njanvilman

And Vulcans anvils are not English anvils. They were made in USA, in Illinois.

As Vulcan anvils go, that one is in decent shape. However, please realize that Vulcans are considered to be on the poor end of the cast type anvils. It will do for a starter anvil. Just take it easy hammering on it. The top plate is thin. Keep your eyes open for a better one in the future.

Its not a FISHER, but I would love to have one for the museum. If only it wasn't 1500 miles away.....

Try the anvil out with hot and cold material at a spot near the heel. See if it leaves dents or not.

And bring cash. At that price, I would bring $10 bills. Have a wad of perhaps $120 worth ready as a first offer. Can always go up, not down. Sometimes a bunch of bills moves negotiations quickly.

The attachments look like it was perhaps used on shoe repair. Still a great find for a nice price.

Nice find. Use it correctly and it will be good for another few hundred years.

A sweet, barely used FISHER. WW2 vintage. Fisher had to get clearance for all production for civilian use during the war. This one was probably made for the GSA(Government Service Administration) for military use. The GSA was the biggest buyer of Fisher anvils from WW2 to the end of their production in 1979. Somewhere, I dream that there are pallets of NOS Fisher anvils sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

AIA book by Richard Postman puts the date in 1914.

VaughnT: Goes without saying, when you bolt down a FISHER using the lugs, just make the bolts tight, not torqued. I have a few Fisher anvils with broken lugs from overtightening.

ELj Your anvil is an early 1860's anvil. You have the round Eagle of the 1860's and the stampings of the late 1850's. PM sent.

The date cannot be 1842. Fisher did not exist then. Look more closely. It is more likely 1942. The Roman numerals had to do with pour or pattern numbers. They are of no significance. Some Fishers had a number on the leg to the right of the horn, with the horn to the right. That indicates the weight. Or you can just weigh it on a scale. Pictures do tell a big story. Try to post some of get them to me via email (in profile). I can tell you a lot more about your anvil then.

The anvils that have the stampings of the name, Trenton, and sometimes "cast steel" are amongst the earliest Fishers out there. They did that in the late1850's and early 1860's. No, they are not common. They had to survive their varied history for 150+ years.

AT 9" long and over 2" diameter, I would be hard pressed to swing that hammer for long. It would probably be too heavy for me except for initial work.

Thank you for posting that. Hopefully that building and shop will remain and have a new life.

Omar Go back in the archives and read my early posts about the beginnings of my museum. In a nutshell, it came with the remaining patterns used to make Fisher anvils. My collection is unique.

Your anvil has the round Eagle and lugs, which puts its origin after 1892. Is there a date on the sloping part under the heel? It is probably from the 1920's. Not all of the anvils made in that era had dates. I have in the museum the bronze stamp that put the imprint into the clay for your logo.

Looks like a large sheet metal hand crimper for doing the ends of sheet metal pipes. Or a notch cutter for sheet metal tabs on the ends of circular pipes. Close?

I put a complete update on my njanvilman profile, but I think I will shout it out here. Today is my first day as a retired teacher. I taught over 5000 students woodworking and metalworking on the high school level. After 37 years in the classroom, I decided it was time to move on. We never had a catastophic accident, a record I am extremely proud of. Now I will have time to write the Fisher & Norris Book, travel, forge more, do more woodworking, and get caught up around my house. This forum is a wonderful resource. I am a proud contributor to it. I hope to meet many of you at the ABANA meet in Dover next summer. Some of my best friends are people I met at various ABANA meets. And I will be at Quad States again. Joshua Kavett

I start with 3/8" round, draw out the rivit part, and then draw out and texture the stem. I leave the 3/8 as is at the connection, and actually drive it into a 1/4 hole to get a good shoulder. I usually MIG weld the "star" part just to make sure I have a good connection that will not move later. I also leave the 1/4" rivit part a bit oversize and not round, and have a made a tool to drive the layers of the flower down.

The first Fisher logo was a round, slightly protruding Eagle with shives of wheat. That was in the 1860's. The second was a round, protruding Eagle on an anchor. This logo was from approx. 1870 to 1880. This is my personal favorite. The third logo was two different size square logos of the Eagle with the anchor, but were indented into the anvil. These were from approx 1880 to 19??. Note that some small anvils had a small protruding Eagle at the same time as the square logo. Some anvils from these eras had no logo, but were marked with the Fisher name. The anvil you mention from Ebay with the square logo and the P was from appox 1880. I have two of that type in the collection. Fisher anvils are terrific. Try to find one with a good flat face, and minimal chipping on the working edge. And if you are ever in NJ, ping me for a visit. You can study Fisher anvils for hours. (Yes, my book will be done someday, with all of this explained and illustrated in it)

There are at least 5 different logos on Fisher anvils. They changed by era of production. Some stick out, some are into the casting. I can add more information tomorrow. I am at the end of an 18 day.

You did real good on the price. Everyone on IFI dreams about getting a deal like that.

It is indeed a Fisher. It was made between 1962 and 1979, during the years Crossley made the Fisher anvils. The U68 probably indicates it was made in 1968. Crossley used a wierd dating code that I am still trying to figure out. Your anvil is in great shape, with very little use. It was made by the same workers who made them prior to 1962 with the same materials. Use it with care and it will last many generations. The complete story of Fisher/Crossley will be out there when I finish my book on the company. Stay tuned.

My earliest Fisher anvil with the mounting lugs is 1892. And not all Fisher anvils had the weight marks or year cast in. If you get the anvil and get a better look at it, you will probably find more markings. Post some photos and I will add information.