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njanvilman

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Posts posted by njanvilman

  1. Beautiful example of what a Fisher anvil looked like when made.  This anvil is a 100 point anvil on the FARS scale.  Exactly how it looked when made, before anyone took a hammer or hot steel to it.  This 150 lb. Fisher anvil was made in the 1950s, when Fisher was not marking them in the traditional way.  It only has the 15 indicating its weight.  There are no other markings.  The paint is what is left of original paint.

    To learn more about Fisher & Norris, refer to the book, "The History of Fisher & Norris

    Fisher1950s1.thumb.jpg.47f0fba268b7d4a19732a853b2c376b7.jpg

     

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  2. Beautiful example of a Maine made Fisher & Norris anvil.  Made between 1843 and 1850, during the year F& N were located in Newport, Maine.  This anvil is stamped 129, indicating the weight in lbs.  These Maine Fisher's were made very well, and have nice smooth sides.  They are increasing hard to find, especially in this condition.

    This is the most recent addition to the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum.Fisher1291.thumb.jpg.d394757ff02e055287883ccb51302d6e.jpg

  3. I am seeing A 13847.  If that is correct, AIA puts it manufacturing year as 1900.

    Value is dependent on location, condition, brand, and whether you are looking to buy or sell.  There is no set price/pound for these.  A lot also depends on how much a buyer wants it, and how bad a seller want to move it along.  

    I get this question all the time in regard to Fisher anvils, and it is the one question I will never answer.

  4. 24 minutes ago, garald176 said:

    Oh wow! Thank you for replying. I found it cleaning out a house and it seemed like it had enough information on it to pursue some research. I guess would like to know if it's worth anything or if I should just hold onto it as a conversation piece. I love antiques but I'm not what you'd call an anvil collector.

    Message sent.

     

  5. And here I am.  Your 0 size anvil was made as a functional piece.  Not as a sample.  The "Cast Steel" refers to the horn steel plate...they were cast steel.  The anvil has steel faces on the horn and body, welded to the cast iron body during the casting process.  Mark Fisher figured out how to do this in the 1840s.  F&N went on to make over 600,000 or more anvils using this process.

    The markings of the size sometimes were multiple of 10, but in your anvil it was made as an 8 lb +/- anvil.  Your anvil was probably made in the 1870s, or a bit later.

    If you want to learn more about me, or the Fisher Museum, go to my Profile to see info, and about my book on the company.  Any other questions?

    Picture of the Museum entrance and my book.  Located in New Jersey.

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  6. 48 minutes ago, M.J.Lampert said:

    njanvilman every time you post I know I will get a case of anvil envy but this one takes it to a new level.

    Thank you for rescuing all these timeless artifacts. If only each one could tell their story...

    I have said the same thing....where have all of these artifacts been for the last _____(Fill in # of years), and what has been made on them and where?   I have been fortunate to have been able to find many wonderful pieces, and have a place to display them.  

    Mr. Gxer

    The swage block shown is a Fisher & Norris made block.  They only had a few designs, and yours is one of them.  I have a section in my book on pg. 176 -178 on F&N blocks.  Pg. 178 shows the pattern and a block here at the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum.

    Info on my book is in my Profile.

  7. Mr. Gx....Nice find.   400 lb. F&N anvil, in very nice shape.  It is getting harder to locate good condition Fishers, but somehow they keep turning up.  Enjoy your use of your 105 year old piece.

    Recent addition to the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum, this 1950s era F&N anvil, on a factory stand.  This anvil resided in the former owners home for the last 40 years, unused.  Originally from the Baltimore City School system, it was surplused out around 1980.  It had very light use.  The edges are perfect, with only a few hammer marks on the horn.   

    The factory stands are harder to find than the anvils.

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  8. I looked for many years before I found the first block to match this pattern.  Alas, three month later, I found another.  Not in as good of shape as the first one, but no broken parts.  Weighs in at 220 lb.  18" x 18" x 4".

    Please do not hijack this thread with tales of driving distances.  Please start your own thread.  This posting concerns this Fisher & Norris swage block, not how far you all drive.

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  9. Fisher & Norris #4 Bench Vise recently added to the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum collection.  This #4 is the largest of the bench vises produced by F&N.  It has 6" jaws, and weighs about 130 lbs.  These vise are very rare.  The Museum has 2, and I have only seen one more.  I am sure there are others out there.  This vise was made around 1920.  F&N actually made about 30 different styles of the bench vises during this era.  More information can be found in my book.  Details in my profile.

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  10. I recently had the opportunity to bid on and buy this Fisher made swage block.  It was the one block I had the pattern for in the Fisher & Norris Factory Museum, but did not have an actual block.  As you can see, the pattern matches exactly the finished block.  The block is 18" x 18" x 4", and weighs around 200 lbs. 

    The pattern is made from wood, probably clear pine.  The black projections are the core ends.

    You can learn all about the history of Fisher & Norris from my book.  Details are in the "About Me" part of my profile.

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  11. Fisher made anvil, called a Farmer's or Prospector's anvil.  Made by Fisher as a cheaper anvil than their regular line, meant to compete with the cheaper Vulcan anvils.  Fisher made them, but were not sold by them.  They sent them all to distributors for sale.  They did not acknowledge making them,  and they had no warranty.  Fisher did not want to compete with themselves for sales.  

    They had a thinner faceplate than Fisher anvils.   And most found today have some damage.

    The whole story is found in my book on Fisher anvils.  Information in my profile.

  12. 19 minutes ago, Ridgeway Forge Studio said:

    Really makes me wonder who didn’t use it. Someone bought it and never used it, and so on. 
    Josh, any chance the black paint on this little guy could be original?

    It looks factory.  That is how they painted them.

  13. I find it always interesting to see near mint anvils still appearing, even though they might have been made 140 years ago.  It always begs the question: where has it been and what circumstance provided it to be here in 2022 in almost new condition?

  14. 4 hours ago, Randy Griffin said:

    Njanvilman, I recently ran across a fisher looking anvil, almost exactly like the pic above, only, there were no markings and very little rebound. Maybe 40-50%. A very discernible weld around the waist. Are there fakes out there? I passed on it but I noticed last week the guy still has it in his store.

    Photos of the anvil in question would help greatly.  What might have looked like a weld might have been the seam where the top and bottom pattern met.  The joint was not always perfect.  But the anvil was cast as one piece.

  15. Nice anvils are still out there waiting to be found.  I made a great contact at an event where I was promoting my book.  A nice lady told me she had an anvil and would send photos.  A few weeks later, I got the images.  A couple of weeks later, I went to get it.  Bought for a reasonable price, loaded it up, and brought it home.  It is a 1920 F&N 150 lb. anvil, with only minor torch divots on the end of the heel.  Factory paint too.  A 98 point piece.  As TP would say, talk to everyone about anvils; you never know where it will lead.

     

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