I teared up today.....

[inazuma_x]

Originally Posted by Glenn

I do hope your not suggesting anything illegal.

At 2 am the local dog may think HE owns the anvil, and might discuss the matter with you on his terms. The dog may ask the property owner and his hunting rifle to support the dog's views. Dogs can get real possessive.

illegal??? i am sure i dont know what you mean *innocent smile*

[ApprenticeMan]

I suggest making the early morning visit, bring along a steak to supplement Mr Dog's loud voice.

[KYBOY]

LOL, I happen to know this guy thru the LEO grapevine...Hes a KY state trooper...I doubt its gonna go miss'n from his yard

[RegionalChaos]

Offer to replace it with a different anvil. Get one of those Harbor Freight china made ASOs.

[ironrosefarms]

Maybe you could get someone to cast an aluminum replica and convince the owner it is a very rare anti gravity anvil that has the power to be fully metal but only feel like 1/3 the weight! Then offer to trade him his common heavy iron anvil if he gives you $100 to make up the difference... LOL, ok probably won't work but, what if it did?

Removing evil grin and returning to normal peaceable self...
James

[Dan OHare]

Originally Posted by KYBOY

Today I saw a beautiful nearly unused 150# ish' Peter wright setting in a yard spray painted black for a yard ornament..Not for sale.......Just my luck

Hmmm... If you have a small portable gasser you can forge by the moonlight while theyr'e sleeping...

[oakwoodironworks]

Anvils have a way of showing up when you least expect them. Ask everyone you know if they know where you can find an anvil. Often times, you can find one right under you nose. As an example, I ask a guy I know who is out and about as a tractor mechanic, to keep his eyes open and let me know if he ran across any blacksmith tools. He showed up at work today with a 150lb. Swedish anvil in pretty good shape (pritchel hole messed up by torch cut but real good face)and asked me where I wanted it. The funny thing about it was I asked him to look for tools, not go on a buying spree. He bought a couple of welding tables, engine stand and a floor jack and got the anvil thrown in for good measure. I have another friend who works for a welding supplier and he was given a 200lb Arm and Hammer anvil just because he asked what they were going to do with the anvil sitting in the corner. I looked for a long time before I found my first anvil, so don't give up. Right now, I know where a 275lb. Peter Wright anvil is sitting in an old garage under a couple inches of dust and bird poop (owner can't make up his mind what to do about the old tools and tractor parts), an almost brand new 300lb. Fisher anvil and factory stand sitting in a shop waiting to be rented out with the building (dosen't make sense to me) and a friend who has 500lb. Hay-Budden anvil sitting out in his yard as yard art (he didn't want to sell it because it belonged to his grandfather, but did say I could borrow it when I first started blacksmithing. Didn't take him up on his offer because I couldn't see trying to move it around just to borrow it). So keep looking. You never know what you might find

[forgeman]

Hey Guys , Anvils are no different than old cars , guns , coins , stamps or any of the thousands of things people collect . Lucky for us in the U.S.A. a lot of guys fought and died so we could have the chance to earn a living and spend our money on things that make us happy . I am happy for the guy with 1000 anvils , he worked or his ancestors worked and made some money and he is spending it on what he likes , (way to go ) . To the guys that want one anvil to use in your blacksmith shop , I ask how bad do you want one? There are several companys that are producing high quality anvils both in the U.S.A. and overseas . with the cost of other "hobbies " running in the thousands and even cable t.v. at 70.00 a month and smokes at 5.00 a pack . even a stocker at wal-mart could save a 1000 .00 dollars for an anvil that will last a lifetime . Forgeman

[chyancarrek]

Originally Posted by forgeman

Hey Guys , Anvils are no different than old cars , guns , coins , stamps or any of the thousands of things people collect .

Not so much - Old cars, guns, coins etc have their value and appeal in BEING collectables. There aren't too many folks buying a 57' Chevy as the family daily driver or using a rare coin to buy a soda. The functionality of the things you mentioned have been replaced by a vast selection of modern versions at a level the average consumer can afford - the items collected don't have a negative availability impact on any given community.

No one questioned the "right" of anyone to buy whatever they want - just the motivation behind it. How many PW's or Hay-Budden's of the same size does one person need in their collection? Blacksmithing is about sharing knowledge and the resources to keep our craft growing - when a smith (or collector) hoards multiple pieces of the same tool, it hurts the community.

Indeed, you can purchase a new anvil - but they're prohibitively expensive. Most people get into smithing on a shoestring - having more of the older equipment available provides a broader price range to more people trying to grow into the craft. No one is suggesting anyone make their tools available at prices below what they paid (or not make a profit) as some philanthropic gesture - just simply make them available.

So much quality equipment ended up in the furnaces during WWII and much has been lost to neglect and misuse that older "heritage" quality smithing tools have become a finite resource - having a significant number of what's left end up being stacked in the corner for "bragging rights" is a nothing short of a shame.

[psilogen]

Originally Posted by forgeman

I am happy for the guy with 1000 anvils , he worked or his ancestors worked and made some money and he is spending it on what he likes , (way to go ) .

I can somewhat respect his accomplishment if he worked his whole life in order to snag those anvils, but if he's buying with daddy's trust fund or a massive inheritance, then he may as well just be some schmo who won the lottery and said "gee golly, I really like them iron blocks, I better get 'em all!"