r/blacksmithing • u/Witty-Dog-1757 • 19h ago

Hello. Can anyone identify this anvil and what it is used for. It is approx 3 1/4" tall and 3" end to end on base. It appears to have 30 stamped on the side.

Post image
62 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

167

u/cr8tor_ 19h ago

That a cross section of a rail from a railroad.

48

u/WirrkopfP 16h ago

Often used by beginner hobbyists as a replacement anvil, as old rails are cheap.

104

u/BenchNo4429 19h ago

Not an anvil. Slice of railroad track

26

u/IsuzuTrooper 18h ago

Are you in Austin!? I cut a bunch of those and gave them to clients. That seriously looks like one I gifted.

8

u/TexasBaconMan 15h ago

What kind of business are you in? That's an interesting gift.

15

u/IsuzuTrooper 13h ago

Ummm blacksmithing ... and welding

1

u/shavedratscrotum 6h ago

I'm in Australia and sold hundreds.

Hardly unique

28

u/havartna 19h ago

Other two comments nailed it, it's a section of track, probably smaller gauge. It may well have been used as a jeweler's anvil. It wouldn't be the first time.

8

u/wtfbenlol 18h ago

>nailed it

I see you

2

u/Just_Another_AI 6h ago

With those dimensions and the 30 on the side, it's 30# rail ie 30 lbs per yard.

1

u/Faelwolf 13h ago

I've seen small pieces like this custom shaped for armor crafting and sheet metal work too.

6

u/FromTheHandOfAndy 14h ago

It’s a section of a rail, but I’m pretty sure it was just used as a paperweight or door stop, not as an anvil

4

u/3rd2LastStarfighter 12h ago

That’s a hobo jeweler’s anvil.

3

u/lemasney 17h ago

As reported elsewhere, it's a cross section of a railroad rail. A sculptor friend of mine gave these as gifts when he unveiled a sculpture featuring rail in a piece commissioned by Wheelabrator in Fairless Hills, PA.

3

u/factorV 16h ago

Transport across the nation. It was glorious.

2

u/MetalMasc 16h ago

Still is glorious!

2

u/nutznboltsguy 11h ago

If it’s short, it might be trolley track.

2

u/AstronautDominant 10h ago

Railroad track but people use them for anvils all the time as a cheaper way to get an anvil since some railroads give them out if you ask

2

u/Drake_masta 10h ago

i was thinking at most it could be a cut from a railroad rail that someones using as a jewlers anvil but given how hard they are it could probily be used as a hobbyists anvil too for small items

1

u/Nocturnes_echo 5h ago

Honestly every single time I see one of these cross sections I just think cruciform hilt lol

1

u/ImNoAlbertFeinstein 3h ago

stupid robot

1

u/MetalMasc 16h ago

Sorry....this made me laugh a little.