hugo50•19d ago

Bought a cheap anvil off Craigslist, lost $80 on a hunk of cast iron

I got excited about a deal on a 100-pound anvil listed for $80 near Springfield. Drove an hour to pick it up, and the guy said it was a vintage piece. Got it home, tried to dress the face, and realized it was just cast iron with a thin steel plate welded on. The face chipped on my first real project with it. Now I'm stuck with a hunk of scrap I can't return. Anyone else get burned by a fake anvil on marketplace?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mia19d ago

Buddy of mine went through the same thing last summer. Found a "vintage Fisher" anvil on Facebook for $120, drove two hours to get it. Guy had it painted black with red stripes, looked legit. Got it home and hammered on it once, chunk flew off and hit his leg. Turned out it was a cast iron boat anchor with a steel cap welded on. He tried to complain to the guy but got blocked. Ended up selling the junk piece for scrap metal, got like 15 bucks for it. Some people are real scumbags out there, especially those who know nothing about anvils but want to make a quick buck.

felix_bailey4519d ago

Take that scam a step further and there's folks now 3D printing fake patina and rust patterns to make scrap metal look like hundred year old anvils. They'll even grind fake pritchel holes and stamp brand names on with a die set they bought online. Best rule I've found is if it feels too cheap and the seller's story sounds too good, bring a file and a magnet because a real anvil won't fool either one.