Guys,

got a question about anvils. I have an anvil bought from HF. It is 10lb or something. I do not do any blacksmithing, but use it for "cold" work, pounding something with hammer on it. With time the anvil got a lot of dents and marks on it and surface became pretty uneven. I just start to think is it cheap anvil which is rather soft? Though I believe good ones have the same problem. I saw a lot old American made anvils which are in terrible shape. Is it supposed to use anvils for "cold" work, should the surface be thermally treated or some kind hardened surface plate should be used on top? Anybody flatten anvil surface and how?