Show me your anvil

[Frosty]

Nate:

That's a great looking anvil.

The only change I'd make is to torch out the 1/2" (useless size) hardy hole and replace the thing with 1" ID sq tubing.

I can think of lots of things to do with the eye in the rear, I'd leave it unless it's in the way.

You can make a bolster plate for punching a lot easier than drilling through that much 4140 (probably) steel. Same for a step, I use the step on my anvils for upsetting into but that's about it. I do all my chiseling on a saddle plate, never the steps. If you want something to upset into weld a thick block of mild to the body somewhere out of the way but handy.

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Aeneas:

I've posted this add to our local Association page and while everyone's drooling nobody can afford the freight to get it here. I actually laid hands on this anvil 15-18 years ago. At least I'm pretty sure it's the same one, it came from the mine and was a 375lb PW. Might've been another one from the same mine originally bought together.

Thanks for the heads up.

Frosty

[triw]

Nate that is a nice looking anvil. My first was two pieces of railroad track one piece was bottoms up for a flat surface and the other right side up. Yours is unique and you did a nice job. William

[Aeneas]

Here's a picture of the forge workstation in my classroom. My anvil is a simple 110lb london pattern anvil (I haven't looked closely enough for any company markings). Nothing fancy, just meat and potatoes but she works just fine for me. I'm the shop teacher at my school and this is where I do most of my work. I havent got around to setting up a shop at home yet, but my friend Ken and I have built a portable Norse style charcoal forge we set up at demos. It's based on a firebox image from the bayeaux tapestry and we just ran with it. Works really well too - we get a hot spot about the size of a grapefruit and can get welding temperatures out of it. I'll try to get around to taking some pictures some time.
Aeneas

[keykeeper]

That "meat and potatoes" anvil looks like a Vaughan & Brooks. Nice anvil. The school bought a good one.

[Aeneas]

Het Keykeeper,
Thanks for the ID, I'll double check.
BTW I love your sig.line.
aeneas

[ThomasPowers]

Aeneas; I'd like to see your "norse" forge, compare it to Atli's, Darrell's or mine...

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by ThomasPowers

Aeneas; I'd like to see your "norse" forge, compare it to Atli's, Darrell's or mine...

I know Darrell uses a sand table setup with a soapstone bellows shield. Our (Ken and mine) forge set up is actually a firebox made of 1.25" ash planks, standing about 3' high. It originally had an ash plank shelf for the firebox to sit on when we first tested it out, but we also only had enough fire brick to make a single layer of lining all around the sides and bottom. Burned out the ash bottom after 3 hours of demo, but the box carcass was unsinged luckily.

It now has a plate steel bottom, a sheet metal liner and 2 layers of soft brick all around and on the bottom, with 2 bricks standing on end to make a bellows shield. Gives us a 12x12x4 firebox. Works like a charm, and looks good too. Ken made a norse 2 lung bellows and we both made square anvils from 5x5 mild steel blocks. We "dressed: up the sides to make it look old and hand worked (I've never worked with that kind of mass ever before - the block was on the anvil 14 inches away from me and my apron was smoking), quench hardened them, ground and filed the table smooth, ground and filed 3 different radii on 3 edges leaving one edge sharp. I even hot chiseled my mark on the side.

All in all it's a nice set-up and looks good at a demo. Maybe not totally historically accurate. It was inspired by a firebox from the bayeax tapestry - in the image, it looks like they're cooking. I figured the only difference between cooking with charcoal and forging with charcoal is temperature and the volume of air delivery. So why not ???

Aeneas

[dntfxr]

I just inherited this 95# anvil from my wife's Grandfather. He's 98 yrs old and used it quite a bit as a young man and he inherited it from his father. Its got a few chips on the corners, but the face has only a few thousanths of a sway. There is also some minor pitting behind the hardy hole. It looks to only have one seam/forgeweld where the body meets the face and it rebounds and rings true. Its pretty cool to have a tool from a freind whom I have so much respect for.
I've only found a little info on Wilkinsons anvils and it seems there are several different types that were made. These pics aren't the best but can anyone tell me more about it? The fourth pic has is of the front bottom edge and it shows an emblem that looks similar to (4) but turned 90 to the left.?
Also, I kind of have mixed feelings about it but would you do anything to try to true up the face or remove the pitting? (I can live with the chipped corners)
Thanks!
dntfxr

[Finnr]

Use it for a while and see if the top polishes out. Then think about maybe doing a bit of repair. May not need a thing.
Finnr

[Frosty]

The "emblem" on the foot looks like a 3 to me, just like the 3 on the side where it's weight is stamped. 0 3 11 or 80 lbs.

Have you put it on a scale?

I wouldn't do a thing to it but use it. You'll find one in better shape if you want/need one and this is a family heirloom.

Congratulations on keeping it in the family AND in use.

Frosty