Anvil identification?

[txlonghorn1989]

I picked this anvil up today at a garage sale near the house. Hard to believe it was still there at noon on the 2nd day. I don't normally check garage sales ads on CL but this morning I was hoping to find a decent solid wood bookcase so I was clicking all the ads in my part of town and spotted the anvil in the seller's ad. Still, if it hadn't been less than 2 miles from the house I wouldn't even have bothered to go and see if the anvil was still there and worth buying. It seems to be in good condition, in other words not abused. One side is stamped with "79 lbs", "Sweden" and above "Sweden" it has some word I can't make out in a rectangle. See pics. "1915" which I assume if the manufacture date is stamped in the right front of the base at the horn end. A larger "3" is stamped below the date. It measures appx 20" from the tip of the horn to the back side and under 3-1/2" wide at the face (?) top (?) of the anvil.

I would appreciate any help folks can provide in identifying it or pointers to websites or pages that might help in that regard. If I need to provide any other pics please let me know.

Thanks!!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I think I'm seeing an image of a straight razor on the side of your anvil and that would make it a Soderfors. Excellent anvils in my opinion. I have a very large Soderfors also. Weight always stamped in imperial lbs. Ed.

 

[Jayman17]

Tx, Still there on the middle of the second day? Unbelievable, that would have been gone first thing around here. Nice score, did you get the 2nd day discount?

Jay

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Tx, Still there on the middle of the second day? Unbelievable, that would have been gone first thing around here. Nice score, did you get the 2nd day discount?

Jay

Jay, When I asked what he wanted for it he started googling to determine a price. After waiting 5 minutes I asked if I could make an offer. I offered $2.50/lb. He accepted immediately. I'm happy with what I paid.

Orc, Do you have an image of the Soderfors straight razor? I didn't notice that image stamped in the anvil. Here are two pics after I took some of the rust down hoping to get a clearer detail on what is in the rectangle over "Sweden".

Thoughts anyone?

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Looking at Google images, I found a Soderfors anvil with "Paragon" in a rectangle above the "Sweden" stamp. Between the Paragon with the rectangle and "Sweden" was a "Soderfors" stamp. Here's a pic of it. After seeing this I think "Paragon" is what is in the rectangle on my anvil. Could this be a Paragon anvil and if so is that the same or different than a Soderfors anvil? This example is date stamped on the side, my 1915 example has the date stamp at the front bottom right of the base.

Edit: Okay. Just saw the straight razor on an anvil on iforgeiron dot com and rechecked the side of my anvil and I now see the straight razor Orc referred to. Does that help identify the anvil? Paragon or Soderfors or those are the same thing?

Thanks folks!

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Just read a comment on iforgeiron from a user (Black Frog) referring to an anvil posted there with "PARAGON" in a rectangle on the side ... "It was made by Soderfors in Sweden specifically for a U.S. import company, Horace Potts Co. located in Philly." No date on that vise.

 

[bmwrd0]

Does the GJ have an Anvils thread? That might be as nice as the vise one.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Just read a comment on iforgeiron from a user (Black Frog) referring to an anvil posted there with "PARAGON" in a rectangle on the side ... "It was made by Soderfors in Sweden specifically for a U.S. import company, Horace Potts Co. located in Philly." No date on that vise.

Yes that is the case Tx. Sometimes Soderfors stamped other info on the side of their anvils too. I've seen some stamped Danemera which was one of their famous mine sites. Swedish steel was/is world renowned. Here are a couple pics including a few of my #506 Soderfors on the right shown with a #400 West and a #100 van cast anvil. Seems like there is an anvil thread here somewhere. Ed.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Ok. Considering I knew/know nothing about anvils it sounds like I lucked into not only a decent price but also one that is well thought of amongst anvil users. That's cool. I see the 'Solid Steel' stamped on a number of the Paragon examples and in old ads and have read comments about this. How do I tell if my anvil is solid steel versus whatever other type of construction methods are/were used? Cast iron? Forged steel? ???

I saw a 'Show your anvils' thread but it was not very active.

Thanks Ed! Are those your anvils?

 

[Jayman17]

Wow Ed, those are some big ol' anvils! That stand under the left one is interesting, did you fab that?

Jay

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

There are those who believe all Soderfors anvils are cast steel. I'm not sure I believe that but there is no shame in having a cast steel anvil. Good steel trough and through as opposed to forging in a steel top plate on a wrought iron anvil. Plenty of good anvils are made that way also including Peter Wrights.

Cast steel is not the same as cast iron. Look down the center line of the anvil under the heel and look for a faint casting line. Kind of a tell. Often forged anvils have handling holes that show some wear from when they were forged. It's also possible some anvils were forged in closed dies. Here are a couple pics of Soderfors from the heel end showing cast lines up the center. Also one that does not have any indication of being cast but it's possible I suppose. Only the three Anvils in the pyramid stack above are mine. Ed.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Wow Ed, those are some big ol' anvils! That stand under the left one is interesting, did you fab that?

Jay

Thanks Jay. Yes I made the stand for that #400 West starting with a scrap of H-Beam.Had some empty space in the middle so I added doors on each side for hardies and stuff. The anvil is bedded in lead. That's what the dam around the footprint was for, holding a molten puddle of lead. Took the ring right out of it. Ed.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Ed, Here's a pic of the my anvil under the heel. I didn't capture the pic the way you did as I slightly misinterpreted your suggestion to capture it. But you can definitely see a "seam". Sounds like this anvil is cast steel. How is that different or not from the "solid steel" claims made by Soderfors?

What's the significance of the straight razor stamped on the anvil? Do all Soderfors anvils have them? Was there a period where they used these? If so any idea what that was?

I'm going to put it on the bathroom scale tomorrow and see what it actually weighs.

Thanks again for all the info! It's fun learning about new tools especially something completely new and different like anvils.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Sure looks to be cast steel which is "solid steel" and still very good. A lot of Soderfors advertising claims their anvils were forged from one solid piece of steel. Maybe in some kind of closed dies but I really don't know.

Definitely not all Soderfors have the straight razor mark. Mine doesn't. It has the P T G mark with the crown. I'm really not sure what years or foundry's may have used the straight razor mark either but I believe it is on Soderfors Paragon anvils fairly often. I also read that when you see it you are looking at a Soderfors according to Richard Postman, author of Anvils in America. A very good reference book. Ed.

 

[Jayman17]

Thanks Jay. Yes I made the stand for that #400 West starting with a scrap of H-Beam.Had some empty space in the middle so I added doors on each side for hardies and stuff. The anvil is bedded in lead. That's what the dam around the footprint was for, holding a molten puddle of lead. Took the ring right out of it. Ed.

Thanks for posting those photos, that's really a clever idea and well executed.
Methinks you are a talented guy Ed!

Jay

Sorry to stray off topic Tx

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Thanks for posting those photos, that's really a clever idea and well executed.
Methinks you are a talented guy Ed!

Jay

Sorry to stray off topic Tx

No problemo. I would actually like to see more of what looks like an incredible shop Ed has!