njanvilman

I really appreciate your input guys. But I'm a little confused about the cast iron aspect.  I keep reading about how cast iron anvils are bad, but no one seems to think it is an issue with these.  I understand the tool steel face gives it a great working surface, but is it not more prone to cracking under heavy blows?  Am I correct in assuming that the horn is cast iron, not tool steel?  I wouldn't expect to be doing heaving blows on the horn, but wouldn't a cast iron horn be rather fragile?

 

i like this anvil and hope i'm just misunderstanding something and my concerns are unwarranted.  I'm an ageing civil war reenactor and thinking that this slightly post-war anvil would be suitable to use for a wartime impression in the future.  Thanks again fellas!

If you want more information on FISHER anvils, look up my past posts.  Can't find the info you seek, contact me directly or on this forum and I will get you the answer.

BTW, Fisher made anvils from the early 1850's to 1979.  They were the sole supplier of American made anvils to the North during the Civil War. 

Correct me if I am wrong, but Nickel and Chromium are the main alloying elements of Stainless Steel.  I am sure that even a small amount in the total will help with the oxidation problem.

That FISHER anvil is from the 1870's.   AT $250, I would buy it, whatever the weight is. 

​I pick this up from one of my customers. It has no readable markings,lots of rust and weight is about 100lb or less. I would like to know more about it.  WOULD YOU HIT THIS ANVIL?

No.  I think it is too old and interesting to use as a working anvil.  I would put it on display in my Museum.

I have cut rail upside down on my horizontal saw.  Yes, it take a long time.  And I found it is best to stop the cut about 1/2" from the top of the cut and hit it with a heavy hammer and break the last part.   It is usually so hard that is snaps off clean.  I found that if you try to cut it completely off it will destroy the blade in that last part of the cut.

Learn on mild steel and save the rail for pounding on.

That FISHER anvil looks to be NOS(new old stuff).  That ridge on the side is common on some Fisher anvils.  No, I do not think it had any reworking done to it. 

I wish I had 50 pristeen ones like this.  I do have a few though, including a few that are MINT(never hit).

Its hard to tell without looking at all of surfaces, but I am guessing this is a Crossley era anvil(1962-1979) or a fairly late Fisher.

If you are anywhere in central NJ near the 95 corridor, you could always stop and visit my museum.  Good for at least a two hour visit.  I just need a heads up and it has to be a weekend or after 430 pm weekdays.

Railroad rail is tough stuff.  I would practice on mild steel, expecially if hand hammering.  Save the rail for power hammer work.

When I was at QuadStates this year, I spoke to the officers of SOFA about recreating a Fisher anvil pour.  I am not sure if it is possible.  It will depend on if they can do an iron melt.  What might be more feasable is to do a bronze Fisher anvil with the steel top plate, and maybe horn.  I have not heard anything from them since QS, so I do not know what will come of this.

I find it interesting of the talk of reverse engineering, and metal testing.  Remember that Mark Fisher figured this out in 1847, and by the Civil War, was the largest anvil producer in the country.  By the end of the company's run in 1979, they had produced over 500,000 anvils, countless swage blocks, parallel screw vises, rail joints, and other custom castings.  Fisher is the #1 anvil producer of all time, and probably will be forever.

Hopefully, after I retire from teaching in June, I will begin production anew, and see where it goes.  Kind of like the second coming of Fisher....

If I can ever find a foundry to do Fisher anvils, they would probably be cast Steel in the Koloshawa? style of material.  The process that Fisher invented and used required very specific flasks and techniques that would be cost prohibitive in todays world.  Even when they were in production, they had very specific time/motion studies and tasks to keep costs down.  Fisher factory over the years gave employment to many and made the owners rich, not wealthy, it was never a huge profit center.

I am proud that I rescued what I did and have a place to store and study it.  Come on down and visit sometime.

Crossley stopped making Fisher anvils in 1979 because of their non-pollution controlled furnace.  They tried to find anyone who could replicate the process, unsuccessfully.  I do not think anyone could possible do what Fisher did without a huge investment.  Someone might try to do what Fisher did, but I doubt they would have much success.

I legally transfered the rights from the last owner of Crossley for the rights to Fisher anvils, Eagle anvil Works, and everything associated with it.  Considering I own the remaining original patterns, it would be kind of hard for anyone else to make a real Fisher anvil.  Their process of welding iron to steel was unique.  I know Star and Vulcan did something similar, but Fisher anvil have stood the test of time and have always been recognized as the superior product.

I am planning on using one of the original Swage Block patterns to have some made.  I am working on the core boxes to go with the pattern.  I will add a current date and name to give them a provenance.

I do not know if this answers you question.

Time to correct a lot of what was said above....some facts, some conjecture. 

More details will forthcoming in the future when my book on the Fisher company is completed, but I will try to fill in some of the blanks:

1. The anvils were poured in a single pour.

2. The steel parts were not preheated outside of the mold.

3. The anvils were heat treated after casting and cleaning and grinding.

4. Fisher anvils were cast upside down in the mold.  That is why on most Fisher anvils you see a round riser spot on the bottom base.

5. No particular grade of cast iron was used.  They started with coke and added scrap iron and fluxes in a basic blast furnace.  This process continued until the EPA shut them down in December 1979.

6. The big black extension on the anvil mold was the preheat chamber that was molded into the sand mold.  Preheat was done by pouring molten iron through a special flask that had openings on the side.  This iron would fill the preheat cavity, and flow out the other side, and be collected for reuse.  After a preset amount had been poured, the side opening were dammed with clay, and left for a period of time to get the steel parts to a red heat.

7.  After a period of time, the iron was now poured through a complex gating system to "wash" the special fluxes off the steel, and initiate the welding process.  The complete mold cavity was then filled with molten iron.

8. Fisher traditionally poured on Fridays.  They spent the morning closing the molds while iron was melted.  Poured till finished.  Molds cooled over the weekend.  Monday all molds opened.  Foundry clay reconditioned.  And the moldmakers began making new molds for the Friday pour.  The cooled anvils first had the excess spruing and preheat iron broken off, then sandblasting, then machining and grinding.  Finally heat treating, then paint. 

I remind everyone that I own the rights the Fisher & Norris and am the only one legally able to make these products and put the name Fisher on them.

I also repeat my invite for anyone with the interest to visit my collection/museum if you are in the NJ area.  I have contacted ABANA about a display or visit in 2014 when the Convention is in Delaware, but have not heard back from them yet.

I welcome all inquiries about the Fisher history, and also welcome any photos or anecdotes you have about Fisher.

Thanks mine is almost exactly the same. If I ever fix it I now know what the fittings should look like.

Remember Tim, you can always come back out to NJ and look and study the 8 early post vises in my museum.  Or anyone else.

It is probably pre 1900 due to the design with wedges instead of bolts.  Unless it is marked, it is almost impossible to tell who made it.  These were made by many factories in that era.

The fix for the mounting plate is easy.  Either weld on a suitable plate to the stub, or just create a new one using what you have let as a partial pattern.

I love Fishers(of course).  Look for one with a good top and edges.  Very kind to the ears when forging.

Not to throw a wrench into your casting plans, but why don't you just get a piece of 1 1/2" or 2" round brass, and machine it to the shape and threads/hole that will work.  I never like cast items where they are used for striking.  Especially on a homemade pour.  Your are going to need a pattern too in your above list.  And after your casting, machining will be the best way to clean it up anyway, so why not start with a better piece of metal.

In the cast catagory, I vote the big Fishers.  Nothing like a 500,600,700, and 800 lb Fisher standing proudly.

In the forged catagoy, I vote HayBudden.  Clean classic lines.

Chiming in.  Just weigh it. 

Where is the "4"?  Date on the anvil?  Dimensions? Condition?

The only Fisher anvils where a "4" means something is a large 4 under the horn to indicate a 40 lber., or sometimes a 400 lb anvil with a 4 on the leg.  More information is needed and a picture would help.

I think that we have to get away from the $/lb model and consider the object for what it is.  A pristeen, probably NOS PW anvil, that happens to be about 500 lbs. 

What would the cost of the Mona Lisa be; maybe about $1,000,000,000/lb or more.

It looks like you are missing a big piece of the face plate.  It is a MAJOR defect.  Fisher anvils are not easy to repair.  Search IFI for more info on this topic.    Your anvil does not have much value except to someone looking for a repair project.  Remember, this is only an opinion.  Others can chime in to agree or disagree.

If you think about what something like that would cost to have made, it gets more reasonable.

I am a FISHER guy, but I would love to own that anvil.  But I will not.  If I was a PW collector, I would buy it even at that price.  Think of it as an investment.  I doubt it would ever go down in value except if it was in a hot fire or damaged in some way.

Your dimensions indicate about a 225 or 250 lb anvil.  I could not tell the top plate condition from your photos, Condition of the top and edges is of paramount importance.  You did not put a good top shot in.  Location is very important as to selling value because shipping is expensive.  And value is what someone is willing to pay and what you are willing to accept.

Thanks.

There was a # 5 on ebay 7 inch jaws, looked to be in real nice condition. Had a "buy it now" of $465 it did not sell. It was missing the leg also but that is no bid deal as it just screws on

That #5  has other problems.  The casting over the top screw was broken and missing on the back of the top part.  The threads looked very worn.  And that mean that the "nut" part in the top casting is also worn.  The price has dropped from 1100 to 465, and still not bids.

Condition, price, and location are key.