Old anvil I found in a barn is way better than my new one

Last month I pulled a 150 pound Peter Wright anvil out of a collapsed barn near Lancaster, PA. It had 80 years of rust and a few chips but the face was still hard as glass. I spent a weekend cleaning it up with a wire wheel and some oil. Meanwhile my $400 new cast iron anvil from a big box store already has a crater in the top after just two years. Has anybody else had way better luck with antique anvils over modern ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace8928d ago

Can't believe a brand new anvil cratered on you after just two years, that's just ridiculous. Those old Peter Wrights were forged from wrought iron with a hardened steel face, they don't make em like that anymore. Sounds like you scored big time with that barn find, even with the rust and chips it'll probably outlast ten of those new ones.

anthony_campbell8828d ago

Honestly Grace89, I saw a blacksmith online say that some new anvils are just cast iron with a thin steel plate glued on, so no surprise they fail. @grace89, you're spot on about those old Peter Wrights being built to last.

torres.grant28d ago

Totally agree, it's the same with everything these days. You buy a washing machine or a fridge and you're lucky if it makes it past the warranty date.