An anvil

[Kevin54]

Really, this has to be the anvil of all anvils. If I catch the people at home, or see them out, I will ask them about it. Believe it or not, they have it sitting outside on a pad. I drove by it, looked at it, turned around, looked at it again, then remembered I had a camera on my phone.

 

[tym]

^ Don't have to worry about anyone stealing that! LOL.

 

[drivesitfar]

KEVIN: very cool. any idea on the dimensions? if you can get me the dimensions i might be able to help with the weight. might just be the pictures, but it looks like it weighs 1000 pounds. any idea of the weight?

if it's really that big and hasn't been in a fire to lose it's temper that is a VERY VALUABLE ANVIL and i would also say i haven't seen another one that big in person ever. there was one guy that i recall owns a 1200 pound anvil, but it wasn't nearly as good looking as the one you found.

 

[jumbojak]

Is it iron or wood? The proportions look a bit off to me, based on my limited experience with anvil manufacturers, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if that was yard art at its best. Almost reminds me of the Mile Long Anvil in Texas.

 

[The Cobbler]

Is it iron or wood? The proportions look a bit off to me, based on my limited experience with anvil manufacturers, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if that was yard art at its best. Almost reminds me of the Mile Long Anvil in Texas.

the corners look a little "sharp" too

 

[Mintgrun]

I am guessing it is made of steel plate.
There is one made of thin gauge steel in the office at the local wrecking yard.
It made me do a double take, when I saw that they had left the welds visible.

 

[crguy]

Looks fabricated to me.

 

[rharman]

Take a hammer with you and give it a love tap. Let us know...

 

[va.grouseman]

I doubt that one could be shot into the air, but some can.---I guess it could be used as a base.

Watch this.

And this.

 

[Kevin54]

It not wood, it's all steel. I looked it over without getting out of the vehicle, and it looks to be all one piece. Like I said, I'll make it over to the guys house when I see some vehicles around and ask about it. As far as weight, if that is actually a one piece solid anvil, I would guesstimate it at over 2000lbs. easy.

 

[Bronson]

That thing has got to be hollow?

 

[Bronson]

Is it iron or wood? The proportions look a bit off to me, based on my limited experience with anvil manufacturers, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if that was yard art at its best. Almost reminds me of the Mile Long Anvil in Texas.

I had to Google that one-

http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/anvils/making/mile_long_anvil.php

 

[shoot summ]

Looks like yard art to me too, steel plate, not cast...

 

[creativecars]

Around here the crack heads would have tried to load that into the back of a truck to haul it in for scrap.

 

[Zeke]

Around here the crack heads would have tried to load that into the back of a truck to haul it in for scrap.

Might be filled with concrete. Could also be filled with water and the hole welded over. But if it were mine and I though some ******** was gonna snake it, I'd fill it full of any kind of **** (I mean literally, ****) that I could find including my own. And top that off with water.

Drill that open, sucker.

Makes a nice mail box stand. Is the guy a blacksmith? Pretty good subtle advertising.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I don't think anybody could hit that mailbox post and then drive off. That would sure stop just about anything but a concrete truck.

 

[Rileysan]

It not wood, it's all steel. I looked it over without getting out of the vehicle, and it looks to be all one piece. Like I said, I'll make it over to the guys house when I see some vehicles around and ask about it. As far as weight, if that is actually a one piece solid anvil, I would guesstimate it at over 2000lbs. easy.

If it's steel, it's almost certainly fabricated and hollow. Were it cast as one, solid piece, it would weigh upwards of 5 tons (or more). Not saying it's not possible, just that it's impractical and outrageously expensive to cast something that big.

Brian

 

[Roberts210]

My vote is that it's steel plate. Hopefully the OP will return with a hammer and investigate.

But I wonder if the owner of the property collects anvils? It would be an odd mailbox support unless you REALLY REALLY liked anvils.

 

[twertsy]

Why would you put hardy and pritchel holes in a fake anvil............?

Also note, they both go all the way through.........not fake.

 

[Corndoggeh]

I believe the largest anvil was a peter wright 708lb. If that one is solid its most likely fabricated.

 

[big.jim]

does look very very square for a casting , my vote is fabricated and has anyone noticed the chequer plate mailbox

 

[Rileysan]

Perhaps you found Paul Bunyan's anvil?!?

From Rileypedia:

" ... while skidding timber on especially rough terrain, Babe the blue ox threw a shoe that derailed a passing train. Unable to find a suitable ferrier, Paul Bunyan turned to blacksmithing as his preferred trade. While rumors persist of a vise making venture, known as the "Pittsburgh Vise Company", no known examples have ever been found. The whereabouts of Paul's blacksmithing tools are unknown.

As an aside, it is rumored that Babe's thrown shoe is now buried around the base of the Washington Monument."

 

[alskdjfhg]

Not saying it's not possible, just that it's impractical and outrageously expensive to cast something that big

A 5 ton casting is nothing earth shattering.

Much larger castings are common in machine tools, heavy equipment, etc.

Most of my machine tools have at least one part of them that heavy, and were talking simple midsized lathes and mills here. The counter weights on my big forklift and crane are close to 10tons each, one casting. And these are small machines really.

And not too be pedantic, but the higher quality anvils are actually forged, not simply cast.

 

[twertsy]

And I'm sure some of you remember my Vise and anvil "find," which never panned out. The gent told me they had to use the bobcat to move one of the anvils and it counterbalanced the machine........

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[Rileysan]

A 5 ton casting is nothing earth shattering.

Much larger castings are common in machine tools, heavy equipment, etc.

Most of my machine tools have at least one part of them that heavy, and were talking simple midsized lathes and mills here. The counter weights on my big forklift and crane are close to 10tons each, one casting. And these are small machines really.

And not too be pedantic, but the higher quality anvils are actually forged, not simply cast.

Since we are being literal, anvils are usually a combination of casting and forging.

I work in the industry, so am intimately familiar with metal casting - we make steel castings in excess of 30 tons for machines used in the mining and rock crushing industry.

The point is not about large castings per se, but rather large castings for the hobbyist. The anvil pictured is nothing but a display; a conversation starter that has no practical use.

Whether it is one solid casting, forged steel, or fabrication is yet to be determined. The fact is this anvil is being used as a mailbox stand along the side of a road.

So what's the simplest explanation? This man commissioned a foundry to make a casting at upwards of $8/lb for one-off work (not including the cost of making a pattern) or he played arts & crafts in his own shop and created a really great looking mailbox stand?

The simplest explanation is usually the right one ...

Brian

 

[Rileysan]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Photo of a 20 ton "double pour" Taken on my phone a few weeks ago...