might buy an anvil

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a coworker has an anvil for sale . he knows nothinjg about it.  it has some dings on the top. on the side there is a raised circle, inside which there is a raised something that appears to be an arm with a larghe bicep and a hammer in hand. the raised tells me its cast. hiow fdo i determine if its cast iron(bad) or cast steel(good)? spark color?
Reply:The 'dings' on the top should give you some idea because cast iron is hard and brittle so breaks away, steel is more capable of deforming, depending on carbon content, other alloying metals, and its temper.How large is it, and does it show signs of good casting processes by virtue of the seams being clean and the sides and ends being flat, or are those surfaces bowed out and maybe one side higher than the other?Any pictures available? Spark color can also give good information; compare it to some known pieces after reading about it in the Bible or some other good welding book.
Reply:thanks fer the replies, heres some fotos, would love to hear  more to determine if this is a clunker or a keeper. not needing a cadillac, just dont want an anchor Attached Images
Reply:oh yeah...25  1/2" overall length12  1/2" highface is 16" x 4  1/2"hardy hole 1  1/8" pritchel 9/16" diam.
Reply:$400..it was bought in a antique shop in kentucky and came froma blacksmith, im told
Reply:Hi Ya weldbead not sure where you are located but it you check around at old tool sales, tag sales and even yard sales you might find one of the better anvils at give away prices.If you want to post your location, show your personal avatar, or have a signature on each post telling fellow members where you are located; an avatar of you or your shop, and a signature telling fellow members what types of equipment you have, you can do it all by following these steps:1. Locate and click on USER CP2. Under YOUR CONTROL PANEL, YOUR PROFILE, click on EDIT YOUR DETAILS3. In the EDIT YOUR DETAILS, you can enter Optional Information and Additional Information such as your Location (an other info)4. While in USER CP you can explore some of the other functions - Avatar: you can have picture of you, your shop, your wife, children, dog, etc (keep it clean- no nudes)- Signature: you can list all your equipment, a link to your shop, or maybe some witty sayingCo-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:I've seen plenty of those old "Farm duty" type anvils sell at auction.  $1/pound is kinda the rule on what they are supposedly worth around me.Miller 250x & Lincoln V205-TSmith Oxy-Prop torch
Reply:thanks to everyobne for the input. ina strange twist of fate, a friend of my sons who works for central hudson railroad in my area that we asked over a year ago to get us a 2 foot piece of rail called yesterday and said come get. it. i am for now passing on the vulcan anvil  and fixin to make a railroad track anvil. will post it up here soon.
Reply:You might want to review this previous thread about anvils.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ighlight=anvilI wouldn't waste my time on the track anvil unless you can't afford the real thing.
Reply:Hey the price sounds right, and he's made it this far without anything.  I say go for the Railroad track.  If you find a reasonably priced anvil down the road you can always upgrade.Miller 250x & Lincoln V205-TSmith Oxy-Prop torch
Reply:here's the track..17" long, base is 6" wide, top rail is 3" wide x 1  1/2" tall, web is around 3/4"thick.. pretty well pitted from being outside,maakes a nice ring when hammered. Attached Images
Reply:Do you know what what gauge or size (?) track that is? I have a couple short 18"-20" lengths of track and they are nowhere near that large.Just another clown trying to be cool
Reply:sorry , i sure dont .it came from metro north railroad north of new york city. no trains were drerailed as a result of me acquiring this track.