Michael,

Welcome to ArtMetal!

It would help if you had a few more pictures of the anvil so I could see just what the damage is and where. Until then, I recommend you don't do anything to it. Far more anvils are ruined by welding on them than are helped. The same applies to machining it - don't do it.

Once I see the extent of the damage I may be able to offer some suggestions on ways to either help it out without welding, or if welding is indicated, confine it to the minimum amount necessary to make it more useable. However, there ARE other solutions that may solve the problem about as well.

You might consider making a small hardy block about 2"x2"x2" plus shank, with four different radii on the top corners. Make one 1/16" radius, one 1/8", one 3/16" and one 1/4" and you'll have a selection of nice "corners" to work with for setting down stock very cleanly. Mild steel will work okay for this, though something like 1045 or 4140 would be a bit tougher.

In a pinch, you can always just drop a short piece of scrap flat or square bar on the face of the anvil and use that as a false edge for setting down. You need to be a bit careful doing this as the bar may have corners that are too sharp, resulting in developing cold shuts in your forging. That, and the fact that sharp corners have a real propensity for chipping if struck an errant hammer blow, is why anvils should NOT have really sharp corners.

Let's see some additional pictures and see what needs to be done, if anything.