Nice post, Pete. Thanx. FWIW I heard that a good test of a steel anvil
was:

Drop a 1" diameter ball bearing from a height of 10". It should rebound
back up to 9" if the anvil
surface is properly heat-treated. I'm not sure I believe this. Can
someone confirm?

I have never heard that one before. My anvil says "chrome alloy" on it, but
no name. I just happen to have a box of ball bearings up to 3 inches on the
shelf behind it. A one inch ball bounces back 7.5 inches on mine.
--
Stupendous Man,
Defender of Freedom, Advocate of Liberty