Show me your ANVIL

[CwazyWabbit]

DIF: I'd agree with that weight, it's probably the best size as any more and it would need two people to move it around. I can't find any other stamps on it, well there is possibly an S near the base.
I've spent most of the afternoon working on removing the piece of bar that has been hammered and then rusted into the hardy hole. It's cleared about half way down now with a list of casualties in the form of a few chipped drills, a chipped cold chisel and another cold chisel with a spilt :-/ Probably another hour or two of chiselling to clear the hole.
One advantage of the blocked hardy hole is that it looks like the hole was blocked so long ago that the edges of the hole have received little damage over the years.

The guy did have a bigger anvil there but wouldn't sell it as it had been passed down through the family which is understandable.

 

[joe.striper]

CW: LITTLE ANVIL?? with those weight stamps it looks like it weighs 224 pounds which might be a perfect size to own. also those stamped numbers look like a Peter Wright and i like that style too. glad to see you are not anviless any longer. sadly i am now, but my own fault because i sold a few PW's that were 100-177 pounds thinking i would like a bigger one that hasn't shown up yet.

Joe: did you put BLO on those anvils and cook them? they are almost too shiny. that one you don't know the maker and can't find any marks looks nice and clean so i would have bought it too. you might not own an old 8 inch wide jaw vise yet, but looks like you've got plenty of old iron sitting around in your shop.

Yes I BLO them and cook them at 300 degrees for 4 hours. Really protects them and it is easily removed. Doesnt affect temper at all. If I dont do thst i have to oil them.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Success!!! I've managed to remove the lump of steel from the hardy hole

This is how far I got to yesterday, drilled a hole down the centre and then from the top to where you see now was removed a little bit at a time with a hammer and chisel.


Then this evening I managed to chisel a slot down the side and knock the rest through.


One undamaged hole complete with rust


The top looks in reasonable condition considering.


I don't really follow anvil prices but this cost me £125 which is around $166 or $0.74 per lb.

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: i can't say i've ever seen a hardy hole filled up ever so wonder why yours was. nice work getting it open again.

all the tools you used and broke or ruined to do so probably cost as much as some of your vises.

way to GET R DONE. cool looking anvil too

 

[CwazyWabbit]

DIF: Every tool bar the one split cold chisel can be resharpened so no real cost as it was a cheap cold chisel. I really noticed the quality difference when I dug out one of my older chisels ... so that split one should probably deserve to be in the bin

As to why there was a bar hammered in the hardy hole I guess that is a mystery consigned to history. You can see it in this picture going all the way from the top surface of the anvil down to the base.

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: if it didn't have the ding on the side which maybe is an easy fix for you if you know a machinist and a smoother top it might sell for 3 or 4 times that much around here. i still am putting my money on Peter Wright because of the weight stamping and style of the horn even though i haven't seen one with a rear end like yours. the PW's i had the stamps were not very deep so easily could be lost with 100+ years of use.

good to know you can find out which chisels hold their salt just by doing a little restoration work.

great looking anvil and a great size too.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

DIF: Cheers for the info I'm tempted to leave the damage on the side for now, it should be easy enough to work around and whilst I could weld it up I don't want to risk ruining the temper.
I'm thinking about running the belt sander over the top surface to clean it up a bit, do you see any problems with that?
I believe that the type of rear on this anvil makes it a Portsmouth pattern (based on a bit of googling)

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: don't see any issues with belt sanding it and maybe somebody else will see this and confirm or alert us to any issues. the real way to do it i hear is have it machined flat, but unless you know a machinist that has a big machine and muscles sanding might be your best option.

if you find catalog pages to post please do or if you want to start buying and collecting anvils you might want to buy that Anvils of America book a lot of guys use to learn more about them. i currently don't own the book, but i think the prices finally dropped a bit on it from $200 to maybe $60, but not certain about that.

good luck in your search for the maker.

 

[Outlawmws]

CW, IF you can keep the sander flat AND you can keep the surface flat, Then it's an option. If you want it truly flat, see about having a shop surface grind it. Possibly an automotive machine shop has a Blanchard grinder big enough? just let them know what level of imperfections you are OK with...

The risk of a belt sander is grinding a saddle or waves into it...

 

[joe.striper]

Picked this one up the other day. American Wrought. Made in Brooklyn NY prior to 1910. Maker used to work for Hay Budden. Unbelievable condition and as it turns out really uncommon. Such a **** little anvil. 60-70 lbs. Ive got to get it on a scale.

 

[Black Frog]

Wonderful American. Weight stamped on the side under the logo, do I see 56#?
Sent you a PM.... Actually American was in business at least into 1915. Not everything in AIA is accurate. There's a couple different versions of the American stamp. One has an oval border around the lettering, and another style is just the lettering in an oval shape (like yours).

 

[CwazyWabbit]

CW, IF you can keep the sander flat AND you can keep the surface flat, Then it's an option. If you want it truly flat, see about having a shop surface grind it. Possibly an automotive machine shop has a Blanchard grinder big enough? just let them know what level of imperfections you are OK with...

The risk of a belt sander is grinding a saddle or waves into it...

Cheers Outlaw, I've given it a light tickle with a flap disc just to remove the rust and show up how bad the surface really is. Will look into getting it ground, taking a 1/16" off would remove a lot of the abuse marks I think.

 

[joe.striper]

Picked up this 181 lb Trenton anvil today. Couldn't resist. Just such perfect condition. Oh well, eating is over-rated anyway.

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: just saying if you mill or sand that anvil of yours perfectly flat just think about all the cool stuff you could have made with those character marks showing on your projects. in my opinion sometimes flat perfect metal surfaces are boring and i like a dent here and there. your call and i'm sure whichever way you go will be ok.

Joe: I would have starved myself to buy that one, but in my neck of the woods that would be about 3 or 4 weeks of meals. great looking anvil and you are getting quite a collection going or did you trade off a few to Meatsis for one of his 8 inch huge vises?

WELL DONE SIR!! i love an anvil about yours and CW's weight in the 170-225 range that i can still move around by myself.

 

[joe.striper]

CW: just saying if you mill or sand that anvil of yours perfectly flat just think about all the cool stuff you could have made with those character marks showing on your projects. in my opinion sometimes flat perfect metal surfaces are boring and i like a dent here and there. your call and i'm sure whichever way you go will be ok.

Joe: I would have starved myself to buy that one, but in my neck of the woods that would be about 3 or 4 weeks of meals. great looking anvil and you are getting quite a collection going or did you trade off a few to Meatsis for one of his 8 inch huge vises?

WELL DONE SIR!! i love an anvil about yours and CW's weight in the 170-225 range that i can still move around by myself.

Drive i paid him CASH. Meat felt sorry for me and did me a solid

 

[CwazyWabbit]

CW: just saying if you mill or sand that anvil of yours perfectly flat just think about all the cool stuff you could have made with those character marks showing on your projects. in my opinion sometimes flat perfect metal surfaces are boring and i like a dent here and there. your call and i'm sure whichever way you go will be ok.
....

I'm still undecided what to do, but I do know that I want the cut marks where someone looks to have cut into it with a grinder gone. The other marks I'm kind of easy about. Not going to do anything drastic yet, will use it for a while first then decide.

 

[rmalkow2]

Here's a question that probably has been asked before but maybe its a quick answer from someone in the know.
Is there a calculation for determining the proper height from the floor up to the working surface of an anvil?
I'm looking to cut a length of tree trunk for mounting purposes and wondering how long to cut it. I've heard the working surface height should be at the full extension of your hammer arm swing.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Here's a question that probably has been asked before but maybe its a quick answer from someone in the know.
Is there a calculation for determining the proper height from the floor up to the working surface of an anvil?
I'm looking to cut a length of tree trunk for mounting purposes and wondering how long to cut it. I've heard the working surface height should be at the full extension of your hammer arm swing.

Pack it up on bricks or something to about fist height, put a piece of plywood on the top of the anvil and hit it with your hammer.

At the perfect height the hammer will leave a circle impression in the plywood. Too low and the crescent shape will be away from you and too high it will be near you. If it's to either side you didn't hit it straight. The aim is to get the whole hammer face to hit the wood square on.

 

[drivesitfar]

RM: i like CW's method of finding the perfect height and I can't say i've heard that before. I'm not a blacksmith (yet), but i know a few and since you will be hammering a lot and with power i'd say the most common height is one that is comfortable to you. so you not only don't get as tired as fast, but so you also don't hurt your joints and elbows.

if CW's method puts you close to where your elbow is about a 90 degree angle when your hammers hit the metal on the surface of your anvil that would be ideal in my thinking.

also cutting a piece of green wood you'll want to dry it slow and maybe slap on some preservative to keep it from cracking.

 

[Outlawmws]

Drives, the elbow height rule works well for things like vises. an anvil surface will be MUCH lower for full power strikes with a hammer.

 

[drivesitfar]

Outlaw: i agree that i've seen a lot of anvils placed a lot lower, but i also notice that a lot of blacksmiths also bend over and i think that might end up causing back issues. i'm not saying it shouldn't be lower because you can definitely get more of your weight and power behind the blow i'm just saying if you can develop your biceps and forearms more and put it a little higher your back might appreciate it.

another thing a lot of you already know, but if you can put a rubber mat with some cushioning next to your anvil to stand on that will also be a lot better for your back especially if you stand in one place for a long period of time. it works great in front of my work benches.

 

[sandman54]

RM: i like CW's method of finding the perfect height and I can't say i've heard that before. I'm not a blacksmith (yet), but i know a few and since you will be hammering a lot and with power i'd say the most common height is one that is comfortable to you. so you not only don't get as tired as fast, but so you also don't hurt your joints and elbows.

if CW's method puts you close to where your elbow is about a 90 degree angle when your hammers hit the metal on the surface of your anvil that would be ideal in my thinking.

also cutting a piece of green wood you'll want to dry it slow and maybe slap on some preservative to keep it from cracking.

morning all, i have learned what little i know from a master German smith.. it is all about method and technique, for instance i have been swinging a hammer pretty much all my life and found out i really did not do that properly. Lol did not know how to properly build or manage a forge fire. had no idea about how much better a 500 plus lbs. german double horn with upsetting block mounted on a cast iron german base was that most any thing else out there. i am not being an anvil snob,i personally think all anvils are neat and am amazed they are in every culture in some form or another. Sandman

 

[drivesitfar]

Sandman: no worries mentioning that you love old iron, but which way is the proper way to set up the height of your anvil? also if you are mentioning 500 plus pound anvils on a stand that you might have posted before it never hurts to post pictures again of it if you have time.

and what is the PROPER WAY TO SWING A HAMMER??

 

[sandman54]

Hey Drives if u will go to page 35 post #687 ,688 and 689 u will see a fine example of a 450 lbs Kohlswa anvil on a 500 lbs base with hardwood inset. This set up came out of the Volkswagon factory in southern Germany. This anvil has all the bells and whistle. If u care to google GREENWOOD IRONWORKS and watch his videos, they are great! Sandman

 

[drivesitfar]

Take: your RR anvil pictures didn't show up so you might try using the paperclip just above where you are writing your posts and attach pics sort of like you would on an email. Welcome to the forum too.

Sandman: so did you buy the cool stand in this video? it's higher like i was mentioning, but i understand why it might be lower for better results.

Greenwood Ironworks on youtube videos are cool even to hear him test an anvil's ring with the side of his hammers is music to my ears.

 

[sandman54]

This stand Drives is just for anvil demos, for anvils his has for sale. Now the German base that both he and i use are to help in moving more iron per lick and the hard wood in the base helps the felt energy coming back to the hammer and into ones arm. this is my thinking, and it also holds the anvil in place using wedges . Sandman

 

[CwazyWabbit]

CW: if it didn't have the ding on the side which maybe is an easy fix for you if you know a machinist and a smoother top it might sell for 3 or 4 times that much around here. i still am putting my money on Peter Wright because of the weight stamping and style of the horn even though i haven't seen one with a rear end like yours. the PW's i had the stamps were not very deep so easily could be lost with 100+ years of use.

good to know you can find out which chisels hold their salt just by doing a little restoration work.

great looking anvil and a great size too.

After some extensive googling I've found another anvil online that looks exactly like mine. On that one you can see the makers stamp on it (I shall be having a much closer look at mine to see if I can find the same on mine now I know what I'm looking for).
The makers stamp on the other anvil is "I.Nash & Sons" who apparently bought out Peter Wright in 1908 and continued to manufacture Peter Wright anvils and employing many of their workers. I also read that Nash bought out the MouseHole forges trademark in 1927.
Anyway I shall continue searching

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: i thought it had the PETER WRIGHT look to it. all of my PW's had very light PW stamps, but the weight stamps were very clear like yours are.

keep up the research and let us know. i think your 224 pound anvil is getting more valuable as i'm typing this.

 

[jimreed2160]

Well my daughter needs some tools for making jewelry. I looked around in the shop and found this old green anvil.

It looked a little sad so I took it to the grinder and buffing wheel. Then it had a trip to the paint shop and also got a new walnut base. Now it is looking like it is ready for prime time.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Found this today its a SISCO Superior 66# anvil made in Sweden.

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[CwazyWabbit]

I've spent too long procrastinating about what to do about the top surface of my anvil. So today I decided to at least clean it up so I have some smooth surfaces to work on rather than have it completely covered in pits, dents and grind marks.

As bought


After a quick clean with the flap disc, this really showed the abuse marks


After attacking with an angle grinder, first with a grinding wheel then with a flap disc.


Flatter finish using the belt sander. Really pleased with the finish, there are still dents and dings but it was a compromise, at least now it's usable, flatter, smoother and has less of a dip than when I started.


Still need to do the horn, toying with a bead of TIG weld in the cut.

 

[drivesitfar]

CW: WELL DONE especially for your first try.

CA: i know guys in your area that say they haven't seen an anvil very often or at all in years and you found one. WELL DONE.

also a SWEDISH anvil too. just curious is the #66 also the weight of it or how much does it weigh?

ALL: i might meet a guy this next week that has i think he said 35 anvils and probably as many or more vises so i might have something to post next week. ANVILESS IN SEATTLE maybe no more.

 

[PWRstroke_smoke]

Newest addition, peter wright pre 1900's 107lb paid $180 for it
rebound is prefect at over 90%

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

CW: WELL DONE especially for your first try.

CA: i know guys in your area that say they haven't seen an anvil very often or at all in years and you found one. WELL DONE.

also a SWEDISH anvil too. just curious is the #66 also the weight of it or how much does it weigh?

ALL: i might meet a guy this next week that has i think he said 35 anvils and probably as many or more vises so i might have something to post next week. ANVILESS IN SEATTLE maybe no more.

Drives: The little bit of info I could find on this anvil states that 66 # is the weight.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

I've spent too long procrastinating about what to do about the top surface of my anvil. So today I decided to at least clean it up so I have some smooth surfaces to work on rather than have it completely covered in pits, dents and grind marks.

As bought


After a quick clean with the flap disc, this really showed the abuse marks


After attacking with an angle grinder, first with a grinding wheel then with a flap disc.


Flatter finish using the belt sander. Really pleased with the finish, there are still dents and dings but it was a compromise, at least now it's usable, flatter, smoother and has less of a dip than when I started.


Still need to do the horn, toying with a bead of TIG weld in the cut.

That looks great how big of a ****** belt sander do you have.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

That looks great how big of a ****** belt sander do you have.

Lol, it was just a hand held ancient Elu one with a 4" width.

 

[rmalkow2]

Pack it up on bricks or something to about fist height, put a piece of plywood on the top of the anvil and hit it with your hammer.

At the perfect height the hammer will leave a circle impression in the plywood. Too low and the crescent shape will be away from you and too high it will be near you. If it's to either side you didn't hit it straight. The aim is to get the whole hammer face to hit the wood square on.

RM: i like CW's method of finding the perfect height and I can't say i've heard that before. I'm not a blacksmith (yet), but i know a few and since you will be hammering a lot and with power i'd say the most common height is one that is comfortable to you. so you not only don't get as tired as fast, but so you also don't hurt your joints and elbows.

if CW's method puts you close to where your elbow is about a 90 degree angle when your hammers hit the metal on the surface of your anvil that would be ideal in my thinking.

also cutting a piece of green wood you'll want to dry it slow and maybe slap on some preservative to keep it from cracking.

Drives, the elbow height rule works well for things like vises. an anvil surface will be MUCH lower for full power strikes with a hammer.

Thanks all for the comments and guidance. I figured a little adjustment has to be determined for overall height depending on your specific body size, reach etc. I'll give CW's method a try as it sounds logical to get a good consistent strike. I agree that most times they seem to be lower than a bench or vise set up but in the end I guess it's got to be comfortable for the person swinging the hammer.

 

[Black Frog]

ALL: i might meet a guy this next week that has i think he said 35 anvils and probably as many or more vises so i might have something to post next week. ANVILESS IN SEATTLE maybe no more.

Good luck! If you see any Trenton or Arm&Hammer anvils in this collection, PLEASE take closeup pictures of the side logo stamp, and of the serial number on the front foot under the horn! Every new entry example in the logo database helps fill in all the gaps! Might help to take a wire brush with you....

 

[Black Frog]

Here's another one you don't come across everyday. 650# Columbian anvil with a Columbian mini riding on the horn....

 

[designr]

I was happy to see this thread - you don't often hear "show me your anvil!"

These two are from my father, who was a founding member of ABANA and the national president back in the early '70s. The German one was purchased new over 40 years ago, so before RIGID bought them. The american style I was always told is a Hay Budden, but it has no marks left on it to confirm. It originally came from Bea Hensley & Son Forge - a good family friend and Master Smith who lived in Spruce Pines NC. It is somewhere close to #300.