well the 'newer' PW have Patent on them
>
> >Fer forgin all the little fittings I need to make for
> >the cannon carriage and limber, I am going to have to
> >have a little work done on the anvil. The edges of the
> >top are badly beat up and the top is a wee bit
> >sway-backed. I'm going to need a good, flat surface
> >and relatively sharp edges.
> >
> >Can I "dress" the anvil somehow or am I going to have
> >to work on a different surface? (Good anvils ain't
> >easy ta come by up here.)
>
> The edges can be rounded a bit with a grinder... In my opinion I would not
> try building them up, as they will more than likely break off.
> If you need a nice really crisp edge to work on make a hardie tool for
> that..... As for the sway back that is actually rather useful in
> straightening stuff. If you can work with it or around it. Grinding or
> milling the top will remove perhaps TOO much of the welded on steel face.
> And trying to build it up by welding is not really the best thing to do to
> an anvil, as it could possibly cause the steel plate to separate from the
> wrought iron body....
>
> Ralph
>
> "Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
> Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision."
>
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