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I Forge Iron

My Swage Anvil


atexascowboy

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That isn't mutilating an anvil! That's making it extremely functional for its users  and the 32 bids would indeed confirm that. 

 

Mutilating an anvil is welding a handle onto the center of the face so it can be used for weight lifting! - I've seen this done a couple of times now. And both would have been very good, usable anvils.

 

All the best 

Andy

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It's about to break the $870 mark... And it's got 1 day and 22 hours...

 

 

Hope someone likes Crow...

Too.Funny.

Yeah, I put it on my watch list for the humor value.  At near $7/lb. Tex is gonna make his modification labor back, as well.  :lol:

At this rate he might be able to sell his plans to farriers. 

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32 bids, not 32 bidders. I can assure you of one thing. None of them were me.
ckquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

Mutilating an anvil is welding a handle onto the center of the face so it can be used for weight lifting! - I've seen this done a couple of times now. And both would have been very good, usable anvils.

Now that's certainly contradictory to say that isn't it? Isn't that also making it functional for it's users too? I'd say it's exactly the same in comparison.

 

Look guys, I told the OP I was done with this thread. For some reason nobody wants to let it die. For those who say it's just a horseshoeing anvil and very available and plentiful I'll say this:
                    
                                        Just a FYI in case anybody cares.
Bill Pieh of Centaur Forge fame as I understand it, gathered together abunch of the best Standardbred shoers he could find back in the '50s.After consulting and putting their heads together they came up with what they thought to be the best anvil design for shoeing. For the most part I think they pretty much did it. I'd say the real herculean feat for the project was getting a gathering of horseshoers to all agree on somethingclear.png


He contracted with Kohlswa of Sweden to make this anvil. He had a whole boatload of them shipped over sometime in the late'50s or early'60s. As I understand it that shipment was the only one. After he sold out of them which took about 25 or 30 years that was it. No more were made or will be made. I did see a couple extremely rare ones made in the BruceDaniels design. Those are scarce as hens teeth as I think the production run on those could be counted on one hand.


Is still a top shelf anvil and a good score to anybody who can find one. Better than any of the contemporary stuff made today.

Aside from that, I'm all about innovation and necessity being the mother of invention and all that. It has it's place and is a good thing. I'll also say that I've had more than my share of swaging. I certainly don't profess to know everything, but in the trade of horseshoeing there is no reason. I repeat NO REASON to ever have to do anything like that to an anvil. Not any time for any reason ever.

 

I certainly have no ill will towards the OP or anybody else on here and I hope he gets the money he wants for it but I'll not lie and say the thing doesn't hurt my eyes.

 

Now I'm done..
            


            
            
       

 



        
            
          
            
            
            
       
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The very fine line between mutilation and invention is very fine indeed...........and also subjective. I think, although Bill Pieh might have brought 50 together to agree, we might do well by agreeing that we cannot agree. To George it will always be mutilation. To some Tex it will be making the best use of a tool. I would like to propose that we end it with disagreement. Yes, we do lose an anvil with crisp clean unbroken lines. But we also gain a swedge anvil that is still very much usable, just in a different function. So, for every opinion there is an equal but opposite opinion.

 

I would advise every reader to use their tools responsibly, but in a way that makes them the most efficient.

 

As to those blacksmiths and farriers who will gripe at the loss of a perfect tool, I advise you to go and buy every perfect anvil so as to preserve the history and the tools for the future. That way you are happy, and so is the person who modifies one. If you are not willing to spend the big bucks to buy a perfect large top brand anvil, I dare say there is little right for you to go about criticizing someone elses use of one.

 

Ah, there. I just lost two more pennies to this lovely forum! I hope we can still all agree to disagree and get back to hitting hot metal with rocks onto bigger rocks!

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32 bids, not 32 bidders. I can assure you of one thing. None of them were me.
            
       

I did say 32 bids. 

 

Now that's certainly contradictory to say that isn't it? Isn't that also making it functional for it's users too? I'd say it's exactly the same in comparison.

 

I wouldn't say so. Modifying it to make better use/more money is one thing - modifying it to be easier to hold/pick up is very different as you've taken a functional tool and made it into simply a heavy block of steel - in which case any block of steel would do.....

 

Cheers

Andy

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  • 3 years later...
On February 6, 2013 at 7:58 AM, John McPherson said:

Just so this does not disappear into the ether. Sold for $1,025.

 

post-114-0-52880800-1360155371_thumb.jpgpost-114-0-39642600-1360155403_thumb.jpgpost-114-0-57139200-1360155429_thumb.jpgpost-114-0-51216300-1360155462_thumb.jpg

And ironically, the great forum software shift made those images disappear into the ether. Still have copies?

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I never really got what made Jack so exited about having his anvils cast with the crooked and upswept horns, the taperd heal and turning cams are standard fare. The knotched heal just infront of the turning cams on the little one serve the same purpose, that is to aid in forging square toes on keg shoes. 

He even went so far as having hollow anvils cast. 

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