njanvilman

Josh, do you have a publisher or are you self-publishing, and can we pre-buy?  Eagerly awaiting your book!

 

No publisher yet.  I figure I have got to get the manuscript mostly done before I get to that step.  Crazy thing is that I have got to set a deadline sometime.  Interesting Fisher stuff is still out there.  Just like Postman found out as soon as his book was printed, more information will continue to appear.

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but does anyone have info on this years event?  I know it is on 1/4 to 1/6, but I cannot find any link to the registration form.  The MASA website has not been updated.  It only has last years info on it.  Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks for all the replies guys, Im going to actually move it and mount it tomorrow, Ill post a pic when it's done..    Yeah fixing the horn back to original style might be a bit much, perhaps just building up the top where the steel has come off and then shaping it a bit . . It'll be more of a beak than a horn!

 

The anvil was only 10 minutes away.  That and the overall size is why I jumped on it.  Im hoping it cleans up nice.  It looked better in person then in the advert pictures, so I was happy.  The guy wasn't budging from $1 / Lb so I got it for $250.

 

 

Yep teaching is a good gig.  For me it comes down to how much longer I can put up with 14/15 year old boys!!!!

 

 

~Steve

 

Sounds like a Middle School job.  I have always taught high school level.  I think its easier.

 

If that anvil was 10 minutes away, you are close enough to hope on the GSP and come on down.  Email before visiting and directions.

Anvil ownership is not a democracy.  It is a ferrocracy, ruled by the fleet, the crafty, and the cash laden

 

And also those who want to preserve a bit of history.  My book on the Fisher Anvil Company will be complete in a while, as I study my collection and compile the company's history.  And I welcome anyone with an interest to visit(and this time of year buy a Christmas tree).

Hey guys Im new here I figure I could introduce myself and the beat old anvil I recently brought home.

 

My name is Steve and Im a High School Technology teacher. (woodshop, electronics architecture, mechanics, etc...)  I've worked as a machinist for a few years and have a masters degree in metalworking (mostly jewelry)  I took a forge class abut 8 years ago and really enjoyed it and lately have been thinking of setting up a little place to heat and beat steel into tools etc. . .  

 

 

Hi Steve

 

I too am a Shop teacher.  Just about done with 36 years, and soon to retire.  I have done Woods and Metals, and several other classes over the years.  A great job, get to play and build all day long.  Just tired of all dealing with the administration and such.

 

Anyway, I watched that Fisher on EBAY and CL for several months now.  Glad that it found a home.  If you want any technical info on Fishers, look up my past posts.  If you have any other questions, fire away.  I have the Fisher museum and welcome visitors.  (Just not in December, I sell Xmas trees on my farm also).  You must be close to NJ, unless you made a long trip to pick up that Fisher.

Offer $400 and show the cash. I like 20's, they make a nice pile. But even at 500, it is a good buy.

A final post on this thread from me, before I start a new one. I have gotten the pattern for the vise jaw mostly completed. Just a bit more tweeking and sanding. Then I will paint it red, to match the color of the original Fisher patterns. I will get back to the mounting stand soon. This time of year is my busiest, with teaching, Xmas tree sales on my farm, and the short days. I have taken photos of the process and will post them on the new thread. It will be a few weeks though. This has been a fun and educational project. I have been sharing progress of the pattern with my students in my Woodworking classes. They had no previous knowledge of what a pattern is, and how it is used to create an iron part.

Probably a date code of some sort - maybe the 3rd week of April 1942...I'd bet NJAnvilman knows.

Some kind of code for the batch number or the moldmaker. I have found no pattern yet to decode these marks.

Even the figure that ABANA publishes about the amount of smiths in 1973 is suspect. I was forging at home and college, as were many of my friends. And I know we were not included in their count. I did not know ABANA existed until I met Dimetri Gerakaris in 1979.

Some of you might figure out that I am the "metal shop teacher" Brian is talking about. I am taking Stuart thinking about passing on some of my surplus anvils to beginners in need. I sold the 150 lb Fisher at a loss, but I know it will be going to a good person. I threw in a couple of ball peen hammers also. Brian is a good guy, and will be a great student as he learns this great craft.

I have a NOS Fisher anvil stand that will work for this anvil. Only problem is that the mounting lugs on the anvil do not line up with the lugs on the stand. However, the stand has lugs on the bottom for mounting it to the floor. This stand was never drilled. I am going to drill and tap the bottom lugs, and use a eye bolt and turnbuckle arrangement to fasten it down. I am also planning on putting a 1 1/2" layer of marine plywood between the anvil and stand, to raise the anvil up a bit. I will tackle the wood this week. It will be fun draging the 75 lb base up onto my drill press. Good thing cast iron drill easily.

Once it is fastened down, I will tackle the vise parts. I love this kind of project. Industrial history IRL!

http://www.google.com/patents/US425602

Thanks Phil. I am not up on all the technology to share links.

Today I wire wheeled the anvil. It turned out that the sandblasting that was done on it made my job easier. I can just make out the date of 1894, which is consistent with the patent and ad. The anvil is pitted, but not too badly. It was obviously outside for many years. But there is very little evidence of use. After cleaning, I sprayed it down with PB Blaster to protect it and put an oil layer on it.

Now come the fun part: duplicating the missing parts.

This is going to be fun to watch!

I couldn't find any pictures of the complete set online, so I'm very curious to see what you come up with.

Go to Google patent search and put in the patent #.

Interesting...when is Chapter 2?

Just home after a 250 mile detour after work today to get the anvil. I picked up the anvil at a small auto body shop in Wilkes Barre, Pa. They had sandblasted it trying to find a name. I will unload it tomorrow and rerust it, then wire wheel it. The patent # for this is 425,602, if anyone wants to look it up. I figure I will do a wooden mockup of the parts to figure out their lengths and geometry, then create wooden patterns that I will get cast at Cattail Foundry in Pa. It will be an interesting project.

When not knowing...Google it. We found the original patent diagram and explanation there. Off to get the anvil this afternoon. Then to try to duplicate the missing parts. There are only 4 major pieces. I think that I might get the two big pieces cast after I create the wood patterns. Iron would be appropriate.

This is the first one of this style I have found. The crude picture is on Pg 192 of AIA book. They have a description and a grainy drawing. It is a scan of an ad from 1895. Any help will be appreciated in figuring this out. Once I pick it up, I will clean it up and see if the anvil itself can help in figuring out the geometry of the pedal and the mechanism.

It will soon be on view in the Fisher Norris Factory Museum. I am going to try to recreate the vise part, once I figure it out. BTW, this sold for $20 in the 1890's.

Finally back to semi normal in central NJ. Lost power for 9 1/2 days, then on for 3 hours, then off for another day. We lost many big and small trees. Luckily, nothing hit any structure, although many came close. I spent last weekend cutting up oak, and today cleaning up the backyard of spruces and cedars that snapped under the 12" of wet snow on Wednesday night. I have lots more cleaning and cutting to do. This will be a task for many months.

All in all, we did fair much better than the coast. Amazing to see open spaces where grand houses stood; and absolutely no trace that there ever was a house there. My school did shut for three days. In my home town, the school have been closed for two weeks. Most hope to open on Monday. It was a mess. My road had at least 4 trees blocking the road.

Awaiting first light this Monday morning. Its very windy and raining, but they say this is only the beginning. I still have power, but I fully expect it will go out in the next 24 hours. I am 15 miles inland from the Atlantic, but directly in the landfall path. Scary.

Tomorrow is clean out the gutters day, fuel everything, and put away stuff. Mostly worried about loosing power for an extended time.

My 300# Fisher doesn't have any nubs. Wonder why they would have been cast in like that?

To help keep it from sliding around when mounted on a wood stump. The points would sink into the wood.

That was what I was thinking; but the base could always have "alignment depressions"---I don't recall checking for them on that blacker that went through a fire.

Not to hijack this thread, but the Blacker hammer anvils were made to slide in one directions to align the anvil in and out, and the hammer was moveable for right to left impact zone.

I have many Fishers with the same Llll markings. That and the S are marks used by the moldmakers to indicate a batch #, or sequence #, or moldmaker.

I do not price anvils. Lets just say that if you are buying, you want it as cheap as possible, the opposite if you are a seller. That being said, it is a nice anvil in nice shape. If you want to see what others will pay for it, put it on EBAY with a super high reserve and see where the bidding goes. A relatively cheap way to get a value, just make the reserve high enough that it will not sell.

Don't recall that my 500+# Fisher has any nubs...

Tom,

Your Fisher came from a Blacker hammer, as you know. It was mounted solidly to the Blacker stand. The bottom on these anvil are smooth, no nubs.